Grand Admiral Throne
returned after AhsokaAnd here are the ten most exciting theories about his return. The end of Ahsoka Seeing Anakin Skywalker’s former Padawan fail in her mission to prevent Grand Admiral Thrawn from returning to the main Star Wars Galaxy. Fortunately, her ally Ezra Bridger hitched a ride on Thrawn’s flagship, the Chimaera, and he was therefore given the New Republic warning. Still, Thrawn’s return undoubtedly heralds a new era of Imperial terror.
Thrawn is now positioned as the main villain of The Mandalorian Eramirroring its importance to Star Wars Legends – Where Timothy Zahn’s popular “Thrawn Trilogy” brought the franchise back in a big way in the ’90s. The only alien to rise to the rank of Grand Admiral in the Imperial military, in canon Thrawn is considered one of only two Imperial strategists who could have prevented the Rebel Alliance from winning the Galactic Civil War. Now, it’s all to play for – as the exciting theories for his return indicate.
10
Grand Admiral Thrawn uses Isalamiri against the Jedi
Can the Islamiri make the leap from Legends to canon?
Grand Admiral Thrawn is a different kind of villain, a military tactician rather than a Force-sensitive servant of the dark side. The Force is often portrayed as his main weakness, responsible for his greatest defeat in Canon, and It would make sense for him to find a way to protect himself. Fortunately, one aspect of Star Wars Legends may be available to him.
The islamiri are tees in Star Wars Rebels.
In legends, the creatures known as Islamiri 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 islamiri are tees in Star Wars RebelsWith a mural showing them behind Thrawn himself, it would be thrilling to see him use them going forward.
9
Throne bases itself in a familiar bad package location
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 evil cloning experiments. Wayland made his canon debut in Star Wars: The bad batchWhich weaves the experiments there into the story of Project Necromancer, the research that would eventually resurrect Palpatine. Project Necromancer was name-dropped in The Mandalorian Season 3, confirming that it was re-activated in The Mandalorian era, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Weiland become important again.
Does this mean Thrawn will base himself in 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 to The bad batch. This particular theory seems very likely indeed, as there have been interviews in which Lucasfilm bosses discussed Tantiss’ canon appearance as setup.
8
It’s an Imperial Civil War against Thrawn itself
Is Thrawn truly loyal to the Empire?
“for the empire,” Throne declared in AhsokaAnd the word-choice alludes to his loyalty; Many figures in the empire believed in the ideas behind it, and reasoned the Sith who they saw corrupted 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 suggested Thrawn saw the Empire as a means to an endAnd even kicked out people he thought his people, the Chases, would be useful as they would be to the emperor.
The Chis live in the Unknown 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 Chis, leading to a massive problem for Thrawn because of his conflicting loyalties. Could Thrawns return to the main galaxy really start something of an Imperial civil war between Thrawns forces and Palpatine loyalists?
7
Thrawn will launch strikes on Mandalore
A resurgent Mandalor is a threat to the Empire
The Mandalorian Season 3 ended with the Mandalorians reclaiming their ancestral homeworld, reestablishing Mandalore and overthrowing Moff Gideon. This was the outcome the Imperial Shadow Council most feared, as it would lead to the re-emergence of a new power in the very region of space where the Empire was trying to re-establish itself. Thrawn settled on Dathomir, which isn’t too far from Mandalor in cosmic terms.
This may well explain Mandalore’s absence in the Star Wars Sequel trilogy – in the darkest way possible.
Does this foreshadow a new conflict between the Empire and Mandalore? This would help explain why characters like Dean Jirin are so important in the 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 that could explain Mandalor’s absence in the Star Wars Sequel trilogy – in the darkest way possible.
6
Thrawn will be responsible for the New Republic leaving Coruscant
Why is the New Republic leaving Coruscant?
The Mandalorian Era made it clear that the New Republic had settled on the former galactic capital of Coruscant. This is actually quite strange, because in the sequel trilogy, the capital of the New Republic was Hosnian Prime – the planet destroyed by the First Order in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Why did the New Republic leave Coruscant?
One exciting theory suggests that this is exactly the story Star Wars Is 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. Can he do anything even more dramatic in canon?
5
Throne is 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, this should give the New Republic some breathing room before their forces face a resurgent Empire under Thrawn’s command. The galaxy has changed a lot since Thrawn was banished from the prime Star Wars Galaxy before the Galactic Civil War even started.
But has Thrawn really been updated thanks to his allies, the Great Mothers? Ahsoka Revealing that they have had a psychic connection to Morgan Elsbeth all these years, helping her coordinate the construction of the Eye of Sion, ultimately leading her to Peridea. The Great Mothers could easily have been scouting the galaxy on Thrawn’s behalf, picking up information for him. Worse yet, he may be well aware of New Republic secrets, simply because They probed the minds of senators or military commanders. So much for time to breathe.
4
Grand Admiral Throne resurrects dead Imperial soldiers across the galaxy
An army of the undead rising across the galaxy?
Ahsoka Revealing just how dangerous Thrawn’s allies really are, with the Great Mothers actually resurrecting dead storm troopers like Night Troopers – an army of the undead used to detain Ahsoka and prevent her and Sabine from hitching a ride on the Eye of Sion. It is interesting to note that the Night Troopers all wore red ribbons, meaning they had performed Nightsister rituals before their deaths. Still, there is no reason the Great Mothers could not 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 all over the galaxy, and viewed them as utterly formidable. This means that 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 is clearly foreshadowed at the end of Ahsoka.
3
Thrawn & The Nightsisters will turn against each other
Could Thrawn’s alliance go wrong?
The Nightsisters of Dthumyr made their canon debut in Star Wars: The Clone WarsAnd the relationship between the Sith and the Nightsisters has always been particularly contentious – with Darth Sidious even attempting to wipe them out before he founded the Empire. At least one Nightsister, the assassin Deathstick, dedicated her life to overthrowing the Empire when she learned that Palpatine was the one responsible for the atrocities. Could Thrawn’s alliance collapse?
Ahsoka That possibility is foreshadowed, in one striking scene in which Thrawn orders Morgan Elsbeth to sacrifice herself to spare Ahsoka. “for the empire,“He noticed.”for Datomir,” she corrected, pointing to her true loyalty. She had just been empowered by the Great Mothers, and it seems unlikely to be a coincidence that Thrawn chose to sacrifice her as soon as this happened. He doesn’t seem like the Nightsisters are reliableAnd it’s easy to imagine them clashing.
2
Ahsoka Season 2 will reveal the true enemy of Grand Admiral Throne
Why is Thrawn running on Peridea?
There are intriguing hints within Ahsoka That Thrawn found an enemy in Peridea, one he was desperately battling against—and one he ran from. Thrawn’s forces are tired and depleted, as if they have been in battle for years now, and the Grand Admiral is mysteriously gone when the Eye of Sion arrives, although he knew to expect Elsbeth. The implication is that he was otherwise busy, battling some other forceAnd Bailan Scull believed Thrawn fled when he left Peridea.
Ahsoka Ended with Ahsoka Tano and Sabine Wren stranded on Peridea, which means they will likely encounter who Thrawn was battling against. While this could potentially be an even bigger 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 busy for years.
1
Grand Admiral Throne is a distraction for the true threat… Abeloth
Is a classic legends enemy about to appear?
Another theory, however, is that Ahsoka Season 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 death 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.
Ahsokas ending confirmed that Peridea was somehow tied to the Mortis Gods, and Baylan Skoll believed he heard a siren call in the Force, one that could easily have been issued by the canon version of Abeloth. Many have speculated that Ahsoka and Anakin Skywalker are somehow the replacement for the Mortis Gods, with Anakin as the agent of balance (the father) and Ahsoka deeply connected to the daughter, the avatar of the light side. Can they fight the true great battle even when Grand Admiral Thrawn attacks in the main galaxy?