This thrillingStar Warstheory makes Grand Admiral Thrawn’s secret connection to Anakin Skywalker the key to his plans. A classicStar WarsLegends villain,Grand Admiral Thrawnmade his live-action return inAhsoka, played by Lars Mikkelsen. Viewers were intrigued whenThrawn hinted at an Anakin Skywalker connection, giving a shocked reaction when he realized Ahsoka Tano was Anakin’s former Padawan.
Thrawn’s history with Anakin Skywalker is told in Timothy Zahn’s fantastic novelThrawn: Alliances. This book features adventures set at two different points in theStar Warstimeline; one during the Clone Wars, in which Thrawn teams up with Anakin Skywalker, and another during the Dark Times in which he is sent on a mission alongside Darth Vader himself. Surprisingly, though, an exciting newStar Warstheory suggests this secret history could be the key to Thrawn’s return post-Ahsoka.
Thrawn’s History With Anakin Skywalker Explained
Grand Admiral Thrawn’s relationship with Anakin Skywalker runs all the way back to the Clone Wars, when he conducted a reconnaissance mission on behalf of his people, the Chiss, to the Outer Rim planet of Batuu. This coincided with Anakin Skywalker’s arrival on the planet; Padmé Amidala had gone missing on a diplomatic mission to Batuu, and Anakin had rushed to the planet to find his secret wife.Thrawn and Anakin formed an unlikely alliance, exposing a Separatist plot.
Curious about the Republic, Thrawn hatched a plan to fake his own exile to Republic space. Unknown to Thrawn, the Republic had transitioned into the Empire, and he was ultimately brought before Palpatine himself; Thrawn name-dropped Anakin Skywalker, earning him time to persuade Palpatine he could be of use. He soon ascended through Imperial ranks, becoming an ally of Darth Vader; Thrawn was one of the few toknow Darth Vader was really Anakin Skywalker.
Why Batuu Is So Important To Thrawn
A remote world situated in the Outer Rim, Batuu is featured in theStar Wars: Galaxy’s Edgethemepark. The planet is close to theUnknown Regions- a vast sector of unexplored space, cut off from the rest of the galaxy by cosmic phenomena. This makes it incredibly important for Thrawn, as it is pretty much as close as the Empire got to his home-space - and to the Chiss. Thrawn kept strong connections with the Chiss even during his faux exile, and there’s even some evidence he may have always been loyal to them rather than to the Empire.
The Unknown Regions became even more important after the death of the Empire. Although the Emperor died at Endor, the Empire itself was really broken a year later, at the Battle of Jakku; theImperial Remnantsscattered, and most Imperial forces fled into the Unknown Regions. There, the Empire would gradually transform into the First Order, returning with an army even greater in size than that of the Empire.
Batuu Could Be The Key To Thrawn’s Return
The Mandalorianseason 3 revealed the Imperial Remnants were still being coordinated by theImperial Shadow Council- including forces led by Grand Admiral Rae Sloane in the Unknown Regions. Still, the general assumption was that the Imperial military would reemerge from the Unknown Regions when Grand Admiral Thrawn returned to the mainStar Warsgalaxy. That’s clearly now happened, setting up Thrawn as the greatest villain ofThe Mandalorianera.
All this raises the exciting possibility that Batuu, the planet ofGalaxy’s Edge, could become vital to Thrawn’s plans. It’s easy to imagine a senario where the Grand Admiral used Batuu as a staging base in the Outer Rim, drawing Imperial forces out of the Unknown Regions and gathering over the skies of Batuu.Star Warshas always been a transmedia franchise, and it would make sense for Lucasfilm to find a way to weaveGalaxy’s Edgeitself into their plans for the next saga.
This idea would turn the Anakin Skywalker reference inAhsokainto something far more important - not just a cool Easter egg or name-drop, but a moment of real and lasting significance. At the same time, though, it wouldn’t necessarily act in Thrawn’s favor; Anakin Skywalker’s Force Ghost is with Ahsoka Tano, offering guidance and insight, and he would know Batuu just as well as Thrawn. If this theory holds true,Star Warshas set up Thrawn to return to his old stomping grounds, but he’d face a challenge he never anticipated - because he never understood the Force.
