Summary
- Grand Admiral Thrawn is a classic Star Wars villain from the Expanded Universe who has become vital to the franchise's future after being name-dropped in The Mandalorian.
- Thrawn is the only alien to ever become a Grand Admiral in the xenophobic Empire. He's a military and tactical genius whose return would reinvigorate the Empire.
- Thrawn vanished at the end of Star Wars Rebels but has been revealed to have been stranded in another galaxy for nine years. Now, in Ahsoka his allies are seeking to bring him back.
Played by Lars Mikkelsen in live-action, Grand Admiral Thrawn is a classic Star Wars villain from the Expanded Universe who's become vital to the franchise's future after Star Wars. Few viewers could ever expect how important Grand Admiral Thrawn would become when he was name-dropped in The Mandalorian season 2, with Rosario Dawson's Ahsoka Tano revealing she was on a quest to find him. The prospect of Thrawn's return in The Mandalorian era threatens to plunge the entire galaxy into war on a greater scale than ever before.
The future has never been brighter for Grand Admiral Thrawn. The quest for Thrawn drove the plot of the Ahsoka Disney+ TV show, and he's set to become the main villain in Dave Filoni's upcoming movie. Here's everything viewers need to know about Thrawn now he's returned.
Grand Admiral Thrawn Is The Greatest Of The Empire's Military Leaders
The canon origin of Grand Admirial Thrawn is told in Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy. Thrawn hails from the Unknown Regions, a vast sector of space on the galactic rim that is almost impossible to explore due to navigational hazards. He is a Chiss, a race of blue-skinned and red-eyed humanoids who pursue a policy of isolationism as regards galactic affairs. Thrawn is a polarizing figure among the Chiss, because unlike the rest of his race he believes in aggressive first-responses against threats. He was ultimately exiled, only to be discovered by Imperial scouts and taken to Palpatine himself.
Palpatine recognized Thrawn's military genius, and allowed him to ascend the Empire's ranks even as he benefited from Thrawn's knowledge of the Unknown Regions. Thrawn became the only alien to ever ascend to the position of Grand Admiral, one of just twelve or thirteen beings to hold the rank. Grand Admiral Thrawn was assigned to deal with the nascent rebel cell operating around the planet Lothal in Star Wars Rebels, and he proved ruthless and effective, only ultimately defeated because he lacked understanding of the Force.
Grand Admiral Thrawn Vanished At The End Of Star Wars Rebels
Grand Admiral Thrawn vanished at the end of Star Wars Rebels, when Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger outsmarted him. Bridger had established a rapport with the purrgil, Star Wars' space whales. Guided by the Force, he summoned the purrgil to Lothal and had them drag Thrawn's flagship off to hyperspace - with both Thrawn and Ezra himself aboard. The Battle of Lothal took place shortly before the first Star Wars movie, and in tie-in comics Palpatine has openly noted Thrawn would have changed the tide of the Galactic Civil War had he remained with the Empire.
Ahsoka revealed Grand Admiral Thrawn was taken to another galaxy, where he has been stranded for roughly nine years. Lady Morgan Elsbeth, one of Thrawn's most important allies, is determined to get him back. By the end of the Disney+ TV show, Grand Admiral Thrawn had successfully made his way back from distant Peridea. Fortuanately, the New Republic at least know he's back - because Ezra Bridger managed to sneak aboard Thrawn's ship and subsequently escape.
Lars Mikkelsen Plays Star Wars' Grand Admiral Thrawn
Celebrated actor Lars Mikkelsen will make his live-action debut as Grand Admiral Thrawn in Ahsoka, having voiced the character in Star Wars Rebels. Mikkelsen's portrayal of Thrawn immediately clicked with viewers, perfectly capturing the villain's intelligence, menace, and sense of superiority. Brother of Mads Mikkelsen, Lars Mikkelsen already has an impressive resume, having played Troels Hartmann in The Killing, Charles Augustus Magnussen in Sherlock, and Viktor Petrov in House of Cards.
Grand Admiral Thrawn's Villain Origin In Star Wars Legends
Grand Admiral Thrawn may be a relatively new name to many viewers, but he has a long history and heritage in Star Wars. He made his debut in Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire back in 1991, and it's impossible to overstate how important Thrawn was to Star Wars back in the '90s. The Thrawn Trilogy was immensely popular and garnered critical acclaim, becoming a New York Times-bestselling series, essentially relaunchiing the old Expanded Universe. Zahn became one of the most important Star Wars writers, returning time and again to reveal more about his creations - including Thrawn and the Chiss.
The Expanded Universe placed Star Wars back on the map in popular culture, and it's entirely possible George Lucas himself would never have returned to make the prequels without these books. Lucas even lifted some ideas from the Thrawn Trilogy, most notably the name of the city-planet Coruscant. After Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, though, these stories were placed under the banner of Legends. Thrawn himself was re-canonized in Star Wars Rebels, only in a different time period. After Rebels' ending, however, Thrawn's original Legends story is making a resurgence with his war against the New Republic.
Grand Admiral Thrawn's Star Wars Future Explained
After over 30 years, Grand Admiral Thrawn is once again vital to Star Wars' future. At Star Wars Celebration, Lucasfilm confirmed the various shows set during The Mandalorian era - including Ahsoka - are set to culminate in a movie helmed by Dave Filoni himself. Thrawn has been confirmed as the villain of The Mandalorian era movie, which presumably means viewers will get to see a canon version of the "Heir to the Empire" story.
Thrawn will be a different kind of villain for Star Wars, however, in that he lacks Force-power. Instead, he's a true military threat, a tactician who delights in outsmarting and outmaneuvering his enemies. While he's willing to cultivate alliances with Force-users - such as the dangerous and powerful Nightsisters of Dathomir - he prefers simple tactics. This should make for a movie of a different kind, a military conflict between rival superpowers rather than a cosmic battle between light and dark waged by Force-users. Ahsoka has set up an exciting future for Grand Admiral Thrawn.
