Star Warsis more present now than ever before. Not only did the franchise have a successful series of films, but now there are multiple television series set in a galaxy far, far away airing across Disney+. The series spans different points in the timeline and even jumps between live-action and animation. Yet the most popularStar Warsseries, and likely the biggest fan favorite for many across the board, isThe Mandalorian. Premiering as a launch title with Disney+,The Mandalorianfollows the titular bounty hunter, whose real name is Din Djarin, as he travels across the galaxy with ‘The Child,’ whose real name is Grogu (though the internet has collectively agreed to name it Baby Yoda).
Created byIron Mandirector Jon Favreau and longtimeStar Warswriter Dave Filoni,The Mandalorianproved so successful that Lucasfilm greenlit a variety of spin-off series. The first released wasThe Book of Boba Fett, which premiered in December 2021. Set to air sometime afterThe Mandalorianseason three isAhsoka, whereRosario Dawson playsthe popular character who first appeared inStar Wars: The Clone Warsbefore making her live-action debut onThe Mandalorian.
Disney originally announced a third spin-off,Rangers of the New Republic, but that appears to have been scrapped in favor ofSkeleton CrewfromSpider-Man: No Way Homedirector Jon Watts, that is set in the same time period asThe Mandalorianand follows a group of kids trying to get home. This has become its own interconnected corner of theStar Warsfranchise, and it was confirmed in 2020 that theseshows would cross overinto event series. No word has been given on specific details, but plot threads teased throughoutThe Mandalorianseem to indicate Lucasfilm might be trying to adapt one of its most popular stories and make it canon: The Thrawn Trilogy.
This is how Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, and the rest of Lucasfilm might be adapting The Thrawn Trilogy and how it could make the perfect bridge between the Original Trilogy and the Sequel Trilogy for Disney.
What is The Thrawn Trilogy?
The Thrawn Trilogy was a set ofStar Warsnovelsby author Timothy Zahn that continued the story afterReturn of the Jedi. The series includes 1991’sHeir to the Empire, 1992’sDark Force Rising, and 1993’sThe Last Commandand tells the story of a new villain, themilitary genius Grand Admiral Thrawn, who launches a series of offensive campaigns to bring down the recently founded New Republic in a bid to restore the Galactic Empire to power. The novels were incredibly popular, and not only introduced fan-favorite characters to the series like Luke’s future wife Mara Jade but also launched the Expanded Universe of theStar Warsfranchise, which was for many the canonical continuation of the story until 2014, when Disney deemed allStar Warsmaterial that was not the six movies and animated seriesThe Clone Warsto be non-canon,now published under Legends.
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While not being canon, The Thrawn Trilogy has left an incredible mark onStar Wars, andit appears the stories have fans within Lucasfilm. Thrawn was adapted into the animated seriesStar Wars: Rebelsas the primary villain of the final two seasons. Zahn himself was asked to return to write both a new alternate canon trilogy and a prequel trilogy titledThrawn Ascendancy. With the announcement of aStar WarsDisney+ event crossover series, and the presence of Thrawn hanging over much of theStar Warsgalaxy recently, it may be the pieces being moved into place to set up the iconic story.
Are the Disney+ Series Setting Up an Adaptation
WhileThe Mandalorianand its spin-off The Book of Boba Fett have focused on their own original stories it appears that in the background they are setting up a reimagining of the Thrawn trilogy. There are many similarities between both The Thrawn Trilogy andThe Mandalorian. Both specifically take place five years after the events ofReturn of the Jedias the New Republic is finding its footing and the remnants of the Galactic Empire are making their presence known. Thrawn’s live-action debuted was teased during season 2 ofThe Mandalorian, it appears the quest to find him and theRebelscharacter Ezra Bridgerwill be the driving plot of the upcomingAhsokaseries, which is a spin-off ofThe Mandalorian.
The biggest difference is shifting the focus from Luke, Han, and Leia to the various heroes from the Disney+ series like Din Djarin, Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and more. Shifting focus keeps in with the thematic development of projects likeRogue One, where the story follows a different group of heroes separate from the Skywalkers and helps show how it is a wide variety of individuals that shape the course of galactic history. It also fits in with the character development thatThe Mandalorianhas laid out for Din Djarin and will continue toin season three, as he is constantly thrown into bigger conflicts he has no interest in.
Thrawn Story Can Bridge the Original and Sequel Trilogies
Many fans were upset not only when Disney labeled The Thrawn Trilogy non-canonical, but also that the sequel trilogy opted for anoriginal story instead of adapting the books. There were plenty of reasons for Lucasfilm to make this decision. One was the fact that the novels took place five years afterReturn of the JedibutThe Force Awakenshad to work around the real 32-year gap between the last time the original cast played their characters. The second being Disney wanted to be able to craft its own unique story so that audiences could have a sense of surprise; they didn’t need to read anything beforehand and nobody would be spoiled going in.
Related:The Mandalorian: Who Will Be the Main Villain in Season 3?
However, the Disney+ series now offers a way to please fans that were disappointed that the Thrawn storyline was not the sequel trilogy as well as the fans who did love the new story elements of the sequel trilogy. The Thrawn trilogy being adapted into the Star Wars crossover event across the various Disney+ series allows it to still act as a continuation toReturn of the Jediand be a better setup forThe Force Awakens, strengthening the connection between the two trilogies.
Thrawn’s attempt to restore the Empire to its former glory might be the first step in laying the groundwork for the formation of The First Order. Their presence has been teased inThe Mandalorian, and both it and the animated seriesThe Bad Batchhave hinted at the secret plan to clone the Emperor. This might be Disney’s attempt to retcon anexplanation for how Palpatine returnedinThe Rise of Skywalker. With Din in possession of the dark saber that could unite Mandalore, Boba Fett looking to make Tattoinnee a safer place, and Ahsoka on the quest to find a lost Jedi, the pieces could be in place for a small army to take on an emerging dark side threat, one that will lay the groundwork for the First Order to rise. The Thrawn Trilogy could find its way into the Star Wars timeline while telling its own story and uniting two trilogies.
