One of the bigger reveals out of Star Wars Celebration this summer was the news thatthe character of Thrawn is comingtoStar Wars Rebels. Grand Admiral Thrawn is one of the most popular characters from theStar WarsExpanded Universe, making his debut in the 1991 novelHeir to the Empire. However, whenGeorge Lucasstepped down from Lucasfilm and new presidentKathleen Kennedyset about creating a cohesive universe that spanned films, TV series, and books, the Expanded Universe was declared non-canon and henceforth deemedStar Wars Legends, with the new Lucasfilm starting from scratch and building a new canon outside of the feature films. That certainly ruffled some feathers, and so it was with great enthusiasm that the news of Thrawn’s reintroduction intoStar Warscanon was met.
A newStar Wars RebelsSeason 3 promo now further teases Thrawn’s arrival, and it’ll be interesting to see how the Imperial strategist fits into the world ofRebels. The TV series—which ranges from enjoyable to downright great—takes place in the five years before the events ofA New Hope, revolving around the growing rebellion. The majority of the previous Expanded Universe stories focused on Thrawn after the events ofReturn of the Jedi, where he took control of the Galactic Empire’s remaining forces, so fans of the EU are no doubt mighty curious to see how the character differs in this new iteration.
Lars Mikkelsen(Headhunter,Sherlock) voices Thrawn inStar Wars Rebels, and you can get a taste of his voice performance in the promo below.Star Wars RebelsSeason 3 premieres on Disney XD on September 24th.
For more onStar Wars RebelsSeason 3, peruse our recent coverage in the links below:
