[Editor’s note: Spoilers for The Mandalorian Season 2 finale follow below. Turn back now if you haven’t watched it yet.]

We knew The Mandalorian could deliver on the action. And we knew The Mandalorian could deliver on fan-centric moments featuring iconic characters. But with the Star Wars show’s Season 2 finale, the series finally opened up its heart in a sneakily emotional way, sticking a landing that delivered a whopping gut-punch that could still be felt long after the credits rolled.

Titled “The Rescue,” The Mandalorian Season 2 finale focused on Mando (Pedro Pascal) confronting Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) to free his tiny son Grogu from captivity. But this time, finally, Mando called in all the favors he’s done for people over the last two seasons (and folks, he's done so many favors). Flanked by Cara Dune (Gina Carano), Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff), Koska Reeves (Sasha Banks), Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), and even Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison), Mando strolled right into Moff Gideon’s Imperial Cruiser and blasted through stormtroopers and Dark Troopers alike.

At first, it looked as though Moff was going to allow Mando to leave with Grogu as long as he didn’t touch the ominous weapon the Darksaber — something Bo-Katan was after. But Moff pulled a fast one and tried to kill Mando behind his back, which did not work out well for him. Unfortunately for Bo-Katan, though, Mando had now rightfully won the Darksaber in combat, and thus could not give it to her. She’d have to win in in combat to become its rightful owner.

A brief aside about the Darksaber here. This weapon was originally owned by Bo-Katan before Moff took it, and Moff explains to Mando that whoever wields the Darksaber has the power to rule the planet of Mandalore. But the power is in the story, not the saber itself, which is why it’s so important that Bo-Katan not simply take the Darksaber as a gift from Mando, but win it via combat. Bo-Katan’s ultimate goal is to reclaim Mandalore, so this is a bit of a sticky situation.

But back to the finale. Just as it looks as though Mando and his crew (and a captive Moff Gideon) are surrounded by robotic and nearly indestructible Dark Troopers, a rogue Jedi shows up in an X-Wing. Wielding a green lightsaber, he lays waste to the Dark Troopers like it’s nothing, and Grogu perks up as though he knows this mysterious figure. With the Troopers gone, Mando opens the doors to reveal… Luke Skywalker!

Yes indeed, good ol' Jon Favreau (The Mandalorian's creator and executive producer) brought Mark Hamill into The Mandalorian via some digital de-aging and facial replacement technology. At this point in the Star Wars timeline, we’re after the events of Return of the Jedi but well before Luke’s self-imposed exile ahead of The Force Awakens. He’s come for Grogu, following on what we learned in Season 2 Episode 5 from Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) — that Grogu was originally being trained by the Jedi before the rise of the Empire. Once the Empire took over, Grogu forgot most of what he learned so he could survive and wouldn’t stick out as a threat.

If you’ll recall, Ahsoka said Grogu needed to be trained by a Jedi, but that there was much fear in him — something that could potentially lead him to the dark side. He needed a strong teacher, not one disaffected with the Jedi like Ahsoka. And then you’ll recall that in Episode 6, Mando took Grogu to the ancient temple on Tython where Grogu used the Force to send out a signal to any Jedi still living to come and find him.

It appears Luke heard the message loud and clear, and is here to take Grogu and continue his training. “He is strong with the Force,” Luke says. “But talent without training is nothing. I will give my life to protect The Child, but he will not be safe until he masters his abilities.” He is likely taking Grogu to the same Jedi Academy where a young Ben Solo is either being trained or will soon be trained by Luke. And of course, we learned in The Last Jedi that fear on the side of both Ben and Luke lead to a rift between the two, the deaths of many students, Ben’s turn to the Dark Side (and transformation into Kylo Ren), and Luke’s exile where he’s finally found by Rey, uh, Palpatine (::shudder::).

But it’s right here, in this moment, that The Mandalorian pulls off its biggest surprise – it hits you right in the heart. The Mandalorian, who so steadfastly has refused to remove his helmet for two seasons, did so in Season 2’s penultimate episode in order to find Grogu. And now he removes his helmet to say goodbye. “He wants your permission,” Luke tells Mando as Grogu looks devastatingly at his protector. “I’ll see you again, I promise,” says Mando, and then he takes off his helmet. Not in a time crunch, not to get to the next level of the plot, but to show Grogu — his child, for all intents and purposes — his full self. He lets his guard down, his hard exterior, to comfort Grogu and assure him everything is going to be alright. OOOOOF. Right. In. The. Feels.

For all the lightsaber battles and pyrotechnics and Star Wars-ness of The Mandalorian, this is the show’s shining moment. Everything comes together — the script by Favreau, the direction by Peyton Reed, the performance by Pascal, and the score by Ludwig Goransson — to hit this one note, and it soars. It’s telling, I think, that the show’s most emotional moment is not a bit of fan service or a shocking cameo (I’d argue this moment even overshadowed that admittedly very cool Luke Skywalker appearance), but a scene of pure compassion and love between father and son.

Whatever you think about The Mandalorian as a whole (and the show doesn’t quite work as well for me as it appears to for most other people), it’s hard not to be moved by this one scene – which is no easy task. The relationship between Mando and Grogu has been the heart of the show for two seasons, and this (hopefully temporary) parting of ways is absolutely devastating because of the work the show has put in to make you invest in these characters and their connection to one another.

So what happens next? Have we seen the last of Mando and Grogu? For now, perhaps. The Season 2 finale’s credits scene teased “The Book of Boba Fett: Coming December 2021,” which appears to suggest The Mandalorian will be shifting protagonists for Season 3. For fans of Boba Fett, that’s great news. For those who’ve been more interested in the character dynamics than the Star Wars trappings, it’s a pretty significant bummer. I can only hope Season 4 will bring Pedro Pascal’s Mando back into the fold, maybe with Grogu having been trained by Luke and with newfound abilities.

The world needs to see Mando and Baby Yoda traveling the galaxy, kicking ass as a team, and maybe sharing an ice cream cone once in a while.

Here’s hoping Mando was telling the truth. That it’s not goodbye, but “see you later.”

The Mandalorian is streaming now on Disney+.