Who Plays Grand Admiral Thrawn In Ahsoka (Is It The Same As Star Wars Rebels?)

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Ahsoka episode 6.

Grand Admiral Thrawn is in Ahsoka as the popular villain makes his debut in live-action, and here’s who is playing him. Originally created by author Timothy Zahn as part of a trilogy of books from the Expanded Universe, Star Wars canon brought the strategic foe into the fold with Star Wars Rebels. It was there that he first encountered Ahsoka Tano and the Ghost crew, who played a vital role in his defeat. He officially makes his live-action entrance in Ahsoka episode 6.

Grand Admiral Thrawn‘s appearance was first set up in The Mandalorian season 2, when he was name-dropped by Ahsoka. Ahsoka played the long game with his first appearance, waiting until episode 6, but it was definitely worth it. Thrawn has been exiled on Peridea, a different galaxy to the one Star Wars mostly takes place in, but now he’s returning in a major way to restore the Empire to its former glory. Here’s who plays Thrawn in the Ahsoka show’s cast.

Lars Mikkelsen Plays Thrawn In Ahsoka (After Voicing Him In Star Wars Rebels)

Yes, Lars Mikkelsen plays Grand Admiral Thrawn in Ahsoka, with the actor previously voicing the character in Star Wars Rebels. Although he only appeared in 17 episodes of the animated series, Lars Mikkelsen’s portrayal of Thrawn immediately clicked with viewers, perfectly capturing the character’s intelligence, menace, and sense of superiority, thus making him the popular choice for the role in Ahsoka. It helped solidify the character’s place as one of Star Wars‘ best villains, something his return in live-action should continue. Beyond the voice, he very much looks the part in live-action.

With his return to play Thrawn, Mikkelsen (brother of fellow actor Mads Mikkelsen) will add to his impressive TV credits, which include Troels Hartmann in The Killing, Charles Augustus Magnussen in Sherlock, and Viktor Petrov in House of Cards.

How Thrawn In Ahsoka Compares To Star Wars Rebels

Bringing an animated character into live-action doesn’t always go smoothly, but Ahsoka has done an admiral job with Grand Admiral Thrawn. There are some clear differences, likely a simple result of working in another medium: Thrawn’s head in Ahsoka is a little rounded, and less elongated than in Star Wars Rebels (anything else would probably look too unnatural), and the blue skin tone is a little darker too. At the same time, Mikkelsen (unsurprisingly) nails the Thrawn voice and mannerisms once again, conveying a sense of both menace and superiority, and the red eyes in particular are spot on.

Grand Admiral Thrawn Is Key To Star Wars’ Future

Thrawn’s live-action debut in Ahsoka episode 6 is just the beginning of his important role in Star Wars‘ future. The setup of him across both Ahsoka and The Mandalorian clearly paint him as the overarching villain of this story, which will conclude with Dave Filoni’s The Mandalorian movie. Thrawn’s plans span galaxies, and working alongside Morgan Elsbeth and an army of Night Troopers, he is clearly intent on restoring the Empire to power, which should define a lot of Star Wars‘ future in this era.

Ahsoka releases new episodes Tuesdays at 6pm PT / 9pm ET on Disney+.