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The Mandalorian movie’s director has confirmed what sets Grand Admiral Thrawn apart from other big villains in the Star Wars galaxy. A ruthless Imperial strategist, Grand Admiral Thrawn was a key character in the old Expanded Universe who made his way into Star Wars canon in Star Wars Rebels. Lucasfilm has cast Lars Mikkelsen as the live-action Thrawn, who is expected to be the main villain in a range of Disney+ TV shows set in the New Republic era – and a climactic movie event.
Speaking to Empire Magazine about the future of Star Wars, Lucasfilm’s Dave Filoni discussed Thrawn’s history in the old Star Wars Expanded Universe. Although Zahn’s original books are now considered non-canon, Filoni is determined to honor them with their portrayal of Thrawn. As he explained:
Thrawn became this very iconic villain, because he was different than anything we’d seen before. He wasn’t another helmet-wearing, lightsaber-wielding bad guy, you know? There’s a lot of pull to make characters that are like Vader, because it is so iconic. But the boldness that Tim had was to make somebody that wasn’t like that, that didn’t have those abilities, but could fight in a different way.
Filoni goes on to share that Thrawn’s cunning mind and genius as a military tactician is what truly sets him apart, rather than having a lightsaber or Force abilities as seen with Vader or Palpatine.
Thrawn Will Be Unlike Any Big Screen Star Wars Villain To Date
Thanks to his appearances in Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars viewers likely have a good idea of what Thrawn is capable of. However, it’s quite possible Filoni has only scratched the surface, intending to show Thrawn’s full potential following his debut in Ahsoka with Lars Mikkelsen returning to play the character after voicing him in the animated series. After all, Thrawn will likely be the overarching villain of all the connected New Republic shows, presumably culminating as the major crossover threat with Filoni’s recently announced Mandalorian movie.
Filoni also confirmed Thrawn’s “critical role during this time period” (the New Republic). His ability to out-think his opponents and prepare counter-offensives before they’ve even thought about attacking makes him quite the dynamic and dangerous villain. As revealed in The Mandalorian season 3, Thrawn intends to lead the Imperial Remnant with increased military might, playing to his strengths as seen in Rebels which Filoni highlights in this interview. Likewise, the trailer for Ahsoka saw the titular former Jedi referring to Thrawn as “Heir to the Empire”, a clear reference to the aforementioned book trilogy and first novel where he made his first appearance.
At any rate, it’s evident Filoni wants the live-action Thrawn to maintain the core of his character. He’s a villain who operates much differently from Vader and Palpatine, both of whom were Sith Lords capable of wielding the dark side beyond their rule over the Empire. While the resources of the Imperial Remnant will be all Thrawn has, it seems that’s all he’ll need leading up to The Mandalorian movie in Star Wars‘ near future.
Source: Empire Magazine
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