In this week's episode of Ahsoka, Lars Mikkelsen finally got to bring Grand Admiral Thrawn to live-action. The actor previously lent his voice to the villain in Star Wars Rebels, though Thrawn actually originated in Timothy Zahn's "Heir to the Empire" Expanded Universe novels.
This take on Thrawn definitely didn't disappoint and we're obviously eager to learn more about him over the next two weeks. Unsurprisingly, the Imperial is definitely up to no good and has seemingly aligned himself with Peridia's Nightsisters, raising an army of undead "Night Troopers" to do his bidding.
We dread to think what became of them during the decade or so they were trapped in a distant Galaxy, though Thrawn seems perfectly content to have a force willing to do anything and everything he commands courtesy of The Great Mothers and their dark magic.
At first glance, all seems well with the Imperial despite the fact he's seemingly embraced the supernatural (which seems odd for someone so logical). However, a closer look at his costume reveals that his pristine uniform is actually quite damaged, suggesting Thrawn is putting on something of a show.
Could he have lost his mind during the time he's spent on Peridia or is he too only still around thanks to The Great Mothers? Like his ship, the Chimaera, and that seemingly undead army, it seems Thrawn is a little worse for wear and this definitely feels more significant than a simple means of showing the passing of time.
We still don't know what the villain is transporting back to his Galaxy but we'd bet on him having greater ambitions than simply crushing the New Republic. However, that may depend on whether Dave Filoni has taken into account Zahn's recent novels and what those revealed about Thrawn's desire to help his people, the Chiss.
Let us know your thoughts on this newly revealed Ahsoka detail in the comments section below.
Set after the fall of the Empire, Ahsoka follows the former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy.
In addition to Rosario Dawson in the title role, the series stars Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla, the late Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll, Ivanna Sakhno as Shin Hati, Diana Lee Inosanto as Morgan Elsbeth, David Tennant as Huyang, Lars Mikkelsen as Grand Admiral Thrawn, and Eman Esfandi appearing as Ezra Bridger.
Ahsoka was written by Dave Filoni, who executive produces alongside Jon Favreau, Kathleen Kennedy, Colin Wilson, and Carrie Beck. Directors include Filoni, Steph Green, Peter Ramsey, Jennifer Getzinger, Geeta Vasant Patel, and Rick Famuyiwa.
The first six episodes of Ahsoka are now streaming on Disney+.