Ever since he was named dropped in the second season of The Mandalorian, fans have hoped Lars Mikkelsen would reprise his role as Grand Admiral Thrawn after voicing the character in Star Wars Rebels. Dave Filoni finally confirmed Mikkelsen’s return yesterday at Star Wars Celebration and brought the actor out on stage to announce the news.
Grand Admiral Thrawn is one of the most notorious villains in the Star Wars franchise. First introduced in the 1990s novel Star Wars: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn, Thrawn was a highly intelligent military figure in the Galactic Empire who became the leading figure of the Imperial Remnant after their fall in Return of the Jedi. He was unlike many Imperial officials with his cunning, philosophy and knowledge and love of art, using a culture’s art as a means to understand them and predict their movements. In Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy, he fought against Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Han Solo and their New Republic to retake control of the galaxy and establish a new Empire.
When Disney bought Lucasfilm, the Star Wars Expanded Universe which included novels, comics and video games was largely wiped out of continuity to make way for the Sequel Trilogy, which meant the Thrawn Trilogy was no longer canon for fans. Filoni brought Thrawn into the official Star Wars continuity by introducing him in the third season of Rebels as the main antagonist as Thrawn was tasked with hunting down Ezra Bridger and the crew of the Ghost. Mikkelsen voiced Thrawn for the third and fourth seasons and became a fan-favourite for how he captured the admiral’s cold calculation and philosophical perspective.
SEE ALSO: Star Wars: Ahsoka trailer teases the arrival of the Heir to the Empire
Filoni also announced Doctor Who and Good Omens actor David Tennant would star in Ahsoka, bringing him onstage for fans. Tennant will reprise the role of Huyang, a droid who helped Jedi Younglings construct their lightsabers and was a store of Jedi knowledge after working with the Jedi Order for thousands of years. Tennant first voiced the droid in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, travelling with Ashoka Tano and a group of Younglings to collect their Kyber crystals and construct their lightsabers when they were attacked by pirates and then later General Grevious.
Ahsoka stars Rosario Dawson as the titular Ahsoka Tano, Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Eman Esfandi as Ezra Bridger, Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla, Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll, Lars Mikkelsen as Grand Admiral Thrawn, David Tennant as Huyang, Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma, Diana Lee Inosanto as Morgan Elsbeth and Ivanna Sakhno as Shin Hati.
Ahsoka premieres on Disney+ August 2023.
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.
Originally published April 9, 2023. Updated August 18, 2023.
