The most recent episode of The Mandalorian, "Chapter 13: The Jedi," was a huge moment for the Star Wars fandom. Many had already figured that this episode would be the one in which Ahsoka Tano appears, portrayed by Rosario Dawson. This turned out to be true, and the episode made no effort to hide it, letting us dive in right away by showing Ahsoka in action during the opening sequence. However, there was a name drop that very few were expecting: Grand Admiral Thrawn.
For those who might need a refresher on the character, Grand Admiral Thrawn was first introduced in Legends via Timothy Zahn's trilogy consisting of Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command. This kicked off the then-modern EU as we knew it, and Thrawn became a memorable villain as he led some of what was left of the Galactic Empire to victory through his expert tactician skills. He appeared in other parts of the EU written by Zahn. While these stories are not considered canon, Thrawn made his debut in canon back in Star Wars Rebels season 3, and Timothy Zahn returned to write a new Thrawn trilogy of novels set before and between events of that show. He is now working on a trilogy that takes place before that one, the first of which was released this year. At the end of Rebels, Ezra Bridger used the "space whales" to trap Thrawn and bring his Star Destroyer to parts unknown. The finale had an epilogue taking place after the Galactic Civil War, where we see Sabine Wren and Ahsoka Tano go off to search for Ezra.
The funny thing is, I recently had a conversation with someone who said that his mind would be blown if Grand Admiral Thrawn were introduced in The Mandalorian. But given that it seemed to me that the Thrawn and Ezra story would probably only be told in an animated sequel to Rebels, it did not seem likely to me. Now, however, it seems possible that Thrawn could appear in The Mandalorian. While I do not believe that he will appear anywhere in the rest of season 2 since Moff Gideon should be the focus as the main villain, it may be possible for Thrawn to appear in season 3, following the pattern of Rebels.
This would feel a bit repetitive to me, but let's just speculate for a bit. The series takes place in 9 ABY, which is the same year that the original Thrawn trilogy took place. So is it possible that we could see other elements of those novels make their way into The Mandalorian? Could Mara Jade make her way into canon? Or even the clones known as Joruus C'baoth and Luuke Skywalker? People have speculated that the lifeform in the tank at the Imperial base on Nevarro could be Snoke or a Palpatine clone. But what if it's something else, a sort of test for either of these? What if it is a clone of Jedi whom we have seen before in Legends in canon? Could we be introduced to Luke Skywalker on this show, only to be fooled and realize that it is actually his clone? I would be very curious about the reactions.
All of that being said, I am not sure that I would want Thrawn to appear in season 3. The show has done very well letting the newer characters stand on their own when given a chance. If anything, I think that Thrawn would be more likely to appear in a live-action Ahsoka Tano show that could spin off of this episode. Is Ezra still missing? Has Sabine been captured? The recent episode raises so many questions, and I feel like they could possibly be answered in a new live-action show rather than an animated show. If that ends up being the case, I hope that Thrawn's voice actor Lars Mikkelson plays the character in live-action form.
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