The Mandalorian and Grogu
The Mandalorianseason 3 wrapped up Din Djarins battle against Moff Gideon neatly, but it also paved the way for a much bigger villain to wreak havoc in the upcomingThe Mandalorianmovie.
Grand Admiral Thrawn is gearing up to make his return to theStar Warsuniverse after being exiled by Ezra Bridger in theStar Wars Rebelsseries finale.
He already looks like it’s the main antagonist of the live-actionAhsokaseries, but he’s also expected to return in futureStar Warsinstallments of the New Republic era as he attempts to prematurely resurrect the Empire.
Similarly to Palpatine before him and Snoke after,The Mandalorianseason 3 sets up Thrawnas the next major villain in theStar Warsuniverse.
While barely anything has been revealed about Dave FilonisThe Mandalorianmovie, the pattern of events for Thrawn is beginning to mimic Timothy Zahns original novels that featured the character inStar WarsLegends.
Given Filoni also consulted with Zahn regarding Lars Mikkelsen as Thrawn and how the character should be portrayed, it seems like DisneysStar Warsis taking a serious leaf out of Thrawns original book.
Heir To The Empire Should Be The Mandalorian Movie Title
If Filoni is looking to adjust and reuse Zahns original plot for Thrawn, then it seems fitting for him to nameThe Mandalorianmovie after Zahns books.The Mandalorian: Heir to the Empirewould bridge the gap between older readers who grew up with Zahns books as well as newer audiences who have only experienced Din Djarin and Grogu.
Even ifThrawn loses inThe Mandalorianmovie, Heir to the Empire still perfectly encapsulates his goals as an antagonist, much like howAvengers: Infinity Warforetold Thanos goal of collecting the Infinity Stones.
What Happened In Star Wars' Heir To The Empire Book
The signs that Filoni is looking to mirrorHeir to the Empires plot keep increasing.
InHeir to the Empire, Thrawn was stationed elsewhere in the galaxy during the fall of the Empire, and inRebels, Thrawn was transported to the Unknown Regions of the galaxy viaStar Warshyperspace whales, also known as purrgil.
In both cases, Thrawn will return to hatch a brilliant and well-thought-out plan to catch the New Republic off guard.
But while ZahnsHeir to the Empirefollowed Luke, Han, and Leias attempts to stop Thrawn, Lucasfilm is acting like setting up Din Djarin, Ahsoka Tano, and Bo-Katan as the heroes of the movie.
LikeThe Mandalorianseason 3s Elia Kane, ZahnsHeir to the Empirealso featured a spy within the New Republicknown as Delta Sourcethat was leaking their actions to the Imperial Remnants.Heir to the Empireculminated with Thrawn attempting to hijack and steal warships from the New Republics shipyard on Sluis Van.
However,The Mandalorianmovie may play out much differently, given the New Republic is far weaker inStar Warscanon than it was in Legends.
But ifThe Mandalorianmovie is meant to parallel ZahnsHeir to the Empire, then Thrawn will surely cook up trouble for Din Djarin and the other heroes inStar Wars.
