In “The Mandalorian“, “Star Wars Rebels” villain Thrawn was mentioned repeatedly and then he will return in “Ahsoka”. Here’s what you need to know about the villain!
- In the new “Star Wars” series “Ahsoka” we can expect the return of villain Grand Admiral Thrawn.
- Thrawn is known from the animated series “Star Wars Rebels” and some novels that are very popular among fans.
- Lars Mikkelsen will play the role in “Ahsoka” and already lent his voice to her in “Star Wars Rebels.
In the third “The Mandalorian” season, Grand Admiral Thrawn was mentioned repeatedly. In “Star Wars: Ahsoka” he will finally appear, portrayed by Lars Mikkelsen. The actor had already lent his voice to the role in the animated series “Star Wars Rebels.” Now he will be seen in live action.
Star Wars: Who is Grand Admiral Thrawn?
Grand Admiral Thrawn is the main antagonist in the third and fourth seasons of “Star Wars Rebels.” His real name is Mitth’raw’nuruodo. He belongs to the Chiss species and comes from the planet Rentor. So much for the dry facts.
His blue skin color and red eyes stand out species-wise, and Thrawn is very intelligent. He is a brilliant strategist and has great interest in foreign cultures and their history. This allows him to easily see through his enemies and understand motivations, which is why he is always one step ahead of them.
Thrawn served the Empire and held the highest military rank as Grand Admiral. Thrawn is not only a military strategist, but also very skilled in close combat and has mastered various fighting styles.
Star Wars Rebels: What happened to Thrawn after the fall of the Empire?
“The Mandalorian” takes place in the “Star Wars” chronology about a decade after the fall of the Empire. However, Thrawn disappeared several years before the fall. Thrawn wanted to crush Hera Syndulla’s Phoenix rebel cell on the planet Lothal.
There, Thrawn was outwitted by Ezra Bridger, who used the Purrgils (giant space whales) to pull Thrawn and his entire fleet into hyperspace. It is unclear where the Purrgils traveled to. Ezra was sucked into hyperspace with Thrawn. Here you can watch Thrawn’s last scene:
In “Ahsoka,” Thrawn will return and with him, Ezra Bridger. While Lars Mikkelsen already voiced the role in “Rebels,” a new actor has been cast to play Ezra Bridger, Eman Esfandi. And for those wondering if Lars and Mads Mikkelsen are related: They are brothers!
Ahsoka: What’s next for Thrawn?
In “Ahsoka,” Thrawn returns from the far reaches of space to work for the return of the Empire. We don’t have many starting points to guess what his exact plans are, but we can be pretty sure that unlike Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), he doesn’t have selfish goals, but serves the Emperor.
The officers who are left of the Empire want to re-establish the Empire as a powerful institution and ensure the Emperor’s return through cloning experiments. Gideon, on the other hand, wanted to clone himself and probably become the new Emperor himself.
Through the sequel films, we know that it will succeed in bringing back the Emperor, but only as a shadow creature in the background. In Thrawn’s time, there is no trace of him in the sequels, the Emperor’s return will not succeed. Instead, Luke Skywalker’s (Mark Hamill) Jedi Order strengthens first.
Possibly we will witness Snoke’s (Andy Serkis) creation, if Snoke is not a separate person anyway, who is used by the Empire as a guinea pig for experiments.
Thrawn’s appearance in “Ahsoka” awaits us on Disney+ starting in August 2023. But until then, we can expect other new “Star Wars” releases in the Disney+ novelty program.