Since the very first moment Ahsoka appeared onscreen in The Mandalorian, fan hype has been exponentially building for the inevitable return of Grand Admiral Thrawn. The blue-skinned tactical mastermind has enraptured fans since his first appearance in Star Wars: Rebels, and every dastardly deed committed in season three of The Mandalorian has seen fans jumping at shadows, certain the clean-cut alien is moments away from his reveal.
While we already have confirmation of Thrawn’s involvement with Ahsoka, it seems our man may be getting more than just some silver-screen action. Recent whispers on the internet say that Dave Filoni’s next Star Wars project will center specifically on the big baddie. Heir to the Empire is the supposed working title of Filoni’s latest project, and with that line in Ahsoka’s trailer —“Thrawn’s return… as Heir to the Empire”—we can all assume that we know just who that title refers to. And most Star Wars fans are totally here for it.
Disney retconed many of the best extended storylines for Star Wars back in 2012, just a few years before production started on The Force Awakens. Zahn’s trilogy was one of the unfortunate series too lose its canon status, leaving fans in the dark over the future of their beloved series. The potential return to Heir of the Empire wouldn’t the first time the new Star Wars creatives have stood on the backs of the old guard. Thrawn, his storyline, and even the idea for one of Han and Leia’s kids to turn to the dark side are all old stories first told by Timothy Zahn. It only seems fitting that the godfather of so much Star Wars lore should be on staff for the movie, right?
Zahn’s work has informed Star Wars’ creative decisions for years, but with Disney disavowing the original canon, it does make you wonder just how many of the original concepts they are willing to pull out of the trash and dust off when new content isn’t appeasing fans anymore. It also begs the question, are those original creatives still receiving royalties for their work?
With the 2023 writer’s strike revolving so heavily around residual payments, many fans are wondering just how this will shake out for the originator of so much retconned material. It’s not the first time Disney has been accused of decommissioning properties simply to make more money. Author Alan Dean Foster tapped the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association back in 2020 over royalty payments Disney had stopped paying out. While they reached an agreement, the SFWA shared multiple accounts of Disney’s Empire-like behavior before Disney got its act together. Even if Zahn does get the credit he’s due, some fans aren’t here for the potential new blockbuster.
For everyone who is upset about the incoming version of Thrawn’s story, there are plenty who aren’t sad to see the old stuff go, myself being one of them. Don’t get me wrong, I love the old Star Wars lore, it was what made me love Star Wars. I was one of those fans who pitched a fit when I discovered that Han and Leia didn’t have twins and that Mara Jade didn’t exist, but I can’t tell you how happy I was to find out that Luuke — an evil clone version of Luke made from his missing hand — would never exist in this universe. (I really hope I didn’t just invoke the lords of chaos and ensure his appearance in future media.)
And that’s the glory of Disney retconning their discarded canon. For every piece of excellent Star Wars lore, there are 5 pieces of absolute trash. Because —let’s face it — a large percentage of sci-fi writing is just flat-out ridiculous. By chucking everything in the dumpster, the showrunners are able to find the few gems that should never have been tossed out. Ten years later, there are still deep pieces of Star Wars lore that circulate forums and fascinate new and old fans alike, and those pieces deserve to be reinstated to the mainstream. That may be giving the House of Mouse too much credit, but as a fan, I like to pretend that these guys love the content just as much as I do.
If the rumor turns out to be true, Heir to the Empire has the potential to join those beloved pieces of Star Wars lore that bounce around rent-free in fans’ brains long after they leave the theatre.
