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.
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+.