Grand Admiral Thrawn becomes a part of Star Wars canon this week.
Here’s why his inclusion in Star Wars Rebels Season 3 is so important.
A New Saga
This week, Grand Admiral Thrawn returns to theStar Warsuniverse as a villain onRebels.
It was the end of the Empires Chiss admiral.
And who better than the original EUs greatest villain?
But who exactly is Thrawn, and what does his inclusion inRebelsseason 3 mean for the show?
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Thrawn comes straight from the non-canon Legends novels to the television screen.
To return the Empire to power.
Some in the galaxy far, far away might call Thrawn a tragic war hero.
For one, he wasnt a Force user, unlike Darth Vader or the Emperor.
On the contrary, he could repel the Force from being used against him.
In the books, Thrawn could predict an enemys behavior by examining his/her cultures art and analyzing its meaning.
This critical trait has carried over intoRebels.
Thrawn, on the other hand, prefers a good game of mental chess.
That seed is going to grow into full-fledged aggressive use of the Force in season three.
The Jedi Knight even fears that hes failed Ezra and will lose him.
Thrawn doesnt present the moral and philosophical conflict Darth Vader and Darth Maul did, either.
Which makes him all the more ruthless.
He wont be able to be swayed by Jedi philosophy, and certainly wont qualify as weak-minded.
Thrawn will find no pleasure in changing Ezras mind about Force philosophy, as Maul did.
And he has no ties to any of the characters, as Vader and Ahsoka do.
The Rebels are simply in Thrawns way.
A crafty, entirely secular villain will test theRebelsin new ways.
Megan Crouse is a staff writer.
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