Is That R2-D2 In The Mandalorian & Grogu? Star Wars Cameo Explained

Published Sep 3, 2026, 10:00 PM EDT

The reviews for The Mandalorian and Grogu were mixed for a variety of reasons, from the story feeling too self-contained to the villains falling a bit flat and more. However, the movie actually managed to avoid the pitfalls of many other Star Wars movies. For one, The Mandalorian and Grogu should be acknowledged for offering Star Wars fans a new narrative—that is, one that doesn't focus on the Skywalker family, the Sith/Jedi, or even really the Force (despite Grogu's Force powers throughout the movie).

Related to that was one of the more impressive aspects of the movie, which is that it didn't rely heavily on cameos—something that has arguably happened all too often in Star Wars. Sure, Dave Filoni had several appearances, and Zeb Orrelios was arguably a bit of fan service, but in general, The Mandalorian and Grogu avoided this common and routinely criticized Star Wars practice altogether. Although, after a closer look on Disney+, fans are convinced that there is actually one major cameo in a blink-and-you-miss-it moment.

The Mandalorian & Grogu Has A Droid That Looks A Lot Like R2-D2

While there weren't any dramatic cameos in The Mandalorian and Grogu, such as Ahsoka Tano popping up, which many had suspected might happen, or even Grand Admiral Thrawn being revealed as the movie's real villain, as many had hoped, fans have noticed that at about the 12-minute mark of the movie, a droid can be seen getting lifted out of an X-wing on Adelphi, and with its blue-and-white coloring and overall design, there's no denying that this little astromech looks very much like R2-D2.

Of course, some might argue that this could simply be another blue-and-white astromech droid, and it's true that Artoo was far from the only droid that looked like that. Yet, perhaps even as a point of comparison, less than a minute before this shot of what very well might be R2-D2, a red-and-white astromech rolls right in front of the screen, making it even clearer that, by comparison, the droid being lifted from the X-wing really does seem identical to one of the most beloved droids, if not the single most beloved droid, in the entire franchise.

Could That Really Be R2-D2? And If So, Where Is Luke?

If that was actually Artoo on Adelphi, then the natural next question becomes: Where was Luke Skywalker? While it's not necessarily that the two are inseparable, it would be weird to see one without the other, particularly at this point in the Star Wars timeline and in this context. Specifically, with what could be R2-D2 being lifted out of the X-wing, the implication is that the droid has just returned from a mission. It seems incredibly unlikely, although admittedly not impossible, that Artoo would be on a mission with someone other than Luke at this point in time.

In fact, it feels almost certain that R2-D2 would be with Luke and that neither one of them would be on Adelphi at this time, especially because of what we know from The Book of Boba Fett. Namely, Luke was already hard at work on building his Jedi Temple and recruiting Force-sensitive students around the time that The Mandalorian and Grogu is set, which makes it very unlikely that he would be doing work with the New Republic in this way.

Based on that, the most probable explanation is that this is just a nod to R2-D2 rather than the droid himself; however, it can't be said with 100% certainty that this isn't Artoo in The Mandalorian and Grogu.