Star Wars Has To Avoid This Horrible Mistake After The Mandalorian And Grogu

After a seven-year long wait, Star Wars has finally returned to the big screen with its brand-new movie The Mandalorian and Grogu, and while that alone is exciting, with the movie’s story now revealed, some questions (and concerns) remain. Star Wars is in many ways at a crossroads right now, as dramatic as that may sound. There are a number of movies and TV shows theoretically in the works, including the next movie, Star Wars: Starfighter, which will be released in May of 2027, as well as Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord season 2 and Ahsoka season 2.

Yet, the franchise very much seems to be finding its footing right now after years of heavily—or solely—focusing on Disney+ TV shows, with very few now currently on the horizon, and a recent change in leadership from former President of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy to the new co-Presidents, Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan. It is with this context that The Mandalorian and Grogu debuted, hinting at what may be to come in Star Wars’ future, but one notable absence in the movie suggests that this new future may already be on the wrong foot.

Thrawn Doesn’t Appear In The Mandalorian and Grogu

One of the biggest surprises of The Mandalorian and Grogu was actually that there wasn’t a surprise. There were no shocking cameos, no massive plot twists, and the villains that were showcased in the trailer—the Twins, Jabba the Hutt’s cousins—turned out to be the true big bads of the movie. While it’s nice, in a way, for a movie not to lean on twists and surprises to be interesting, this did mean that one favorite fan theory about the movie didn’t come true.

Namely, many were wondering whether Thrawn would appear in The Mandalorian and Grogu and be revealed as the actual main villain. This would have made sense, given that Thrawn returned to the main Star Wars galaxy at the end of Ahsoka season 1, and considering that the movie focuses so heavily on the New Republic trying to take down Imperials, just as Thrawn is attempting to rebuild the Empire under his rule. However, Thrawn was nowhere to be seen. In addition to this being a bit of a letdown in the movie, this also has larger, and more worrying, implications.

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Ahsoka Season 2 Essentially Has To Include Thrawn

Ahsoka season 2 was confirmed to be delayed, now expected to release in early 2027, but that still makes it very likely Star Wars’ next canon release. With season 1 ending with Thrawn’s return to the main Star Wars galaxy, this almost certainly means that Thrawn’s next Star Wars appearance will be in Ahsoka season 2. It would make no sense for the second season to pick back up without addressing what happened to Thrawn, particularly considering Ezra also returned to the main Star Wars galaxy with Thrawn, and he is confirmed to play a role in the new season.

Thrawn is a brilliant Star Wars character, so it isn’t disappointing that audiences will get to see him again soon. Rather, this news is concerning because of what it means for Thrawn’s larger Star Wars story. That is, all signs now currently point to Thrawn remaining a villain in Ahsoka alone, which in turn means Thrawn being a TV show villain only in Star Wars movies and TV shows.

Thrawn Should Be So Much More Than A TV Show Villain

It will be enormously disappointing if Thrawn returns in Ahsoka season 2 after not appearing in The Mandalorian and Grogu and then doesn’t have a movie appearance moving forward. Ahsoka season 1 was great, and Thrawn was brilliant in it (as he was in Star Wars Rebels), but he absolutely deserves to be a villain on the big screen. In fact, he feels like a character built for a blockbuster.

This would also be to Star Wars’ benefit because Thrawn would be such a unique villain in Star Wars movies in particular. He’s not a Sith, nor is he a Force-user at all. Rather, he is a brilliant military leader, and he would therefore bring a completely different level of threat to the galaxy. Surely, Star Wars would benefit from a more inventive, unique villain, especially after years of confirming that Palpatine was the main villain after all—even when it didn’t make sense.

Hopefully, Star Wars recognizes what a huge mistake it would be to only have Thrawn appear in TV shows and has a plan to bring this villain to the big screen. That may very well be the plan with Dave Filoni’s ‘Mandoverse’ movie that is reportedly still in the works, although that remains to be seen. There is, unfortunately, a reality in which the franchise fumbles this villain, and that would be a terrible shame.

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