Dave Filoni Explains That Hera is Grand Admiral Thrawn's Ultimate Foe in STAR WARS

As we wait for Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau to continue their Star Wars story in the New Republic era with The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, and The Book of Boba Fett, Filoni is teasing Grand Admiral Thrawn’s future in Star Wars. One of the more interesting things that he points out is that the villain’s greatest foe as he chases chaos for the New Republic is Hera Syndulla.

Finoli explained to Empire: “[Thrawn’s] foil throughout Rebels was Hera. Pitting the two generals against one another is something that I find interesting.” So, it seems like we’ll eventually see these two characters have an epic clash at some point. That ultimate showdown may come in the movie that Filoni is developing after the shows set it up, like Ahsoka Season 2.

Filoni also talked about another character he’d like to see join Thrawn, saying: “We set up Captain Pellaeon in The Mandalorian, and that’s a character that goes with Thrawn, so I’d love to see the two of them together.”

With Filoni now serving as Chief Creative Officer at Lucasfilm, the guy can pretty much tell whatever story he wants to! If he thinks these things are interesting, all he has to do is snap his fingers and make it so, which I’m sure he’s doing.

It’s probably going to be a while before we these characters in action again and Ahsoka Season 2 hasn’t even officially been announced. Even if it was we’ve got The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew coming in 2024, Andor Season 2, and, most likely, The Mandalorian Season 4 in 2025. So, we probably won’t see another Ahsoka series until 2026. There’s no word when the movie will be released, that will tie all of these stories and characters together.

When talking about the growing Mandalorian universe and how this journey has played out for the creative team, Filoni said: "I think for a long time, as I've learned to work in this galaxy, it's a long play, and if things go right, you get to do more of your story. Things I think have broken in a good way for us, and people have enjoyed the characters that we've been making. So certain opportunities came up the further we went along."

Favreau also talked about being inspired by the different sources they are drawing from for the movie saying: "When I was younger, we didn't have movies, but there were comic books, there were novels, things that are encompassed in the [expanded universe] or Legends. Clearly, there are decisions that have to be made to fit it all together, but for us, I think one thing we're in agreement about is that the characters — as special as they are — the story has to drive what characters are."

Then there’s the fun aspect of creating a big story like this and figuring out what characters to include! Favreau said: "We joke that it's like we're playing with action figures, like, 'What's in the box? Let's play with what's in the box!' And that's what you do when you're playing and you're a kid."

Favreau went on to explain: "As we are getting deeper and deeper into this, you start to have to really map things out and figure out what that story is, and then have those characters fulfill what their growth cycle is and what their mythic hero's journey is. Those things have to fit together well. Otherwise, it won't feel like Star Wars."

Favreau went on to say: “That's always been George's base. He's a student of Joseph Campbell. How does it fit into the narrative that has the hero's journey? And so as we have more and more characters line up, you have to figure out how those characters are arcing and if it feels ultimately like a Star Wars story."

What are your thoughts on Thrawn and Hera eventually facing off with each other?