Star Wars’ Dave Filoni Reveals What Sets Thrawn Apart From Darth Vader (Exclusive)

Star Wars fans around the world are celebrating the arrival of Star Wars Celebration, the annual event celebrating all corners of the Lucasfilm franchise. In addition to revealing three new feature films on Friday, Dave Filoni and company took to the SWC stage on Saturday with the cast of Ahsoka. There, it was revealed Lars Mikkelsen has joiuned the franchise as Grand Admiral Thrawn, a character Mikkelsen previously voiced in the animated Star Wars Rebels series.

ComicBook.com’s Brandon Davis caught up with Lucasfilm exec Dave Filoni after the panel to ask about Thrawn’s live-action arrival. According to Filoni, the iconic villain is perfect for this era of the franchise because he’s far removed from Darth Vader and the rest of the Empire.

“The genius of Thrawn is that he’s not Darth Vader. He doesn’t even try to be,” Filoni told us. “He doesn’t have the Force. But he’s smart and he’s calculating. He’s like a Moriarty, he’s going to outthink you and out chess move you, so those are the things that I really liked.”

How did Lucasfilm keep Thrawn secret?

Though there were plenty of rumors about the character’s involvement in Ahsoka, no official reports were made prior to Celebration. In a separate chat with ComicBook.com, Mikkelsen said he first got cast in the role over a year ago.

“It was one and a half years ago. I’ve known for quite a while now and it’s such a relief that I can actually tell people now because everybody’s been asking me. I’ve just been lying and lying,” Mikkelsen said. “I don’t like lying.”

“We met through Skype,” Mikkelsen said of him and Ahsoka showrunner Dave Filoni, who he previously worked with on animated Star Wars shows. “At some point, finishing up that series, David asked me, ‘Have you ever been to LA?’ I went, ‘No, no.’ ‘We’re gonna make that happen,’ he said…I’ve never been on a set with so much passion, I must say. People are so passionate about bringing this to life for you guys.”

Who else stars in Star Wars: Ahsoka?

Star Wars: Ahsoka stars Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano; Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren; Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Rebel pilot and general Hera Syndulla; Eman Esfandi as Ezra Bridger, with dark side villains played by Ray Stevenson (Baylan) and Ivanna Sakhno. Additionally, Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker, Genevieve O’Reilly’s Mon Mothma, and David Tennant’s droid lightsaber maker Huyang are all making a return to the Star Wars franchise. 

Star Wars: Ahsoka is set to premiere on Disney+ in August. Are you looking forward to the new series? What other animated characters would you like to see make the leap to live-action? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!