It’s been long rumored, and long hoped for, but it’s now official: Lars Mikkelsen will reprise his role as Grand Admiral Thrawn for the upcoming Ahsoka series.
The news was announced this morning at Star Wars Celebration, where a number of the cast members were present to discuss the show. Mikkelsen was always the obvious choice for the role, as he provided the voice for Thrawn in the animated Star Wars Rebels series and did such an iconic job that it couldn’t be anyone else.
In the trailer that was publicly released yesterday, we glimpsed a brief shot of the back of Thrawn’s head, but then there was a different trailer shown for those in person at the panel today in which Thrawn was glimpsed from the front too (the image has leaked, for those interested and who are ok seeing a less-than-quality image for their first look). He’s been teased as the big threat in the Mandoverse for a while, and it’s now very close to being realized. It’s a massive moment for Star Wars, bringing to live-action one of the most iconic characters ever created off-the-screen for the franchise. Thrawn was created for Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire in 1991, which was one of the first Star Wars stories that sparked the Legends eras. He was then brought to the screen with Rebels, and now to live-action – over two decades after he was created.
But there was another bit of news announced at the panel that was also a dream come true: Kevin Kiner will provide the score! It marks his first live-action Star Wars score, but there was really no other choice for the job. Kiner has provided the score for The Clone Wars, Rebels, The Bad Batch, and Tales of the Jedi, creating so much of the iconic themes that figure to appear in this series – including the incredible themes for Ahsoka, Sabine, and Thrawn, which might just be Kiner’s three very best Star Wars themes.
Lars Mikkelsen is back as Thrawn. Kevin Kiner will be returning, and surely bringing Thrawn’s theme with him. Which is all very good news for Star Wars fans.
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