At the start of 2023, nobody knew we were getting a live-action Thrawn in Star Wars. But at Star Wars Celebration, Dave Filoni unveiled the big news: not only was the Grand Admiral – so beloved from various canon and Legends novels, and from Star Wars Rebels – stepping into Ahsoka, but he would be played by Lars Mikkelsen, the very voice actor who brought his menacing whispered tones to Rebels’ animated incarnation. Now it’s official: Thrawn is back, back, back in the main Star Wars galaxy, and ready to cause chaos for the New Republic.
As for what his plan actually entails, Dave Filoni teased a few hints of what comes after his return from exile. Speaking to Empire for our Review Of The Year 2023, in a piece all about Thrawn’s glorious comeback, he mentioned a character introduced towards the end of The Mandalorian Season 3, in that mysterious Shadow Council sequence. “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,” Filoni teases. Plus, he points out, a fellow figure from Ahsoka has a long-standing conflict with the Grand Admiral. “His foil throughout Rebels was Hera,” Filoni states. “Pitting the two generals against one another is something that I find interesting.” We could be in for an almighty clash of blue vs. green.
Lars Mikkelsen himself has some thoughts of what Thrawn is ultimately setting out to do: “Straighten out all the others and tidy up the shop,” he says. “I could imagine something in terms of a power play within the Empire.” The New Republic needs to buckle up – the Imperial Remnant is preparing to strike back.
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Read Empire’s full interview with Dave Filoni and Lars Mikkelsen in the Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes issue, on sale Thursday 21 December. Pre-order a copy online here. Ahsoka is streaming now on Disney+.