Ahsoka on Disney +

[Robotech Master]

Who’s the blue guy? That is not the Thrawn I remember. Maybe I misinterpreted him from Rebels and his books. Maybe I am missing something but taking over the Galaxy didn’t seem like his motivation. Maybe he’s playing the witches to get back home and then he’s just gonna leave and go home and say F ya’ll.
I’m sure I’m probably wrong in my interpretation but I really didn’t see him acting like this.

Aside from some cryptic lines regarding how Sabine risked the fate or destiny of their galaxy for her Ezra rescue, he has not established galactic conquest as his primary motive.

From what we know of new canon Thrawn, his support of the Empire is largely based on the idea that something like the Galactic Empire is a necessary resource for the Ascendancy to benefit from. I don't think he's likely to just peace out to his homeworld immediately because he's unlikely to be impressed by the New Republic and won't see it as the kind of system the Chiss can exploit. I imagine Thrawn's interest in a resurgent Empire would be largely to just get one up and running again, and happily let people like Palleon and Gideon play its political conquest angles.

[j9ac9k]

How did these bandits end up on the planet? They seem to have some high-spec armor for bandits.

I took them to be natives to this land, but who knows - maybe the Purgill have been dropping off randos from all over the place here. Or there have been others finding their way here seeking "power" the way Skoll is.

[j9ac9k]

Random thoughts:
-- Wow. David Tennant actually says, "A long time ago..."
-- The pacing of this seemed a bit slow coming off the last episode where it seemed things were ramping up towards the finale, instead we almost backtrack to catch up with the Sabine story. I get it, but while watching, it took a minute to adjust.
-- All the Rebels stuff (as usual) is awesome to see in live action.
-- I wasn't sure why Thrawne would let Sabine go, just to send Skoll and Hati after her. If it's because he cares about finding/killing Ezra, it seems odd he couldn't find him before.(esp since Sabine found him so quickly) But then he says it doesn't really matter what happens to them. So... it's almost, "which is it?" Or does Thrawne really care about honoring Skoll's deal with Sabine??
-- So, Baylon Skoll just suffers from sequelitis? Well, we know he's doomed to failure there. Or does Filoni just want his own galaxy to play in apart from the sequel trilogy? I know we needed to hear his motivation, but it seemed odd he had to explain it to Hati - I would've thought they were more on the same page than that.
-- Sabine's relationship with her howler is cute, but it was odd she started with "You abandoned me!" I think it needed to be set up first, whether if she'd started talking to it when they first met, or right before the bandit attack, as though she'd been talking to it for awhile. Not a biggie, but it just felt a tad off in the moment.

[Godzilla2099]

I genuinely want Thrawn to succeed. (Yes I know he won't)

But he is way more competent than the New Republic.

[ChrisIII]

The Howler kind of looks a lot like the Vorkysnrs of the Thrawn trilogy, which in usual artistic depictions were a mix of reptile/wolf features.

Thrawn actually knows Ahsoka's master in both his identities (The Thrawn: Alliances novel); in one of the novels Padme also mentions her to him in the Clone Wars portion of it. Kind of wonder if we'll have him say "I've heard about you" or something like that.

Although for the most part Thrawn moved in more of Tarkin and Yularen's circles.

[Frontier]

The Howler kind of looks a lot like the Vorkysnrs of the Thrawn trilogy, which in usual artistic depictions were a mix of reptile/wolf features.

Thrawn actually knows Ahsoka's master in both his identities (The Thrawn: Alliances novel); in one of the novels Padme also mentions her to him in the Clone Wars portion of it. Kind of wonder if we'll have him say "I've heard about you" or something like that.

Although for the most part Thrawn moved in more of Tarkin and Yularen's circles.

I definitely think Thrawn was alluding to Anakin/Vader when he talked about surviving Jedi with Baylon.

[Jokerz79]

Hands down my favorite episode of the series sad we'll never see more of Baylon after this series. Ray Stevenson left this world way too soon.

[Ilan Preskovsky]

Hands down my favorite episode of the series sad we'll never see more of Baylon after this series. Ray Stevenson left this world way too soon.

Indeed. He is absolutely brilliant here.

I haven't watched Rebels yet so seeing Thrawn on screen for the first time since first reading about the character in the early 90s, was something else. Not quite as I imagined him, physically, but that's mostly because I picture him younger, though I certainly get why they cast Lars Mikkelson to voice him - he's got the voice down and then some. The only new canon Thrawn I've read was the graphic novel adaptation of the first of the new Thrawn novels (why didn't they do more?) so I don't know much about the whole Ascendency thing, but it did rub me slightly the wrong way that he would have stormtroopers chant his name as he entered the room. The Thrawn I knew wouldn't have much time for that sort of cultish adoration.

Anyway, another very good instalment in my favourite Star Wars show since the Mandalorian season 2 (Andor is good, but never felt like Star Wars to me - much too self-serious), but I am starting to wish I binged the whole series over a couple of days. No matter how fast or slow each episode is - and this was certainly slower than the last couple - it always feels like they end too soon. Which isn't exactly a bad thing, but it can be frustrating. Like reading a Terry Moore comic in single issues.

[sunofdarkchild]

Thrawn has had a decade to think about how he was defeated by the Purgill and how to combat them if the need arises again. A massacre is likely coming next episode.

Episode 6 doesn't give Thrawn an opportunity to really show off his intelligence right away. But Mikkelson perfectly conveys the gravitas and sheer presence of the character. It's impossible not to feel that he's a serious threat even without a demonstration of what he can really do.

[j9ac9k]

Hands down my favorite episode of the series sad we'll never see more of Baylon after this series. Ray Stevenson left this world way too soon.

Someone mentioned that he would be perfect for an episode of "Tales of the Jedi" and although it wouldn't be Stevenson voicing, I agree that seeing his backstory play out in terms of how he became disillusioned would be cool. And/or the tale of how he met Hati and took her in as his apprentice.

[Frontier]

Indeed. He is absolutely brilliant here.

I haven't watched Rebels yet so seeing Thrawn on screen for the first time since first reading about the character in the early 90s, was something else. Not quite as I imagined him, physically, but that's mostly because I picture him younger, though I certainly get why they cast Lars Mikkelson to voice him - he's got the voice down and then some. The only new canon Thrawn I've read was the graphic novel adaptation of the first of the new Thrawn novels (why didn't they do more?) so I don't know much about the whole Ascendency thing, but it did rub me slightly the wrong way that he would have stormtroopers chant his name as he entered the room. The Thrawn I knew wouldn't have much time for that sort of cultish adoration.

Anyway, another very good instalment in my favourite Star Wars show since the Mandalorian season 2 (Andor is good, but never felt like Star Wars to me - much too self-serious), but I am starting to wish I binged the whole series over a couple of days. No matter how fast or slow each episode is - and this was certainly slower than the last couple - it always feels like they end too soon. Which isn't exactly a bad thing, but it can be frustrating. Like reading a Terry Moore comic in single issues.

I thought that was just the OST and not the troopers actually chanting his name.

[Robotech Master]

I thought that was just the OST and not the troopers actually chanting his name.

According to the CC they are actually chanting, but it also says that the ones doing so are "Night Troopers," so they are probably Storm Troopers that died during the last 10 years that have been reanimated by the Night Sisters. Among them you can spot those whose repaired armor includes Night Sister wrappings. They were likely programmed by the Night sisters to revere him.

The CC also refers to the language spoken by the turtle crabs and the bandits as the Notti language, so the Bandits do seem to be an indigenous species with similar language.

[ChrisIII]

Some of the designs in the helmets of the bandits are actually based on Ian McCraig's concept art for Darth Maul, back when Lucas's idea was basically "Sith knight". Fitting that they might be related to the Dathomir witches, which also are based on concept art (Although a mix between early concepts for Maul and unused ones for Episode II before they decided to make Dooku one).

[ChrisIII]

Thrawn was often drawn with sort of a 90's comic book look with a physically intimidating, lantern jaw muscular look and some of this stuck with his REBELS design so I see why some are a bit thrown off by the slimmer looking Lars version.

Strangely though it seems Dorman based part of his face on Christopher Walken though.

[Conn Seanery]

Not sure I'd call it "slimmer." More like retired uncle Thrawn let himself go a bit.

Aside from the visual not quite being what I'd hoped for, still happy Thrawn's finally here.