If you ask “Star Wars” fans for the best film of the saga, you will very often get “The Empire Strikes Back” as an answer. Now, the series “Ahsoka” is supposedly going to take its cue from the masterpiece, but still throw zombies into the mix.
In “Ahsoka”, the titular heroine, played by Rosario Dawson, sets out to find her old friend Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) and one-time Grand Admiral of the Empire Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) with the assistance of pilot and Rebellion leader Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Mandalorian Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo). Ezra and Thrawn disappeared at the end of “Star Wars Rebels” to a place outside the known galaxy.
But they are not the only ones on the search. Already introduced in “The Mandalorian”, Thrawn confidant Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), along with other faithful (including, arguably, a fallen ex-Jedi portrayed by Ray Stevenson), want to bring their master back so that he can fill the power vacuum created after the fall of the Emperor and rise to become the new ruler.
And this is where information and rumours from the usually very well informed insiders of MakingStarWars come into play. Warning: They contain SPOILERS about “Ahsoka” and also about the end of the series!
THRAWN REALLY IS GOING TO BE THE NEW SUPERVILLAIN!
As many fans are hoping, the very popular Thrawn may really become the new “Star Wars” supervillain. According to the information, he will have built up a new army in his forced home. This army – this is where the long-circulated zombies come into play – is supposed to consist of undead stormtroopers.
But what is special is that at the end of “Ahsoka” it is not the heroine who is supposed to triumph and fend off the danger, but rather the opposite: Similar to “Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back”, where it seems as if the rebellion has no chance against the overpowering Empire after its previous successes, “Ahsoka” is also supposed to give this impression. The title heroine and her comrades-in-arms are defeated. At the end of the series, Thrawn and his mighty army succeed in returning to the galaxy.
As we know from “The Mandalorian”, he should have an easy time there. The New Republic is still very unstable. There has been a massive disarmament and thus no real army left to oppose Thrawn.
PREPARING FOR A GREAT BATTLE IN THE KIN
All this is preparing for an upcoming “Star Wars” motion picture. Dave Filoni, already heavily involved in “The Mandalorian” and now directing “Ahsoka”, will direct a film culminating all the events of the “Star Wars” series. With everything we know so far, it is very likely that this means the big battle against Thrawn.
Filoni’s feature film is thus likely to take on a role similar to that of “Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi Knights” and show that a cohesive group of heroines and heroes and the common people can stand up to the seemingly superior aggressor despite their inferior weapons.
It is only logical that Disney would then want to tell this story in the cinema. Because if Thrawn really does have a huge army of zombie stormtroopers at his disposal, the battle against them deserves the resources and opportunities of the big screen.
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF “HEIRS TO EMPIRE “
The rumours circulating also underline once again that some inspiration is being drawn from the very popular “Heirs to the Empire” trilogy of novels. These books by Timothy Zahn originally introduced Thrawn and they were long considered THE sequel to “Star Wars 6”. However, they are not canon.
However, because the character Thrawn was so popular, they brought him back into the official narrative. In the animated series “Star Wars Rebels”, Thrawn has already been shown in this way. In addition, Zahn was currently writing two new canon trilogies around the character. In the three books of the series “Thrawn: The Rise “* we get to know the young Thrawn, who is still far away from the events of the Old Republic at that time (the story begins parallel to the prequels). He is even a kind of hero here, who resists the political intrigues in his homeland and wants to defend it against a great threat. The books “Thrawn “*, “Alliances” and “Betrayal”, on the other hand, depict his rise under Emperor Palpatine to become one of his closest confidants.
In “Ahsoka” we will now see Thrawn in live action for the first time. “Ahsoka” comes to Disney+
on August 23, 2023.
