The Mandalorian Teases the Return of One of the Biggest Villains in Star Wars

Star Wars fans all over the galaxy had been looking forward to this week's new episode of Star Wars: The Mandalorian, as it promised the live-action debut of beloved Jedi Ahsoka Tano, who was featured in the now-concluded Star Wars: The Clone Wars series. Seeing Ahsoka in live-action form, played by Rosario Dawson, was all people were hoping for. However, we got even more than we bargained for then Ahsoka casually name-dropped one of the most dangerous villains in all of Star Wars, teasing his appearance on the show in a future episode. Yes, we're talking about Grand Admirable Thrawn.

WARNING: This article contains spoilers for the new episode of Star Wars: The Mandalorian! Continue reading at your own risk...

Thrawn was the main villain of the Star Wars Rebels TV series, and it was established time and time again how truly terrifying he can be. Unlike many characters from the animated Star Wars titles, Thrawn got his own stories elsewhere. An entire series of novels has been dedicated to the character and his history, and fans are still interested in seeing what happens to him after the conclusion of Rebels. That may finally happen thanks to The Mandalorian.

At the end of "Chapter 13: The Jedi," Ahsoka is fighting the evil magistrate Morgan Elsbeth. Upon winning the duel, she asked Morgan where she could find her leader, "Grand Admiral Thrawn." This one line played loudly in the ears of all Star Wars fans, because it officially meant that there was a good chance Thrawn could show up on the series at some point.

There's also a chance, of course, that a future live-action appearance by Thrawn could take place in a spinoff of The Mandalorian, perhaps one starring Ahsoka. A solo series for the Jedi hasn't been confirmed at this point, but it would make sense to see the beloved character continue tracking down Thrawn on her own, since there is already a story to tell with Moff Gideon on The Mandalorian. Regardless, any live-action iteration of Thrawn will lead to speculation that Ezra Bridger and Sabine Wren could also show up.

It should come as no surprise that this episode of The Mandalorian was written and directed by Dave Filoni, who put together both Rebels and The Clone Wars. He's long wanted to get those characters into a live-action project, and The Mandalorian has finally given him the opportunity.

Were you excited to hear Thrawn's name mentioned on The Mandalorian? Let us know in the comments!