‘Star Wars’ is making the future of Thrawn vital for the saga, but why is it so important?

Grand Admiral Thrawn is not new to ‘Star Wars’. When he debuted in ‘Rebels’ - Dave Filoni’s animated series - the character already had a long history in the Expanded Universe and was one of the most beloved villains by fans. Then ‘Ahsoka’ and its live-action version were released with Lars Mikkelsen as the performer, the same actor who gave him voice in animation. Now, Filoni himself has given some clues about his future in the galaxy far, far away.

Like the classic Legends novels, part of Thrawn’s canon story is set in the years after ‘Return of the Jedi’. The New Republic, weak and sickly, has not yet wiped out the remnants of the Galactic Empire. And without a doubt, one of the reasons the regime fell was due to the absence of the astute Grand Admiral, a strategist without equal. As narrated in ‘Rebels’, Ezra Bridger managed to lock him up in Peridea, a planet located in another galaxy from which he could not escape... until he put his master plan into action with the Nightsisters. His return marks the beginning of a new conflict, a clash between the New Republic and the most intelligent officer of the old Empire.

Although Darth Sidious despised aliens(the regime was very racist), he did know how to see the importance of having an officer of his intellectual abilities in its ranks. In fact, he is the only non-human Grand Admiral.

Hera versus Thrawn, is a face-to-face confrontation coming?

“We set up Captain Pellaeon in The Mandalorian, and that’s a character that goes with Thrawn, so I’d love to see the two of them together,” Dave Filoni told Empire Online. In Legends, Gilad Pellaeon was his second in command on the Chimera, the gigantic Chiss star destroyer, so they have a peculiar relationship that may be reproduced in future ‘Star Wars’ products. Filoni also added the following about Thrawn’s future: “His foil throughout Rebels was Hera. Pitting the two generals against one another is something that I find interesting.”

Grand Admiral Thrawn has blue skin and red eyes, a sign of his Chiss nature. And in Legends, he faced off against the New Republic and its greatest heroes, including Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa Solo, Han Solo, and Lando Calrissian. In canon, he will also become the big villain of the Mandoverse era. Will we see the classic heroes again? Will the story differ much from what was told in the Expanded Universe? These are all questions that still have no answers. For those interested in the character, you can read the two new novel trilogies, written by Timothy Zhan, the same author who created him in the early ‘90s.