Dave Filoni Says Grand Admiral Thrawn Is "Definitely" the Big Villain of the New Republic Era

Star Wars fans have been very excited about seeing Grand Admiral Thrawn make his live-action debut in Star Wars: Ahsoka. Lars Mikkelsen is set to reprise his role in the series, and as you might have suspected, Thrawn is the big villain of the New Republic era that Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau have been playing in.

During a recent interview with Empire, Filoni was asked if Thrawn is the "big bad of this New Republic era," and he responded, saying: "Definitely, in my eyes." He went on to say:

"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." 

Thrawn is "a leader, a military strategist, a Moriarty archetype, someone that will out-think you, out-strategize you." These are all the reasons why fans love Thrawn and what makes him such an interesting and unique Star Wars villain. The “Heir to the Empire” is coming, and he is "a critical player in this time period."

Mikkelsen previously teased Thrawn’s ultimate agenda and how it may not become apparent until the end of the show:

“[Filoni’s] writing is very good. It’s very strong. And all the characters have their own drive, and you will probably not know what’s it all about until that very last scene and I like that. I like that writing, that takes its audience so seriously, that you can see for yourself that we drag it right to the reveal. What was the whole thing about?”

This is all just a part of Filoni's big event plans which will lead to the movie that will bring all of The Mandalorian-set Star Wars shows together. That movie will “close out” the interconnected stories that are being told in The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka. It’s also said to follow "the escalating war between the imperials and the fledging New Republic.”

When talking about playing the live-action version of Thrawn, Mikkelsen assured fans that they will be getting the same villainous character that they’ve come to love over the years:

"It's hard to get into that without getting into the storytelling, you know, because of course some time has expired between rebels and where we get into the story here. So, and that time what happened in that time has put his mark on him, but in general, he's still the same bloke, mate. You see, you see he's so you're in for, you know, what you hope for?”

Mikkelsen also shared what makes Thrawn such an interesting villain and that his mind is what makes him a formidable foe for Ahsoka and all the other characters in the New Republic era. He explained:

"That bloke, he doesn't have the force. He's not a Jedi, he's not a superhero of any kind, but he has the brain. He has all of that in that regard. How does he stack up against characters like Ahsoka, Sabine, and all these other people we're going to see and possibly antagonize in the live-action series? I think, I mean, what I mean, his superpower is his mind, which is really and always like seven paces ahead of everybody. And I'm in that sense also ahead of you as an audience, I think. So that's what you expect."

Filoni also talked about Thrawn and explained what sets him apart from the iconic Star Wars villain Darth Vader, comparing him to the Sherlock Holmes character Moriarty:

"The genius of Thrawn is that he's not Darth Vader. He doesn't even try to be. He doesn't have the Force. But he's smart and he's calculating. He's like a Moriarty, he's going to outthink you and out chess move you, so those are the things that I really liked."

Ahsoka is set after the fall of the Empire. Ahsoka “follows the former Jedi knight Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy.”

Ahsoka and Sabine (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) are on the hunt for Thrawn in hopes that it will lead them to find the lost Ezra Bridger, the young Jedi who disappeared with Thrawn many years ago. The series directly follows up on several threads from the animated series Star Wars Rebels.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays Hera Syndulla in the series, and the droid Chopper is also back. The series also stars Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker, Ivanna Sakhno, Eman Esfandi as Ezra, and Ray Stevenson. The limited series is written by Dave Filoni who executive produces along with Jon Favreau and Kathleen Kennedy.

The series will debut exclusively on Disney+ in August 2023.