What "Ahsoka" Episode 6 Got Wrong (And Right) About Thrawn

They remembered to give him red eyes

If you asked someone who had only seen Grand Admiral Thrawn in last week’s Ahsoka to guess what the six most recent Thrawn books were about, they might reasonably say, “They’re the adventures of an imperial warlord who leads his cult into battle in attempts to take over the galaxy.”

Imagine this hypothetical straw man’s surprise when they find out the books are actually about Thrawn and his adorable found-family puttering around the galaxy, investigating how to stop would-be conquerors. It’s like Scooby Doo, if the Mystery Machine was covered in snakes instead of flowers…and was an Imperial Star Destroyer.

I liked the episode. If it seems presumptuous for me, some guy, to talk about what Star Wars is getting right and wrong about a Star Wars character, that’s because it is.

But you can’t blame the Grand Admiral’s biggest fans for being nervous. The Thrawn novels are comforting reads. Picking one up is the Star Wars equivalent of hearing the cozy ambient engine noise of the Enterprise-D before Picard and Data walk on screen. They’re fun hangs with a likable cast of characters. And Thrawn’s ultimate fate in Ahsoka sets the parameters for where those stories can go in the future.

I sense many Thrawn fans are negotiating the excitement of seeing a blue fella on their T.V. with an anxiety about how he’s portrayed. After just one episode, there’s reasons for optimism and pessimism. Let’s start with the good.

What "Far, Far Away” Got Right About Thrawn

1. He’s not mad—Plenty goes not-according-to-plan in this one episode. Morgan Elsbeth brings two Jedi mercenaries. They bring Sabine Wren. Ahsoka is coming. But the guy never blows his top. He just asks for clarification. I thought his character design in Rebels looked too stern. Blame the forehead bumps for resembling downturned eyebrows. Lars Mikkelsen appears much friendlier.

2. The casting—I can’t help but hear Mikkelsen’s voice now when I read the books. So him playing the live-action version really sells that this is the real Thrawn. When he says something seemingly out-of-character, my first thought is Why is Thrawn saying that? not, Thrawn would never say that. It’s the power of the voice.

3. He’s generous with credit—First thing he does right off the bat: thank the Great Mothers and Morgan for their help. He’s a good boss. He manages primarily through positive reinforcement.

4. His thoughtfulness—There are two especially long pauses in Thrawn’s dialogue so far: after Morgan suggests they send more troops after Ezra and after he hears Ahsoka is coming. People have read all sorts of meaning into these pauses, but I think it’s just him considering his options. The pause after Sabine accuses him of not understanding friendship seemed far more loaded.

5. He’s an aesthete—Of course he’s transformed the decay of his troops’ armor and his ship’s hull into something beautiful. He’s got the Michaels loyalty card and he’s not afraid to use it.

6. His people are loyal—Generally, his officers are loyal for the reasons listed above. Clearly that loyalty has morphed into something cultish during their exile.

What "Far, Far Away” Got Wrong About Thrawn

1. The threats—Thrawn appears with the line, “What was first just a dream has become a frightening reality for those who may oppose us.” It’s a fun, campy intro for a series villain. I like to imagine him workshopping that sentence for 10 years, as his uniform slowly goes to tatters: “What was first just a lark is now a real nightmare for…uh…Enoch, bring the sewing kit!” But in the books, he just does what he says he’s going to do, which is often, in effect, much colder. He’s almost pathologically incapable of talking smack. This cartoon villain persona was very present in Rebels, which makes me wonder about…

2. His mindset—When confronting Sabine Wren, Thrawn says that her desire to find Ezra will “reshape our galaxy” and that she’s gambled “the fate of your galaxy.” In every iteration of the character, Thrawn has had dubious loyalties. The reason he joins the Empire in canon is the same reason he tries to take over the New Republic in Legends: He wants to make the galaxy tougher against extragalactic invasion so he can protect his people, who sit on its fringes. “Reshaping our galaxy” is already iffy, but “gambling the fate of your galaxy”? One would think that from his perspective preventing his return would be the gamble. It would’ve made more sense if he had said “your Republic,” though that would’ve raised the question of how he knows the Empire is even gone. Do those witches have the original trilogy on VHS?

3. The pomp—The whole Night Trooper school assembly scene does not seem consistent with a guy who likes to travel in an unregistered civilian transport with a small death trooper detachment and an aide. The difference between Thrawn and Krennic, Tarkin, Konnstantine, etc. is his lack of ego. That manifests in his respect for his subordinates, but also in his willingness to appear weak or ordinary. Maybe he didn’t ask all those Stormtroopers to chant his name, but he certainly milked the slow walk across that hangar.

4. His apparent Jedi hatred—Thrawn seems keen to use Sabine to kill Ezra. I’m not sure why, since he says he’d be just as happy to strand him. He seems similarly keen to leave behind Baylan and Shin. Why? Even the Heir to the Empire version of the character viewed Jedi as an untapped resource that Palpatine had unfairly ignored for religious reasons.

I’m willing to excuse a lot if it makes a character more cinematic or a plot more dynamic. A taciturn officer with no aspirations for shaking up the status quo would not make for a very compelling antagonist. And ten years stranded with a bunch of homesick fascists will probably wear on anyone.

There’s a line, though. I’m not interested in diabolical-blue-man-seeks-revenge as a plot. We don’t know how Thrawn is grappling with the collapse of the Empire, or what he’s planning for his return. But viewers should end up rooting for the guy at least half as much as Timothy Zahn’s devoted cult of readers. Otherwise he might as well be Snoke, or any of the franchise’s other wrinkly, monologuing jerks.