A potential live-action Grand iral Thrawn storyline spinning out of Star Wars Rebels season 3 back in 2016. The iconic Star Wars villain has yet to appear in live-action, but he was name-dropped by Ahsoka in The Mandalorian season 2; the Ahsoka series will feature live-action versions of Rebels characters like Sabine and Hera, so a live-action Grand iral Thrawn has never been more likely.
Although the canon Thrawn stories all take place before or during the Age of the Empire, with Thrawn serving as the main villain for Star Wars Rebels seasons 3 and 4, the character originally debuted in a post-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy was particularly important.
The Mandalorian’s Thrawn Teases Hint A Big Star Wars Story
The Thrawn Trilogy consisted of Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command– all stories set after the Emperor's death and the fall of the Galactic Empire. The Thrawn Trilogy, named after the main antagonist Grand iral Thrawn, revisited some of the original trilogy’s most important characters but also added new elements to the Star Wars lore. While Thrawn Trilogy was never actually canon to George Lucas’ Star Wars, novels like Heir to the Empire remained for years as the only Star Wars sequels audiences could find. A canon Thrawn Trilogy live-action adaptation is unlikely, but those stories could inform the Mandoverse.
Timothy Zahn eventually got to write six canon Thrawn novels, all of which linked the character to key events of the Star Wars movies and shows. That said, Thrawn’s last canon appearance was in the Star Wars Rebels finale, in which the villain vanished into hyperspace after Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger launched a cunning trap - but Ezra was lost too. Ahsoka promised to find Ezra Bridger, which is why she was looking for Thrawn during The Mandalorian season 2. Given that a crossover event for the Mandoverse – the shows produced by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni – was announced during Disney Investor Day 2020, Star Wars could be heading toward an Heir to the Empire-like story with characters like Din Djarin and Ahsoka as the protagonists.
If there is to be a crossover event for the Star Wars TV shows building up from The Mandalorian, then Grand iral Thrawn would be the perfect antagonist. There's actually intense debate about whether Thrawn is a villain, but he is undeniably a great antagonist. In fact, Grand iral Thrawn’s return after Emperor Palpatine’s death would be a big enough event to involve even original trilogy heroes like Luke, Leia, Han, and Lando. Even with Din Djarin and Ahsoka as the main characters of the Mandoverse, the “Thrawn threat” would surely get the attention of Luke Skywalker.
Star Wars Changed Its Original Trilogy Recast Approach
Star Wars’ approach to bringing characters from the original trilogy back has changed over the years. Solo's bad marketing strategy and a poorly chosen release window likely for the film's disappointing performance.
Lucasfilm changed its strategy in the aftermath of Solo, dropping its spinoff movies and also choosing to stop recasting original trilogy characters. Less than three years after Solo, The Mandalorian season 2's finale featured a de-aged Luke Skywalker using Mark Hamill and a look-alike stand-in actor as reference. The results weren't entirely satisfactory - Lucasfilm came in for heavy criticism - but the studio is clearly doubling down on this approach.
Boba Fett Improved The Mandalorian’s CG Luke (But It’s Still Limited)
Luke Skywalker only briefly appeared in The Mandalorian season 2’s finale, and it was enough to showcase that the de-aging, CG-face techniques used were far from perfect. As impressive as it was to see a Return of the Jedi Luke 38 years later, the uncanny valley aspect of it was just too much. Luke’s performance in The Mandalorian season 2 was also very limited, almost as if the character was not really interacting with the world around him. This made Luke's reveal anticlimactic, given it followed from effective buildup using Luke's iconic X-wing and his green lightsaber.
Luke returned in The Book of Boba Fett once again with the help of visual effects, and it was an improvement. ILM’s Behind the Magic: The Visual Effects of The Book of Boba Fett went into detail about how Luke Skywalker was created for the show, revealing that this time deep fake technology was used. Mark Hamill was also on the set for reference, and Luke’s voice was recreated using AI. From a technical standpoint, The Book of Boba Fett’s Luke was virtually perfect. However, from a more artistic standpoint, there was still something missing from Luke’s character – the performance itself.
Star Wars’ Next Big Story Will Prove If CG Faces Are The Way To Go
There's still intense debate about whether Star Wars should recast Luke and Leia, as had previously been done with Han and Lando. Both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett showed that recasting is not the only way to go, as de-aging and later deep fake technology managed to bring Return of the Jedi Luke Skywalker back to the screen 38 years after the film. However, CG Luke also highlighted the limitations of the technology, especially regarding performance and emotions. Luke only had a few minutes of screen time combined in The Mandalorian and Boba Fett, which made it easier for CG Luke to work.
A bigger story like a Mandoverse crossover event with Grand iral Thrawn as the main villain, inspired by the Legends Star Wars books, would demand much more screentime for Luke Skywalker, and would surely have to involve other original trilogy characters like Leia. If Star Wars ever revisits Luke and the original trilogy heroes in a larger capacity, then it must be sure of what is the correct way to bring those characters back – de-aging and deep fake or recast? Between Solo and The Book of Boba Fett, Star Wars has enough experience with both strategies - meaning this decision could well shape the future of the industry.
