Rumor: Season Three of Star Wars: Rebels May Have the Best Cameo Ever in Store for Fans of the Expanded Universe

Rebels-logo-bigMaking Star Wars’ Jason Ward is reporting a very interesting Rebels rumor that will no doubt be exciting to fans of the original Star Wars expanded universe, especially those of Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire trilogy.  His report also mentions a rumor concerning a change of appearance for the main character of the series come season 3 of the show’s run.  Possible spoilers ahead…Hit the jump for the full report.

 

(from Making Star Wars)

I have heard that in Season 3 of Star Wars Rebels we will be introduced to none other than the original blue guy himself, Grand Admiral Thrawn from Heir to the Empire. From the sound of things, we’re going to see Thrawn as the tactical genius of capital starship warfare he was to Expanded Universe readers in the nineties. However, this time he will be using his evil brand of genius against the the heroes of the starship Ghost. 

 

The future of Star Wars Rebels will feature an Ezra with a short haircut and a lightsaber similar to Obi-Wan/Luke Jedi’s saber as well as the fiercest Chiss in the Empire. It sounds like the timeline moves a lot closer to A New Hope and Ezra’s design will reflect that.

 

Young ThrawnOriginally, Mitth’raw’nuruodo, or “Thrawn” as he is commonly known was introduced in the post-RotJ era via Zahn’s trilogy of novels. However, other expanded universe stories have detailed his origins and how he made his way from his people in the Unknown Regions of the galaxy to become one of the most tactically genius commanding officers the Empire ever had.

In the EU, his first encounter with the galaxy at large was before the Clone Wars, and barely a week after the fall of the Old Republic, he was invited by the Emperor to become a key component in his regime.  The Emperor’s prejudice against all non-humans would keep Thrawn serving in the fringes of the galaxy and out of the spotlight until after the Emperor’s death, but his usefulness simply could not be denied.

Grand Admiral ThrawnThrawn’s villainy was embraced by many fans of the expanded universe largely due to how different his methods were from characters like Darth Vader. Whereas Vader ruled with an iron fist, instilling fear in his subordinates – often substantiating that fear by abruptly “removing” failed officers from service – Thrawn’s approach was more subtle.

He was ruthless and ambitious, but he valued the lives of his men, and he was not afraid to retreat if necessary to maintain his tactical edge. He was a genius in starship warfare and I really hope that if this rumor turns out to be true, that these characteristics of his EU counterpart transfer to his presence in the Star Wars canon. Who knows? Maybe one day Thrawn will play a role in the rise of the First Order that is as integral as he was to the resurgence of the Empire in the old expanded universe.

 

Ezra ForceThe rumor on Ezra’s change of appearance is interesting as well, and I for one am seriously hoping that it turns out to be true. I know I won’t be missing those blue-black locks, and a more ANH style costume and traditional lightsaber will be welcome changes as far as I’m concerned. The changes to Ahsoka’s character in season 3 of The Clone Wars made a lot of her haters change their tune.

Ezra, although arguably better received that Ahsoka was originally, has gotten a fairly similar response from some fans, so I’d be interested to see how these changes would affect his character being more embraced by the fandom at large. But we’ll have to wait and see what happens.  As always, take these rumors with a grain of salt.

 

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Jordan Pate is Co-Lead Editor and Senior Writer for Star Wars News Net, of which he is also a member of the book and comic review team. He loves all things Star Wars, but when he's not spending time in the galaxy far far away, he might be found in our own galaxy hanging out in Gotham City or at 1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center, NY.

Jordan Pate (Hard Case)

Jordan Pate is Co-Lead Editor and Senior Writer for Star Wars News Net, of which he is also a member of the book and comic review team. He loves all things Star Wars, but when he's not spending time in the galaxy far far away, he might be found in our own galaxy hanging out in Gotham City or at 1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center, NY.

95 thoughts on “Rumor: Season Three of Star Wars: Rebels May Have the Best Cameo Ever in Store for Fans of the Expanded Universe

  • January 29, 2016 at 6:43 pm
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    Hmmm, they did hear that Ezra wasn’t well liked.

    • January 29, 2016 at 6:45 pm
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      but whyyyyy would you say that, it is just not fairrrrrrrr

      • January 29, 2016 at 7:16 pm
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        LOL I don’t like Ezra at first but as each episodes goes by, I think he is cool now. I like the rest of the Ghost crew too!

  • January 29, 2016 at 6:47 pm
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    Whoa this is great news. Some EU stuff is too good to ignore imo. If they are bringing in Thrawn might as well introduce Mara Jade as well 🙂

  • January 29, 2016 at 6:50 pm
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    No complaints here. Seems like the fate of the Ghost crew would be grim given the state of the galaxy when Luke takes up the rebellion…

    It’ll be interesting to see how they handle all that.

  • January 29, 2016 at 6:53 pm
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    it’ll be interesting to see how Thrawn is handled on REBELS. very very very curious…

    really looking forward to seeing Ezra’s new look. Wondering if everyone’s appearance will evolve along with his, like Sabine’s did this season.

  • January 29, 2016 at 6:53 pm
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    Good. Thrawn is awesome, and Ezra sounds like he’ll be a lot less annoying.

  • January 29, 2016 at 6:54 pm
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    I still REALLY want him to show up in the new movies, but since thats unlikely I will be overjoyed to see him in new canon in any form

    • January 29, 2016 at 7:06 pm
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      that sounds more like wishful dreaming than a leak

      • January 29, 2016 at 7:20 pm
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        many wishful dreams involve leaks…

        • January 29, 2016 at 7:21 pm
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          Ewwwwwwwww………

        • January 29, 2016 at 7:44 pm
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          that’s not right LMAO

        • January 29, 2016 at 10:42 pm
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          I see who—I mean what you did there!

    • January 29, 2016 at 8:01 pm
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      Kyle Katar, Mara Jade, Starkiller.
      That just laughable it really obvious it is fake.

    • January 29, 2016 at 9:21 pm
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      “It is heavily implied that Ezra will become Snoke by some dialog spoken by both Plagueis and Revan.”

      Yeah, I’m gonna go ahead and say it’s fake as fuck.

      • January 30, 2016 at 2:16 pm
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        lol

    • January 29, 2016 at 10:42 pm
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      Mmmmmmm…no.

    • January 30, 2016 at 5:07 am
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      You do know that that site is fake news, as it states right on the top of their page?

  • January 29, 2016 at 7:04 pm
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    Wouldn’t pitting Thrawn’s military genius against a single rebel ship diminish the scope of his character?

    • January 29, 2016 at 7:20 pm
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      No moreso than having every major character in the galaxy encounter our heroes does theirs. Disney seems absolutely intent on making the GFFA as small as possible.

  • January 29, 2016 at 7:11 pm
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    I personally feel Trawn is just as overrated as Boba Fett. I read the entire trilogy about 4-5 years ago and didnt see what the big deal was. In the end his subordinate kills him, lame. Mho sorry

    • January 29, 2016 at 7:19 pm
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      But…it was so artistically done! Yes, he was talked up by fans far beyond what he ever accomplished as a character, and he went out like a bitch-ass punk in the end.

      • January 29, 2016 at 7:29 pm
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        I thought it was bad that not a main character was found to bring his down fall, along with the crappy clone jedi Jorrus.
        I like alot of E.U. stuff but didnt enjoy the Thrawn trilogy.

        • January 29, 2016 at 7:36 pm
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          Don’t know if you read them as they came out, but I can tell you that a LOT of the excitement and love for those first three books was because they came out of nowhere, at a time we thought we would see no more Star Wars ever, and they were “OFFICIALLY SANCTIONED(!) by George Lucas himself!”. It’s like we have to go through the same thing every decade or so 🙂

          • January 29, 2016 at 7:46 pm
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            That is the only thing I give these books credit for. It reinvigorated the fan base and showed that there was still a want for more Star Wars and a Expanded Universe.

          • January 30, 2016 at 2:56 pm
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            They also helped give Lucasfilm an injection of cash, meaning they partially funded The Phantom Menace. Not that that’s a plus….

        • January 30, 2016 at 2:15 pm
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          An unexpected assassination was the only way the guy could have died, he out maneuvered the Rebels thanks to his tactical genius every time.

          I was fine with it, still am.

    • January 29, 2016 at 7:52 pm
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      I find your lack of likes…justified.

      • January 29, 2016 at 8:06 pm
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        To each their own, home slice.

    • January 29, 2016 at 9:15 pm
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      Same, I never really liked Thrawn. My reason was probably caused by his introduction to the readers. It was literally told to us in the beginning that he was BETTER than Darth Vader. In words.

      Show, don’t tell, writer. :/ I would have liked him more maybe if that wasn’t said in the book. Like, they want us to believe something but saying how it could went if Thrawn was in control in the Battle of Endor? It wouldn’t really change anything imo…

      • February 1, 2016 at 9:54 pm
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        I don’t see the problem with telling it the book actually delivers through. And I don’t think Darth Vader was always a genius commander. From what we see in the clone wars, he’s pretty good but the only reason he has that high of a success rate is not because of his intellect or strategical skill but because he leads suicide missions that miraculously succeed because he’s the most skilful being in the galaxy. It’s basically all because of his piloting and shooting skills.

        • February 1, 2016 at 11:17 pm
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          I think you did not see my point very clear. I meant to say if they wanted to show us that he’s a better strategist would be showing first how he deals woth situations, not comparing him with another.

          • February 5, 2016 at 10:14 am
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            Yeah I mean the showing rather than telling bit is always a good rule, but they do show us so at most the problem is a few sentences they should have held off on until later. I don’t see how that’s even remotely a problem affecting the global quality of the book though.

    • January 29, 2016 at 9:56 pm
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      I still haven’t read all the last book, but the reason I liked him is that he literally could think in advance his enemies’ moves, and also proved to be an enemy, but not pure evil. There was that scene at the beginning of the third book where he gives an officer the task of solving an issue related to tractor beams, rather than choke him for failing to capture someone as vader would have done

    • January 30, 2016 at 12:25 am
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      Hmm, that’s a good point.

      It wouldn’t be a satisfying end scene in a movie.

    • January 30, 2016 at 1:44 am
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      The reason I find Boba Fett overrated is because until you get deep into the expanded universe, he never really DOES that much besides follow han to cloud city where vader takes charge of him. Thrawn is a bit different since he is currently EU only, but IMO there aren’t enought brilliant characters in the star wars universe. Thrawn is one of the only characters who dosn’t need lightning hands or death stars or dumb luck. He has no special powers except he is highly skilled and intelligent. Most imperial officers come off as overblown like tarkin or bumbling and incompetent like Ozzle. Thrawn (usually) put his money where his mouth is whithout needing the Force or anything. Yoda is wise but we never see him be SMART. Basicly he is the closest thing we have to a Sherlock/Moriarty type in a GFFA. Do people over-hype him? definitely! But IMO he is just a more unique character than Boba Fett. To each their own though.

      • January 30, 2016 at 2:05 am
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        Yes he is portrayed as being brilliant but never sees his subordinate coming to kill him. A brilliant genius, I think, would see that coming a mile away and been ready for it. Being he studied paintings and all to determine what a race of people will do in war or how they will attack.
        Lets hope on Rebels they will portray him slightly different since old EU is out.

        • February 1, 2016 at 9:50 pm
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          “A brilliant genius, I think, would see that coming a mile away and been ready for it”

          I think you’ve read too much Death Note (Joking, I don’t know what you read ^^), actual geniuses are well aware that the world is too complicated to be grasped by pure logic and deal only in probability. Which means they can actually fail (which we see several time with Thrawn following the most logical path of reasoning only for this path to reveal itself wrong). Thrawn is a little OP with his art prescience but overall he’s a good representation of someone actually intelligent and I love this book because it recognise that intelligence or even genius is not some infallible superpower.

  • January 29, 2016 at 7:16 pm
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    Please be true.

  • January 29, 2016 at 7:34 pm
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    Nice! So maybe we get some Xisor lovin’ in Season 4? There’s always hope!!

    • January 29, 2016 at 7:38 pm
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      I have a vague recollection of someone in LFL saying, yes Black Sun, but no Xixor.

      • January 29, 2016 at 8:34 pm
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        Black Sun is already Canon.

        • January 29, 2016 at 11:18 pm
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          Yes, that’s what I’m saying – the organization is in, but there will not be any appearances from Xixor.

          • January 30, 2016 at 2:13 pm
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            Which is shame, that character is actually worth bringing back into canon. Even if he did have sex with his droid.

  • January 29, 2016 at 7:49 pm
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    Cue even more Thrawn, C’Baoth, and Mara Jade in VIII rumors.

    • January 29, 2016 at 8:05 pm
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      No thank you. New characters only please

    • January 30, 2016 at 1:46 am
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      hey…a guy can dream right? lol.

  • January 29, 2016 at 8:27 pm
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    I hope this is true. My biggest problem with rebels is Ezra. He and Zeb’s relationship just annoys me and I can’t stand his blue hair. How does he find time to dye it? Is dyeing your hair really more important then learning the ways of the force? Maybe he wouldn’t turn to the darkside if he just spent less time dyeing his friggin hair.

    • January 29, 2016 at 9:45 pm
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      Ezra is a garbage character and the blur hair is so the hip 3 year olds on that kid channel will like it.

    • January 29, 2016 at 10:17 pm
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      Amen. He’s basically Aladdin/Rey. I wish the show was just Sabine, Zeb, Kanan, Hera, and Chopper. We don’t need another Jedi in training story. I’d prefer if it just involved Kanan’s self-discovery and desire to complete his own training.

      Ezra is just annoying and superfluous and just a way for kids to feel more involved with the show. The reality is that kids don’t need kids to feel involved in their shows.

      • January 30, 2016 at 12:23 am
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        “We don’t need another Jedi in training story. I’d prefer if it just involved Kanan’s self-discovery and desire to complete his own training.”

        wut.

        • January 30, 2016 at 3:33 am
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          I meant in the traditional sense like Luke or Rey. I think it’d be neat to have someone instead try to train oneself without a teacher.

          • January 30, 2016 at 4:42 am
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            Like self-exploration? I could be down with that.

      • February 5, 2016 at 6:33 am
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        Yeeeesssssss. Just want them to kill this annoying little bastard. Maybe have Ashoka turn to the darkside during a three on one battle against Vader; turning on the wannabe and annoying one and slicing and dicing her way to the dark side.

  • January 29, 2016 at 8:29 pm
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    don’t buy it.

  • January 29, 2016 at 9:40 pm
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    If this happens it will sacrament what I always said: the Expanded Universe is the CORRECT SEQUEL and Disney don´t know what to do.

    • January 29, 2016 at 10:37 pm
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      Or maybe Disney just wanted to get rid of the complicated and often times contradictory lore of the EU, and they wanted to make their own stories that could ignore the post-Jedi and pre-Menace continuity. Yeah, I think that’s more likely.

      • January 30, 2016 at 1:16 am
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        the EU was a bunch of corwed shit you had to read 2 or 3 novels at the same time just to get to START of the EU

      • February 1, 2016 at 1:16 pm
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        Yeah, maybe, so Disney can creates its own complicated and often times contradictory lore of story.

    • January 30, 2016 at 12:23 am
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      pretty unoriginal, don’t ya think?

      lol

    • January 30, 2016 at 2:11 pm
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      The expanded universe is crap. But cry more please. Your tears are delicious.

      • February 1, 2016 at 1:15 pm
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        It is SO CRAP that Disney is being inspired by it. I am not the one to cry.

        • February 1, 2016 at 9:44 pm
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          Disney is inspired by it because 1) not everything is crap, thrawn trilogy is very good, but that doesn’t change the fact that 90% of it is bad and often contradictory 2) Thrawn is popular (and does not matter to much to the current movie timeline, so he’s not disruptive). Disney bought SW because it’s super popular, so it makes sense they would re-introduce a popular character, that doesn’t make their new canon worse in any way.

        • February 2, 2016 at 12:35 am
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          Inspired by it? Or simply taking bits and pieces of it and turning it into something that isn’t crap.

          It’s still crap, bro.

  • January 29, 2016 at 9:44 pm
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    Thrawn yes plis ! Hate Rebels but that would be great

  • January 29, 2016 at 9:53 pm
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    Great, but about that anthology film I was planning that featured Thrawn? T.T

  • January 29, 2016 at 11:02 pm
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    Will Ezra age? Will he be taller?

    • January 30, 2016 at 4:41 am
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      I hope so. I also hope that he, like Ahsoka, suddenly stops being so fucking annoying.

      • February 2, 2016 at 2:35 pm
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        Now about Kanan and Hera’s child

  • January 29, 2016 at 11:16 pm
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    My hope is that if this is true that he also appears in Chuck Wendig’s LifeDebt and Empire’s End

    • January 30, 2016 at 2:13 pm
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      If you’re referring to the whistler at the end of that novel.

      Would Grand Admiral Thrawn really whistle?

      • January 31, 2016 at 2:46 am
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        Considering his EU version no longer matters and his appreciation for arts whistling classical music would not be that big of a stretch. For me personally Thrawn whistling classical music is way more plausible than Snoke for exemple since some people theorize that the character is him.

        • January 31, 2016 at 5:20 am
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          I don’t think it’s Snoke or Thrawn. I’ll give you +1 for the hope, but seriously, Thrawn wouldn’t whistle.

  • January 29, 2016 at 11:38 pm
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    This could be set up for Benicio character in Episode 8

    • January 30, 2016 at 1:57 am
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      Totally could be. TFA is what, 37-ish years after Rebels?

      That fits. Holy crap that fits.

    • January 30, 2016 at 6:04 pm
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      I don’t know if i want Thrawn in Episode 8, i just don’t see their been room for him, theirs already Hux playing a military style character, they need to give screen time to Snoke and Phasma to expand their presence, and move further Kylo’s story, i just don’t see their been time to do Thrawn justice in episode 8 and i dont want him as throw away side character.

  • January 29, 2016 at 11:59 pm
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    I always wanted Jeremy Irons to play him in the films someday. Too old for that now but not for voicework. Especially if he uses his Simon Gruber voice.

    • January 30, 2016 at 4:08 am
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      I wouldn’t want him to do that voice, but Jeremy Irons would be a great choice.

      • January 31, 2016 at 8:17 am
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        Cumberbitch might be a good choice too but he’s pretty overexposed now as is and I can’t see him doing animation. Long as it’s not some generic meathead American like Whalburg or Tatum.

    • January 30, 2016 at 2:12 pm
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      Grand Admiral Thrawn is German? Eh.

      • January 31, 2016 at 8:16 am
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        I actually always saw him as that for some reason. They could even go with Seth Macfarlane who did a decent knock off version of him in Hellboy 2 and he’d probably work for much cheaper too as well as being a fan.

  • January 30, 2016 at 12:39 am
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    THRAWN IN REBEL’S HOLY ASS!

    • January 30, 2016 at 5:01 am
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      Hey, that’s me in the black and blue armor in the middle at C7! 😀

  • January 30, 2016 at 1:56 am
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    *cries of happy*

    *rereads article*

    *cries again*

    *passes out*

    *wakes up and cries again*

  • January 30, 2016 at 5:02 am
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    I hope it’s true, I would love to see some of EU become canon, especially Timothy Zahn’s work.

    • January 30, 2016 at 5:11 am
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      I hope they consult him a bit on the character if they use him. Would be really great to see him get some recognition and it would help them really nail the character

  • January 30, 2016 at 9:00 am
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    This news should be enough to give even the most hardened EU fan a massive stiffey.

  • January 30, 2016 at 5:56 pm
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    I would love it if Thrawn became cannon…. even if he is only used in rebels, least he wont be completely pushed out of the star wars universe.

  • February 2, 2016 at 2:33 pm
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    Maybe he helped Vader plan to attack on Hoth and he could have been at the Battle of Endor in a Star Destroyer

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