Grand Admiral Thrawnhas returned afterAhsoka, and here are the ten most exciting theories about his return. Theend ofAhsokasaw Anakin Skywalker’s former Padawan fail in her mission to prevent Grand Admiral Thrawn returning to the mainStar Warsgalaxy. Fortunately, her ally Ezra Bridger hitched a ride on Thrawn’s flagship, the Chimaera, and he’s therefore given the New Republic warning. Still, Thrawn’s return undoubtedly heralds a new era of Imperial terror.
Thrawn has now been positioned as the main villain ofThe Mandalorianera, mirroring his importance toStar WarsLegends - where Timothy Zahn’s popular “Thrawn trilogy” brought the franchise back in a big way in the ’90s. The only alien to ascend to the rank of Grand Admiral in the Imperial military, in canon Thrawn was considered one of only two Imperial strategists who could have prevented the Rebel Alliance winning the Galactic Civil War. Now, there’s everything to play for - as these exciting theories for his return indicate.
10Grand Admiral Thrawn Uses Ysalamiri Against The Jedi
Could the ysalamiri make the jump from Legends to canon?
Grand Admiral Thrawnis a different kind of villain, a military tactician rather than a Force-sensitive servant of the dark side. The Force has often been portrayed as his main weakness, responsible for his greatest defeats in canon, andit would make sense for him to figure out a way to defend himself. Fortunately, one aspect ofStar WarsLegends may well be available to him.
The ysalamiri were teased inStar Wars Rebels.
In Legends, the creatures known as ysalamiri evolved on a world where the Force was used by predators. They developed an unusual evolutionary defense, generating bubbles around themselves in which it was impossible to access the Force or draw on its power. The ysalamiri were teased inStar Wars Rebels, with a mural showing them behind Thrawn himself, and it would be thrilling to see him use them going forward.
A perfect homage to the Thrawn Trilogy
In Legends, Grand Admiral Thrawn based himself on Wayland - one of Palpatine’s most secret establishments, where he conducted sinister cloning experiments. Wayland made its canon debut inStar Wars: The Bad Batch, which wove the experiments there into the story ofProject Necromancer, the research that would eventually resurrect Palpatine. Project Necromancer was name-dropped inThe Mandalorianseason 3, confirming it’s been re-activated inThe Mandalorianera, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Wayland becoming important again.
Does this mean Thrawn will base himself at Wayland?It would be thrilling to see Wayland appear in live-action, and it would be such a delightful homage to both the original Thrawn Trilogy of books and toThe Bad Batch. This particular theory seems very likely indeed, given there have been interviews in which Lucasfilm bosses discussed Tantiss' canon appearance as setup.
8There’s An Imperial Civil War Against Thrawn Himself
Is Thrawn truly loyal to the Empire?
“For the Empire,” Thrawn declares inAhsoka, and the word-choice hints at his loyalty; many figures in the Empire believed in the ideas behind it, and resented the Sith who they saw corrupting it. Thrawn may (or may not) be loyal to the Empire, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s loyal to Palpatine. In fact, Timothy Zahn’s canon novels have suggestedThrawn saw the Empire as a means to an end, and even extracted people he thought would be more useful to his people, the Chiss, than they would to the Emperor.
The Chiss live in theUnknown Regions, a vast unexplored part of the galaxy - exactly where the Empire retreated to after its defeat. It’s easy to imagine the Imperial Remnant (and the nascent First Order it evolved into) clashing with the Chiss, leading to a massive problem for Thrawn given his conflicting loyalties.Could Thrawn’s return to the main galaxy actually initiate something of an Imperial civil war between Thrawn’s forces and Palpatine loyalists?
7Thrawn Will Launch Strikes On Mandalore
A resurgent Mandalore is a threat to the Empire
The Mandalorianseason 3 endedwith the Mandalorians reclaiming their ancestral homeworld, reestablishing Mandalore and overthrowing Moff Gideon. This was the very outcome the Imperial Shadow Council most feared, because it would lead to the re-emergence of a new power in the very region of space where the Empire was trying to reestablish itself. Thrawn has settled on Dathomir, which isn’t too far from Mandalore in cosmic terms.
This may well explain Mandalore’s absence in theStar Warssequel trilogy - in the darkest possible way.
Does this presage a new conflict between the Empire and Mandalore?That would help explain why characters like Din Djarin are so important in this current era; because Mandalore will be on the front lines in the war against Thrawn’s resurgent Empire. That said, there’s probably no Mandalorian strategist who could possibly stand against Thrawn, so this may well explain Mandalore’s absence in theStar Warssequel trilogy - in the darkest possible way.
6Thrawn Will Be Responsible For The New Republic Abandoning Coruscant
Why does the New Republic leave Coruscant?
The Mandalorianera has made it clear that theNew Republichas settled on the former galactic capital of Coruscant. That’s actually rather odd, because in the sequel trilogy, the New Republic capital was Hosnian Prime - the planet destroyed by the First Order inStar Wars: The Force Awakens. So why did the New Republic leave Coruscant?
One exciting theory suggests this is exactly the storyStar Warsis preparing to tell with Grand Admiral Thrawn. In Legends, Thrawn launched a terrifying attack on Coruscant. Although he was driven back, the Grand Admiral hit upon an innovative strategy to essentially remove Coruscant from the war; he launched an unspecified number of cloaked asteroids into orbit, making it unsafe for any ships to arrive at or depart from Coruscant.Could he do something even more dramatic in canon?
5Thrawn Has Been Kept Up-To-Date Thanks To The Great Mothers
Will the New Republic have time to react to Thrawn’s return?
Grand Admiral Thrawn was created as a twisted version of Sherlock Holmes, which means the secret of his strategic success lies in his analytical and deductive abilities. In theory, that should give the New Republic some breathing space before their forces face a resurgent Empire under Thrawn’s command. The galaxy has changed a lot since Thrawn was banished from the mainStar Warsgalaxybefore the Galactic Civil War even began.
But has Thrawn actually been kept up-to-date thanks to his allies, the Great Mothers?Ahsokarevealed they’ve had a psychic link to Morgan Elsbeth all these years, helping her coordinate the construction of the Eye of Sion, and ultimately leading her to Peridea. The Great Mothers could easily have been scouting out the galaxy on Thrawn’s behalf, picking up intel for him. Worse still, he may be well aware of New Republic secrets, simply becausethey’ve explored the minds of senators or military commanders. So much for time to breathe.
Ahsokarevealed just how dangerous Thrawn’s allies really are, with the Great Mothers actually resurrecting dead stormtroopers asNight Troopers- an army of the undead used to delay Ahsoka and prevent her and Sabine hitching a ride on the Eye of Sion. It’s interesting to note that these Night Troopers all wore red ribbons, signifying they had gone through Nightsister rituals before their deaths. Still, there’s no reason the Great Mothers couldn’t perform similar rituals on the dead - and raise an army across the galaxy.
The Great Mothers could potentially raise a zombie army that scours the galaxy.
The Empire recruited untold legions of stormtroopers from across the entire galaxy, and viewed them as utterly expendable. That means the entire galaxy is littered with stormtrooper corpses after the Galactic Civil War, and the Great Mothers could potentially raise a zombie army that scours the galaxy. This would be a truly terrifying possible strategy for Thrawn, and yet disturbingly it’s clearly foreshadowed at the end ofAhsoka.
3Thrawn & The Nightsisters Will Turn Against One Another
Could Thrawn’s alliance go wrong?
TheNightsisters of Dathomirmade their canon debut inStar Wars: The Clone Wars, and the relationship between the Sith and the Nightsisters has always been particularly contentious - with Darth Sidious even attempting to wipe them out before he established the Empire. At least one Nightsister, the assassin Deathstick, has dedicated her life to overthrowing the Empire when she learned Palpatine was the one responsible for that atrocity. Could Thrawn’s alliance collapse?
Ahsokaforeshadowed this possibility, in one striking scene in which Thrawn commanded Morgan Elsbeth to sacrifice herself to delay Ahsoka. “For the Empire,” he observed. “For Dathomir,” she corrected, pointing to her true loyalty. She’d just been empowered by the Great Mothers, and it seems unlikely to be a coincidence that Thrawn chose to sacrifice her as soon as that happened.He doesn’t seem to consider the Nightsisters to be reliable, and it’s easy to imagine them clashing.
2Ahsoka Season 2 Will Reveal Grand Admiral Thrawn’s True Enemy
What was Thrawn running from on Peridea?
There are intriguing hints inAhsokathat Thrawn found an enemy at Peridea, one he was desperately battling against - and one that he fled. Thrawn’s forces are weary and depleted, as though they’ve been in battle for years now, and the Grand Admiral is mysteriously absent when the Eye of Sion arrives, even though he knew to expect Elsbeth.The implication is that he was otherwise occupied, battling some other force, and Baylan Skoll believed Thrawn was fleeing when he left Peridea.
Ahsokaended with Ahsoka Tano and Sabine Wren stranded on Peridea, which means they’re likely to meet whoever Thrawn was battling against. While this could potentially be an even greater threat than the Grand Admiral, it could also be a new ally. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, after all, and it would be exciting to learn just what kind of force could keep Thrawn occupied for years.
1Grand Admiral Thrawn Is A Distraction For The True Threat… Abeloth
Is a classic Legends foe about to apear?
Another theory, though, is thatAhsokaseason 2 could introduce Abeloth- with Thrawn serving as a red herring, when Abeloth is the real main villain. In Legends, Abeloth is a powerful being tied to the Mortis Gods, who was trapped millennia ago and restrained by the Mortis Gods until their deaths during the Clone Wars. She was a dark force more powerful than anything Luke Skywalker had ever faced before, and he was forced to work with the Sith to defeat her.
Ahsoka’s ending confirmed that Peridea is somehow tied to the Mortis Gods, and Baylan Skoll believed he heard a siren call in the Force, one that could easily be issued by the canon version of Abeloth. Many have speculated that Ahsoka and Anakin Skywalker are somehow the replacements for the Mortis Gods, with Anakin as the agent of balance (the Father) and Ahsoka profoundly connected to the Daughter, the avatar of the light side.Could they be fighting the true great battle even as Grand Admiral Thrawn attacks in the main galaxy?
