If you’re the kind of Star Wars fan who’s already familiar with the name Grand Admiral Thrawn, then you can probably stop reading here, because you’re already onboard with the upcoming third season of Star Wars Rebels. If not, you’re probably wondering why anybody would be making a big deal about a new bad guy with blue face. The series takes place in a pretty big galaxy filled with characters with all sorts of moral and chromatic qualities. Why does anyone care about this?
The reason is that the azure-skinned Imperial Naval officer—who originated in Timothy Zahn’s early-‘90s Thrawn Trilogy of expanded universe novels—happens to be a fan favorite who was unceremoniously erased from Star Wars canon when Disney bought Lucasfilm. Thrawn, and more EU characters than you can possibly imagine, were relegated to the junkpile of Star Wars Legends, a huge collection of stories that are nice and all, but never officially happened a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.
If you’re confused by all this, don’t feel bad. It probably means you have a healthy social life. Just know that a very brilliant and very evil man, who’s near and dear to many nerds’ hearts, is about to be retconned back into Star Wars canon by his upcoming appearance in the generally well-received animated series.
The third season of Star Wars Rebels will debut on Disney XD on September 24.