This is thrilling Star Wars Theory makes Grand Admiral Thrawn’s secret connection to Anakin Skywalker the key to his plans. A classic Star Wars The villain of the legends, Grand Admiral Thrawn, made his live-action return AhsokaPlayed by Lars Mikkelsen. Viewers were intrigued when Thrawn hinted at an Anakin Skywalker connection, giving a shocked reaction when he realized Ahsoka Tano was Anakin’s former Padawan.
Thrawn’s story with Anakin Skywalker is told in Timothy Zahn’s fantastic novel Throne: Alliances. This book features adventures set in two different points in the Star Wars timeline; 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, however, an exciting new Star Wars Theory suggests that this secret history could be the key to Thrawn’s return after-Ahsoka.
Thrawn’s history with Anakin Skywalker explained
Grand Admiral Thrawn’s relationship with Anakin Skywalker dates back to the Clone Wars, when he led a reconnaissance mission on behalf of his people, the Chis, to the Outer Rim planet of Batu. This coincides with Anakin Skywalker’s arrival on the planet; Padmé Amidala has gone missing on a diplomatic mission to Batu, and Anakin has rushed to the planet to find his secret wife. Thrawn and Anakin form an unlikely alliance, exposing a Separatist plot.
Curious about the Republic, Thrawn hatches a plan to fake his own exile to Republic space. Unknown to Thrawn, the Republic had transitioned into the Empire, and he was finally brought before Palpatine himself; Anakin Skywalker, who was Thrawn’s name, earned him time to convince Palpatine that he could be of use. He soon rose through the Imperial ranks, and became an ally of Darth Vader; Thrawn was one of the few who knew that Darth Vader was really Anakin Skywalker.
Why Batuu is so important to Throne
A distant world situated in the Outer Rim, Batu is featured in the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Theme park. The planet is close to the unknown regions – a vast sector of unexplored space, cut off from the rest of the galaxy by cosmic phenomena. This makes it incredibly important to Thrawn, as it’s about as close as the Empire has ever been to his home space—and to the Chis. Thrawn maintained strong connections with the Chis even during his faux exile, and there is even some evidence that he may have always been loyal to them rather than the Empire.
The unknown regions became even more important after the death of the empire. Although the emperor died in Endur, the empire itself was actually destroyed a year later, in the battle of Jakku; The Imperial remnants scattered, and most Imperial forces fled into the unknown regions. There, the empire would gradually transform into the first order, returning with an army even larger in size than the empire.
Batuu could be the key to Throne’s return
The Mandalorian Season 3 revealed that the Imperial Remnants are still coordinated by the Imperial Shadow Council – including forces led by Grand Admiral Ray 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 main Star Wars Galaxy. This has clearly now happened, establishing Thrawn as the greatest villain of The Mandalorian Era.
All this raises the exciting possibility that Batuu, the planet of Galaxy’s Edgecould become vital to Thrawn’s plans. It is easy to imagine a scenario where the Grand Admiral used Batu as a staging base in the Outer Rim, drawing Imperial forces out of the Unknown Regions and gathering over the skies of Batu. Star Wars has always been a transmedia franchise, and it would make sense for Lucasfilm to find a way to weave Galaxy’s Edge Get into their plans for the next saga.
This idea would turn the reference of Anakin Skywalker Ahsoka Into something much 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 the theory holds true, Star Wars set up Thrawn to return to his old stomping grounds, but he would face a challenge he never anticipated – because he never understood the Force.