The Mandalorian season 1 suggested that Grand Admiral Thrawn might be the villain behind the “Mandoverse.” While The Mandalorian began as a self-contained adventure following a bounty hunter across the galaxy, the show quickly evolved into a lore-heavy Star Wars story that ties with Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and even pieces of Legends. With The Mandalorian serving as the starting point for an entire Disney+ universe of Star Wars shows, which includes The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Skeleton Crew, the stakes for The Mandalorian season 3 couldn’t be higher. As such, Moff Gideon may not be the “big bad” Din Djarin has to face.
Considering that The Mandalorian takes place nine years after the Star Wars Rebels ending, many have theorized that Grand Admiral Thrawn is behind the events of The Mandalorian. While Thrawn was not mentioned until Ahsoka name-drops him in The Mandalorian season 2, season 1 hinted at Moff Gideon having a connection with Thrawn. Gideon commanded a squad of Death Troopers in The Mandalorian season 1, and while most of the Imperial chain of command had already been dissolved by that point in the Star Wars timeline, Death Troopers are associated with Imperial Intelligence. Thrawn, who served the Empire for years, would often work with the Imperial Intelligence and could have lent Gideon Death Troopers.
The Mandalorian’s Death Troopers Explained
Created for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the Death Troopers have since been incorporated into other pieces of Star Wars canon and made their live-action comeback in The Mandalorian season 1. Gideon ambushed Mando and his friends in The Mandalorian season 1 with a battalion of regular stormtroopers and a few Death Troopers. Elite soldiers whose skills far surpass that of the stormtroopers, the Death Troopers answer to the Imperial Intelligence only. As such, they are often sent on secret missions that require a lot more precision than what regular stormtroopers can offer. Thrawn, who worked for the ISB but would often collaborate with the Imperial Intelligence, had Death Troopers as personal bodyguards.
Will Grand Admiral Thrawn Appear In The Mandalorian Season 3?
Thrawn originated in Timothy Zahn’s now-Legends Thrawn Trilogy books, all of which took place after the events of Return of the Jedi. Star Wars Rebels brought Thrawn back to the Star Wars canon now following his story during the Galactic Civil War, meaning that the Mandoverse shows could still adapt Thrawn’s original Expanded Universe role. While a one-on-one adaptation of the Thrawn Trilogy is very much impossible considering what the Star Wars sequels have established about what happens to the galaxy after Return of the Jedi, there is still room for Thrawn to be for the Mandoverse what Thanos was for the MCU’s Infinity Saga. Ahsoka is looking for Thrawn, who disappeared along with Ezra Bridger in the Rebels finale.
The most logical prediction is that Grand Admiral Thrawn will appear in Ahsoka, as the show is set to continue Ahsoka’s search for Ezra Bridger. However, considering that The Mandalorian season 3 will release before Ahsoka, Thrawn could be referenced or even appear in The Mandalorian first. If the Mandoverse is indeed heading toward a crossover event as originally planned, then Thrawn acting as the overarching villain for all shows would work perfectly. Still, The Mandalorian would have to find a solid explanation as to how and why Thrawn returned from presumably the Unknown Regions and is now collaborating with Moff Gideon – even if from behind the scenes.
