Aside from established villains like Darth Vader, Darth Maul, and Emperor Palpatine, few antagonists are as universally well known in the entire Star Wars canon as Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Described as the “Sherlock Holmes of the Star Wars universe” on the series’ official website, Thrawn possesses what might very well be the most dangerous strategic mind in all of Star Wars, relying on a planet-sized intellect that he’s able to expertly use to his advantage.

Making his debut in the 1991 novel Heir to the Empire, Thrawn almost instantly gained traction among fans as a major breakout character in the series’ extended universe, serving as the physical representation of the Empire after Palpatine’s death. His popularity was so immense, he became one of the few villains brought back into the main canonical universe after his brief relegation to Legends.

Appearing as a main villain in Star Wars Rebels, Thrawn is set to make his first live-action appearance in the upcoming Ahsoka series on Disney+, played by his Rebels voice actor, Lars Mikkelsen. The announcement has hardcore Star Wars fans rapt with excitement, but more casual fans unfamiliar with Rebels or the Extended Universe might be feeling a bit confused over who Thrawn is and how he fits into Star Wars’ continuity.

Here’s everything you need to know about Grand Admiral Thrawn, including his role in Rebels, fictional background, and service in the Galactic Empire.

Initial Thrawn Star Wars Appearances

In the years following the release of George Lucas’s Original Trilogy, the Star Wars universe was opened up to authors and comic book writers who were encouraged to think of new plot lines and developments for established Star Wars characters. The results gave way to waves of stories, novels, and comics following the continued adventures of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia, before, during, and after the events of the Galactic Civil War.

One such novel was Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire, the first in a three-part series following the trio’s attempts to establish a New Republic and conclusively end the Civil War. With Vader and Palpatine gone, Zahn needed a new villain to confront the franchise’s heroes – someone who posed just as dire a threat as the two Sith Lords.

Enter: Grand Admiral Thrawn.

The last remaining grand admiral in the galaxy – as well as the brightest – Thrawn is the Imperial officer who seizes control of the Imperial Fleet after the Battle of Endor, succeeding Palpatine as the de facto leader of the Empire’s military branch.

Based on his appearances in Zahn's books, he’s established as having the mental prowess of Palpatine, the stringent military efficiency of Grand Moff Tarkin, and the sheer ruthlessness of Darth Vader, creating a deadly, intellectually advanced enemy of the New Republic.

Popularity in the Extended Universe

With the release of Zahn’s trilogy, Grand Admiral Thrawn became a fan-favorite character in the Extended Universe virtually overnight. Readers were clamoring to see more of Thrawn in future Star Wars stories, prompting appearances in Zahn’s follow-up novel Specter of the Past and its sequel Vision of the Future. By 1995, the Admiral had made his initial appearances in the comic book medium, depicted faithfully in the comic adaptation of Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy.

With each new appearance from Thrawn, the Chiss commander became more and more beloved by fans. His cherished place in the Star Wars community paved the way for future depictions in comics, novels, video games, and short stories, providing more abundant details about his past and prominent place in the Imperial hierarchy.

All of this, of course, would change when Disney acquired the rights to Star Wars, rendering most of the stories outside of Lucas’s main six films non-canonical, providing a larger canvas for J.J. Abrams and his team when it came to The Force Awakens.

Under the rebranded Legends bannerhead, Thrawn joined other breakthrough Extended Universe characters like Mara Jade, Jacen Solo, and Starkiller in practically being erased from the Star Wars universe.

However, the character’s massive following of fans – including none other than Clone Wars and Rebels creator Dave Filoni – ultimately saved the character from permanent extinction, leading to his epic return to Filoni’s animated series Star Wars Rebels.

Thrawn's Return to Canon

Set in between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, Rebels follows the efforts of a small ragtag crew of exiled Jedi, Mandalorian warriors, and disgruntled droids battling the Empire on the planet Lothal, their small resistance eventually giving rise to the Rebel Alliance.

With a changing rogues gallery of villains sent by the Empire to stop these would-be insurgents, the main antagonists of Rebels were principally composed of Imperial intelligence spies and the Sith-aligned Inquisitors. When all of these agents failed, the Empire dispatched their most formidable threat to halt Rebel activity on Lothal in the form of Grand Admiral Thrawn.

As with his initial appearances in Zahn’s books, this animated version of Thrawn was a villain of supreme intelligence, immediately becoming one of the most dangerous foes the main characters faced throughout the duration of Rebels. Having a background in demolishing rebel uprisings on other planets prior to his arrival on Lothal, Thrawn routinely manages to outwit and outmaneuver the fledgling Rebellion a number of times throughout the show.

What sets Thrawn apart from other principal villains in Rebels – and the entire Star Wars universe, for that matter – is, again, his acute mental foresight. Not only is he a tactical genius in terms of military strategy, he is also a keen thinker able to map out his moves well ahead of time. Rather than simply crushing the Lothal rebels in one fell swoop, he opts to let them celebrate with minor victories, giving them a false sense of confidence and allowing Thrawn a chance to take out the entirety of the Rebellion, instead of a single small branch.

With Thrawn’s return to Star Wars, Timothy Zahn was invited back to write follow-up novels detailing Thrawn’s non-canonical place in the universe. Interestingly, Zahn rewrote the character as something of a tragic villain motivated by noble intentions, all the while staying true to the character’s villainous roots and antagonistic role in Rebels.

Around the events of A New Hope, the exiled Chiss warrior was found by the Empire, instantly earning a reputation as a skillful commander in the Imperial Navy. Rapidly ascending the chain of command, Thrawn caught the attention of none other than Palpatine himself, who recognized the young officer as a valuable asset to the growing might of the Empire.

Only by the end of the novel is it revealed that, in actuality, Thrawn’s seemingly accidental recruitment into the Empire was staged by the Chiss Ascendancy, ensuring a high-ranking undercover agent secretly representing the Ascendancy’s interest was inside the Empire.

A Cliffhanger Setup for Ahsoka

The series finale of Rebels sees the culmination of Thrawn’s lengthy crusade against the Lothal rebels come to a head. Shortly after capturing the planet’s military governor Arihnda Pryce, the Rebels plot out ways to finally end the Imperial’s tight control over Lothal. Informed by his loyal bodyguard Rukh of the rebels’ plans, Thrawn manages to stop them in the nick of time, saving the Imperial Fleet and forcing Ezra Bridger to surrender in order to buy the Rebels time to carry out their plan.

Putting Ezra into holographic contact with the Emperor, Thrawn presents the remaining Rebels with an ultimatum: surrender, or witness the bombardment of the city via the Imperial Fleet. When Ezra manages to break free of the Emperor, he confronts Thrawn just as a herd of purrgil (semi-sentient space whales) attack Thrawn’s ships, per instructions from Ezra to his friends. As his fleet is torn apart, Thrawn’s flagship, the Chimaera, is seized by the purrgil and dragged into deep hyperspace, sending Thrawn and Ezra into parts unknown.

Prior to the release of Ahsoka, little has been revealed about what exactly happened to Thrawn and Ezra in the years between Rebels and Return of the Jedi. With the official dissolution of the Ghost crew at the end of Rebels, Ahsoka Tano, Sabine Wren, and Hera Syndulla unite to search for Ezra following the end of the Galactic Civil War (essentially the main setup for Ahsoka).

As part of their quest, Ahsoka has been shown interrogating Imperial officers regarding the whereabouts of Grand Admiral Thrawn, who – like Ezra – is presumably still missing. More recently, in season three of The Mandalorian, the members of the secretive Imperial Shadow Council are shown pondering the return of the Grand Admiral, who they hope will provide the much-needed leadership necessary to ensure the survival of the Empire well into the future.

This post was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.