Star Wars Rebels Season 3 Premieres September 24 With Hour-Long Event

Star Wars Rebels returns to Disney XD on Saturday, September 24 at 8:30pm with an hour-long special season three premiere. The new day and time for the series moves it into a prime-time weekend slot, from the previous Wednesday airing.

The first two episodes of the season feature Grand Admiral Thrawn and The Bendu, two exciting new characters that were introduced at Star Wars Celebration Europe in London, Englan in July. Thrawn comes out of the world of the old "Expanded Universe," now called "Legends" by Lucasfilm. The fan-favorite villain was, in that old world, the character who primarily kept the Imperial remnant going and tried to revive the Empire after the defeat at the Battle of Endor. Here, he comes in to squelch this nagging Rebel threat.

A new official teaser was released that will air on Disney XD (above), and a new official description for the season was also included:

Having established a secret base on Atollon, the Ghost crew, now led by a more powerful Ezra, strengthens the rebel fleet by acquiring new resources and recruits eager to stand against the Empire. However, the Imperial efforts to eliminate the rebellion are now being led by the coldly analytical Grand Admiral Thrawn, whose strategic, tactical and cultural insights make him a threat unlike any they have faced before. In season three, Ezra and Sabine take on new roles and challenges as the rebels prepare for their biggest mission yet – a direct assault on the Empire.

Freddie Prinze Jr. as Kanan, Vanessa Marshall as Hera, Steve Blum as Zeb, Tiya Sircar as Sabine, Taylor Gray as Ezra, Dee Bradley Baker as Captain Rex, Sam Witwer as Darth Maul and David Oyelowo as Agent Kallus all make their returns to the show. Tom Baker joins as Bendu, an ancient creature who knows the Force - both the dark side and the light side - better than any Jedi or Sith can claim to. Lars Mikkelsen voices Grand Admiral Thrawn (and coincidentally his brother Mads also joins the Star Wars family this year in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story). The initial press release incorrectly listed Baker also voicing Wolfe and Gregor, the other two clone troopers who returned from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, but Lucasfilm confirmed to Comicbook.com that this was an error, and only Rex is returning for season three.