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im probably wrong, and so far i feel like thrawn is acting like thrawn in many ways, but..... im saying i might be wrong, but i dont think that is actually thrawn. its unlikely, but something isnt right here. like ezra is.... too laid back. but yeah, so far im happy with thrawn. i dont care if he turns into a bad guy, but not with out reason. so there needs to be a book on this whole thing. i gotta saw, the way thrawn is teaching Morgan, its actually very Zahn like, Oh i mean thrawn like. im glad of it
@@Celestial_Reach it’s stupid thrawn has the way home he should have already left with whatever was in the ships stores. It’s a 3day trip in hyperspace get home and you have the route you can come back anytime with a real fleet not a busted ass Sd with broken engine and everything
@@gamedude412 I think the whole issue is thrawn doesn't have the route, hyperspace navigation is suicide without a starwalker which is what the Chiss use to navigate hyperspace, a force sensitive child slave, which he doesn't have. He's too smart to just go willy nilly into hyperspace which is why he got the nightsisters to send Elsbeth. Keep up
I think Thrawn should have just diverted some of the fighters pursuing Hyuyang and had them shoot at Ezra/ Sabine/ Ahsoka on the ground. They were exposed in the wide open, there was no need to send in ground troops.
And the only villain smart enough to keep their focus on the primary goal and not get distracted by otherwise unnecessary secondary objectives. He basically attacked only to herd all of his enemies away from the Chimera and didn't actually care if they died or not, as long as he can leave without their interference. If he were a Bond villain, he would just kill Bond then monologue after.
Thrawn's forces have dwindled since reaching Peredia, so he can't afford unnecessary losses. The Empire used stormtroopers as cannon fodder, and retreating was punishable by death in many situations. Everyone likes to praise Thrawn for being such a strategic genius, but he totally underestimated Phoenix Squadron, or he wouldn't have been stuck in another galaxy for many years. His subordinates also often disobeyed his orders, leading to losses.
@PlugInRides He did not underestimate Phoenix Squadran. He has done his best with every resources available. His subordinate is something he could influence at best, not control because that is determined by Empire higher HR department. By the way, Space Whale is an X factor no one sees coming, even Rebels.
@@PlugInRidescan’t blame him for his losses. Even if we don’t discount the officers, as you stated, not following orders. Things like space whales attacking and teleporting your fleet and before that an ancient spirit attacking you isn’t exactly typical even in the Star Wars universe. The fact he managed to fend off the Bendu alone is insane.
Morgan talking back to thrawn is probably why he values her. He doesn't want a "yes girl", he wants someone with initiative who is going to provide another perspective.
It also shows you the difference betwee Thrawn and other Star Wars villains. Can you imagine how short a lifespan Elsbeth would have under Vader or Kylo Ren?
I agree ! Enoch is thrawns “fist” whilst Morgan is thrawns “alternative viewpoint”. He respect’s both equally though for different reasons. His a true leader.
It’s why Thrawn enjoyed Captain Pellaeon in the Heir to the Empire trilogy. Thrawn essentially took over Pellaeon’s command, and Thrawn kept him around because while he questioned a lot at first (not always out loud since…That’s usually a death sentence in the Empire), he kept him around since Pellaeon seemingly learned from his explanations of why he did something.
It’s one of the things I’m starting to get annoyed with with Star Wars. They introduce a new badass looking trooper, the whole fan base gets hyped up and starts theorizing about them, and it just turns out they still get all killed off like regular stormtroopers. The night troopers were just regular stormtroopers with red ribbons and cracked armor. They still can’t even hit anything!!!!
My head canon is thrawn sent the worst troopers he has so any casualties would have minimal impact. As for the armor ig they might not be assigned to individuals and are kept in an armory when not in use?
What I love most about this Thrawn is that he's supposed to be the big bad but he seems like the best boss ever. As if that was the direction given to Skaarsgard, act like the leader you always wanted. If I were thrown into this world not knowing anything else about Star Wars, I'd be asking for a set of ribboned armour by now.
"I want to finish loading and leave. If they want to waste time wandering the wilderness looking for someone, more power to them. They won't be here causing problems, if we finish and leave and they are stuck here? All the better." Its a solid plan.
I could totally buy Thrawn has developed bad habits in his isolated command, and it would hardly be out of character. As much as he's been romanticized, many people forget Thrawn died at the end of his original book series in large part due to becoming overconfident and complacent. Of course in Legends it was not realizing that his Noghri bodyguards had found out the Empire was gaslighting them on the "restoration" of their planet's ravaged ecosystem.
to be fair to Thrawn, he had no idea that the gaslighting was even a thing, (cause it was vader that discovered them & the emperor that kept them in servitude) he would have corrected that had he discovered it. as for aquilla's comment above, he lost no advantages. at least in terms of his skills, thinking & strategy. what he lost was due to his enemies deception. he had no reason to believe his bodyguard would betray him because he knew their culture. his battleplan at bilbringi would have worked if he was still in/ capable of command the only reason it happened was because plot demands the good guys always win in the end, which is BS. Thrawn started as the underdog with only a few star destroyers against the entire new republic. he fought where he was strongest & used the rebellions own tactics against them. Thrawn went from a ragtag group of exhausted & demoralized star destroyers spread out across a front, to a massive rejuvenated armada able to threaten the very existence of the new republic. all with very little support from the grand moffs & other warlords.
Honestly, I think Baylan is gonna be the unpredictable variable to Thrawn. He ditched his apprentice to go search for whatever he’s looking for. While Thrawn is preparing for Ahsoka, Ezra and Sabine to come after him, he’s not aware of what Baylan might come back with. That could be something the heroes could take advantage of.
I don’t think he would have much of an ego. He’s stranded on peridia because of his humiliating defeat by phoenix cell (and space whales of all things!), I think he’s probably spent those 10 years thinking of how to correct for the mistakes that lead him to that point, analyzing his failure under the microscope for a decade.
He could have started by making sure that Ezra was dead instead of just assuming that he was. Force users are enough of a threat so you need to dedicate at least some time and resources to ensure that your Force-powered enemies are neutralized. Thrawn learned that the hard way in Rebels, so why was he busy getting a beer belly instead of ensuring that Ezra was neutralized? He had his brains, the Nightsisters, and an entire decade on his side. This is just your typical Star Wars plot armor that removes much of the stakes involved in the story.
@@KhukuriGodhe searched for Ezra somewhat because of the line he says "well give you his last known location" meaning he was keeping tabs on him because he knows how much of a threat he could be but also if he's that much of a threat why get the rest of your soldiers killed by Ezra if Ezra's not being a threat at that time when there's already something clearly killing off a lot of the night troopers already
@@TrueOmadTLG Man, I can't WAIT to find out *what* is on this planet that has everybody, Thrawn included, just wanting to get the fuck out as fast as possible! *And which Baylan Skoll's apocalyptic ass wants to let loose on the universe!* 😱
*Grand Admiral Thrawn is just that guy. Enough said.* That said... I hope he doesn't get fumbled too badly by Disney in regards to his death. Granted, I also hope his older age hasn't increased much of his Ego, but at the same time, I couldn't blame him much. Also, him telling Baylen "you wouldn't be the first" may be a callback to him knowing about Anakin becoming Vader, leaving the Jedi Order behind.
Removing him from the action by stranding him in another galaxy instead of leaving him isolated in the Maw was a creative way of attaining the same result with a different story.
I’m happy about it though! While I personally enjoy the sequel trilogy, it’s nice that they are giving fans pretty much what they asked for for years, so maybe both sides of the fandom can be happy for once.
I found it weird people were assuming they were zombies because of how the stormtroopers were acting like soldiers, obeying orders without question and silently standing in formation which is common to see when we see the empire. And because their armor was in shambles. They suffered a lot of punishment from being sent to this place and they have no where to get new armor or ways to properly repair their armor so It just made sense that keeping their gear in perfect condition is pretty low on the list when they have limited supplies and just barely surviving. The red ribbons could just signify that they made repairs and to differentiate themselves from many other storm troopers and make them visually distinct instead of just faceless minions unlike all the other imperial groups. Star Wars zombies typically act very erratic and the only control we really see over them is just pointing them in a direction and let them go ham but these stormtroopers showed no signs of being undead just that they had armor barely held together by red ribbons that made them unique. Plus why would thrawn and a few select people survive but all the thousands of stormtroopers/crew die and need to be resurrected or why would thrawn purposely sacrifice them to be undead, they were already extremely loyal soldiers.
@@BigMan.270 to differentiate them from all the other stormtroopers. They’ve done this before when they had a new type of stormtrooper that they wanted to seem new or unique. And I wouldn’t be surprised if the red ribbons do have a purpose beyond just holding their armor together ,like wards or boosts to the soldiers, but immediately assuming they are zombies because of the ribbons is my issue. The night sisters are known for a lot more then just zombies and have helped others achieve their goals in exchange for protection or aid.
He didn’t know about Ahsoka Tano until he obtained the info and realised that she was Anakins apprentice and unpredictable. I believe his jaw clenching was more of annoyance that another variable had entered his plans.
I don't get how he knew Baylan was a general just from his face, but doesn't know Anakin had an apprentice. He had figured out Anakin was Vader from their meeting in the Clone Wars. I would think news of the Temple bombing should have made its way to Thrawn, with Ahsoka being attached as the culprit.
@@generalkenobi9307You just answered your question unknowingly. Beylan was a high ranking general in the Jedi Order. Ahsoka was a lower level Jedi what never became a master. She also left the Order and wouldn't have been as well known. It's not a surprise that Thrawn would know who the high ranking were.
If Ahsoka could think like Thrawn she'd want him to return to the main galaxy and pull the Imps together so the Republic could deal with them all in one big strike/campaign. Just put an end to the whole Imp remnants hope of reforming the Empire
That's a horrible idea. That's what happened in Legends and Thrawn would've been the first non-Force Sensitive to conquer the Galaxy had he not been stabbed in the back literally. And considering the state of the Republic is in right now, Thrawn's form of government would probably be welcomed if it meant returning a sense of stability of peace rather than the New Republic's inefficiency. People still remember the horrors of the Clone Wars and the how terrible the Republic was prior to the outbreak and they wouldn't have known that Palpatine was the mastermind behind it all, just a tyrant that saw an opportunity and took it.
@@ianferguson6244 It's by far not as clearcut as you make it out, especially in legends. Thrawn was good, he was not invincible. He made mistakes, he slowly lost some very important advantages and the New Republic had at least two admirals able of, if not beating him then matching him. The whole story of the three books is that Thrawn starts with a massive advantage and slowly, with setbacks and more, the heroes start to level the playing field, and strike back. The Battle of Bilbringi is a very good example of this. Thrawn starts out with a massive advantage, catching the New Republic forces in a trap, but Admiral Ackbar rallies the forces and while the balance of power is still in the imperials favor it is far from over. Which is when the Smuggler Alliance gets involved and suddendly the fight is far more even with the Imperial Attention firmly split and the New Republic and Smuggler forces making strong gains. Then Thrawn dies. But even if he had survived, at the same time a lynchpin of his plan, the cloning facilities and his Mad Jedi, where being utterly destroyed by Luke and Mara, so even if he had won Bilbringi the advantage would have still been back on the New Republic Side.
Goes without saying, If Thrawn dies and or is defeated in the next episode, people would riot. Figuratively, and on Twitter. You don't build up a legacy character like that and off him in in just a few episodes. EVEN if he loses, it's likely gonna be like Moff Gideon in the first season of The Mandalorian. Post credits signifying his comeback.
They won't kill Thrawn. He is a way to good character, they will keep him around for a while. And they have excellent source material to use for his overall story. I highly doubt they would ruin Timothy Zahns "Heir to the Empire", even if its technically Legends those 3 books were to well made.
Thrawn has been great so far. My favorite part was when he was bewildered that Sabine risked everything on a gamble that Ezra was still alive. That really shows how his mind works.
I’m just glad that Thrawn’s live-action portrayal is as good as his animated one, even if he isn’t as explicitly as complex in motivation as he was in Legends and expanded Canon material with his genuine desire for peace and prosperity and the security of his people rather than simple “fleeting” power (that role apparently being given to Baylan and his superficially benevolent goal of ending the cycle of galactic warfare with whatever source of power he seeks).
They hinted at his motivations when Thrawn asked Morgan to stay behind. Thrawn says that they need the Empire to protect their galaxy. This coupled with the other universe they're in seems to hint at the Grysk Invasion (they seem to be taking the Yuuzhan Vong's place in new canon).
Shin is going to flip because she realized in this episode that she was getting left behind by everyone....including her master. That they would strand her here for the rest of her life, that her life means nothing.
And that she hasnt really been trained all that well. She was absolutely handled by Ahsoka who didn't even bother getting a lightsaber out to deal with her.
It is so satisfying to see my fourth favorite villain of all time finally makes his live-action debut! Grand Admiral Thrawn! Now this, puts a smile on my face 😌
I'm actually really impressed with you Alan, because of your knowledge of the historical cultures that all these parts of Star Wars are from. The amount you've learned about actual human history is considerable.
What I would love to see in the future is that Thrawn will figure out that Ezra has returned as well. Then the new republic will try to outsmart Thrawn by making a plan that relies on Thrawn not knowing Ezra‘s back. And then he will defeat them maybe with some severe losses on the Republic side.
Surprised nobody is picking up on the Edison quote when Elsbeth has her "lightbulb" moment, realising that Thrawn has his eyes on the prize and not on the distractions. Also loved the irony of Baylan's name when he leaves Shin. "You're not going to help?" "Nah kid I'm Baylan on ya"
"Never again underestimate the heroics of a single Jedi" So to make sure we'll send TWO TIE fighters, instead of ONE. And to defend a ground assault , surely we LOCKED the front door and any other door in the fortress, right? And finally, it might have been really good to know what's in those crates for us having to wait for every last one instead of just öleaving immediately.
"Thrawn doesn't get the jedi." Last 3 chapters of Outbound Flight would like to have a word with you. He killed an entire fleet of jedi by using their attachment to the force against them.
I'm thinking that the "favor" Thrawn asked of the knight mothers was duplication of the few mines he had left onboard the Chimera using materials from the planet, in order to create the minefield.
I think the red ribbons are a way to identify themselves as being under the night sisters protection/as a warning. But it should also be noted that the colour red is common among clothing on the planet (the mothers, Enoch, the bandits all wear red)
Personally I think it’s primarily to hold their armor together but given how the are on a planet that was once dominated by the Night Sisters, I think you might be right that it’s a warning or an omen to those on the planet that they are aligned with them. Perhaps they’re shoulder straps and whatnot degraded over time or it’s a symbol meant to intimidate the locals, either way, it makes them look cool.
Morgan questioning Thrawn and him explaining to his actions to me seems more like a plot device to help the audience understand how big of threat he is through how calculating and forward thinking he is rather than a mentorship
Yeah, that's what they are using it as. But that was always something he was willing to do. He always wanted to help his underlings understand his reasoning, helping them learn.
People were saying Thrawn was on copium for losing troopers and lettimg them get together but Thrawn made it very clear he justs wants to leave and his strategy was about making that easy rather then trying to pack while in a battle
The fact Thrawn didn't use the gunships or Morgan's hyperspace ring to rain laser down on them and the Nitto civilians really separates how he acted at the end of Rebels. And that makes me so happy.
Great video, as always Alan. Was very surprised, yet pleased with Thrawns decisions and actions this episode. And it left me absolutely wanting more Baylan. I'm so saddened that we won't see more of his character after this season, granting he survives in the series.
Thrawn is the only imperial I'd willing serve. Not only is he a genius, but he's also fair and kind of a good man. He has flaws, but these flaws are nothing compared to imperials like Tarkin or Palpatine.
One of my favorite Thrawn strategies from the Zahn trilogy was cloaking (I think it was) around four asteroids and placing them in orbit of Coruscant and bluffing that he had in fact placed more in degrading orbits using hyperspace to place them there. For a good chunk of the last two books the capital of the New Republic was effectively under siege because they had to randomly fire into space with the fleet to try and find these "cloaked" asteroids and destroy them - wasting time and energy. Not to mention that the planet shield had to stay up keeping people from coming or leaving the planet.
The so called Star Wars fans/ snobs who belittled this episode need to watch this video. You did a great job of describing the depth of Thrawn’s character.
Another key thing I like about Thrawn is the fact that he doesn't treat his men as cannon fodder. Sure he puts them at risk by sending them after Jedi but he knows not to over-extend when its a part of the plan. Ironically he's doing his job as their commander properly via pulling his forces back whenever the risk outclasses the reward like he did this episode. It's no wonder I've heard of so many stories of people claiming that Thrawn's men tend to gravitate their loyalties to him more then the Emperor as he actually looks after the soldiers under his command instead of wasting their lives for reckless high risk glory kills like other Admirals would by comparison.
In the last episode where he asked the Stormtroopers that volunteered where to slow Ashoka down if they understood that they where either going to die or be left behind and they understood and agreed to it
@@mysteryjunkie9808 Meanwhile someone like Tarkin probably would've abandoned his soldiers with a drop of the hat once things started going his way or spinning out of control.
The facial movements are also something they added because they needed to make some changes to fit a live action format. In Rebels the large shifts of his eyes were enough to convey emotions but that won't work in live-action because his eyes are not as prominent.
I think Thrawn understands Sabine's drive to find Ezra more than it might appear on the surface. In the Disney era Thrawn books, it was established that he had a long lost sister whose disappearance from his life when they were both small children informed his curiosity about and empathy for their people's Force-sensitive child navigators. He gets how the desire to find a lost love one can shape a person's focus.
Exactly. I don't know whether he ever met Borika again as I haven't finished all the books, but her disappearance did have a profound effect on him. Thrawn also was willing to sacrifice everything on a gamble for the Chiss to survive as a race, even voluntarily being exiled to get into the Empire to give them a chance. He understands more than Sabine knows.
Ahsoka and her gang lost like 10 minutes, they were reunited, and now they have a fast moving ship, and somebody who's been on the planet for a decade and understands it well, I don't see the victory for Thrawn.
Thrawn doesnt kill needlessly, the more pawns the better. he wanted to buy time, so chasing the rebels longer and not killing the locals quickly makes perfect sense. having them all surrounded and locals as potential hostages makes more sense than having rebels and dead bodies, too. I love dthe mental muscle this episode. I was disturbed at the chase scene at first but nope. it all makes sense. The Admiral isnt imho somebody who kills without a reason. different priorities. and not killing and doing as little as possible allows him to beserve the enemy more too. win win
I find it interesting that the night sisters, the stormtroopers, and the raiders all wear red. Even ezra wears red which may just be coincidence. The only characters not wearing red are thrawn and the little natives.
he has red eyes so he's covered, as for the natives maybe they don't need red as they will have adapted to whatever power is calling out in the force. everyone except baylan & the natives want to leave, yet the natives & baylan stay.
Minefield scene made me flashback of Tie Fighter, especially certain mission... And minefield move is 100% Thrawn, based on predicting where enemy will head, and being prepared for them.
Bro, This isn't thrawn at all. He killed so many people instead of ending the Conflict without getting anyone killed. He is so unlike the Thrawn we grew to love.
Why is this seen as brilliant? He can't find Ezra after 10 years. He left Sabine to live and find Ezra. He sends gunships, which would give him air superiority to take them out, however they land and send out stormtroopers and losses many troops- troops which are apparently scarce. He could of used those troops to load the cargo (which would of made the loading so much faster) and used the gunships to take out the two characters that will defeat him in the next episode. Now you got 3 characters with plot-armor reunited and I would bet my bottom dollar- will defeat Thrawn rather easily. Hopefully, his defeat doesn't happen in episode 8.
l He sent sabine on a wild goose chase which at first didn’t matter as they would strand them on the planet before they got word of Asohka, he did send in troopers to fight and support Baylin however he was nowhere there which was unforeseen
The entire point of Thrawns actions and decisions where to keep ahsoka away from his chimera as much as possible, letting sabine go out on her own removes her from the area, which also means ahsoka will not bother going near his chimera and instead search for sabine. Baylin Skoll not engaging the battle was not part of his plans. If Baylin had engaged...Thrawn would of kept his troopers engaged. Without Baylin it was a lost cause..and he figured that out. Baylin fooled Thrawn. Thrawn now knows Baylin has another agenda in play. Come on man. Use your brain
The cope is strong with these replies. If Thrawn is willing to vaporize Ahsoka the moment she got out of hyperspace, I can't see why he shouldn't simply execute Sabine. Or find and kill Ezra - a troublesome JEDI and the one responsible for his predicament - in his decade of exile. Instead, he's been stacking all that fat under his belly. "If so smart he is, why leave so many loose ends?" - Grand Master Yoda
@@ammarelle I don't know but this is not sound military tactics- I understand it's Star Wars, but really, he has 2 gunships with large blaster cannons- air superiority is still a thing even in Star Wars. Jedi can be killed we seen many of them die in the past and even Obi-Wan and Qui-Gonn ran from the droideka (destroyer droids) not wanting to go head to head with them and their blast shields. The coffins or whatever they turn out to be could of been loaded much faster then what is shown on screen and really it didn't look like there was that many of them. If he used his troops to load them rather then sending them out to be slaughtered- which if he just killed Sabine instead of sending her on a wild goose chase- they would all be still alive. Ezra wasn't looking to be found and had no way of knowing what Thrawn was doing anyway. He only has power now because Thrawn gave it to him in the form of Sabine and Ahsoka. Thrawn is his own worse enemy. If they focused on loading the cargo faster, Ahsoka really would of mattered not. Thrawn would have left before Ashoka arrived and Sabine would be dead and Ahsoka would be spending the next episode looking for Ezra and once she found him- she be stuck with him in that galaxy without a ride back home.
@@KhukuriGod Agreed. Thrawn is turning out to be a real "butcher." This is not the way he was portrayed in the original books where he was shown to have a military mind, understanding the culture of those he conquered and not taking anything for granted. The sad truth is the writers don't understand military strategy and trying to write a convincing military strategist is imposable when you don't have a grasp or knowledge of military strategy. That's why Disney Star Wars keeps giving us incompetent military officers like Hux and Holdo. Basic military strategy 101: take the high ground. Obviously Thrawn missed that lesson :(
I think if it comes down to a full out war the new Republic will be wiped out because of the different factions whereas thrawn has a sound tactical mind and can outthink the new Republic. But with the nights inters on side I think they are escaping from something worse
In my imagination i thought disney would retcon Thrawn species to age really slowly and get him back to be the antagonist for a new cinema trilogy, but this is good enough
I believe Thrawn is desperate to get the hell out of dodge. He could care less about The Scooby Gang. He’s ready to take his men home and I act his plan for the future. The older you become, the more vision you gain. He’s been isolated with his calculated mind. Those of us with extremely analytical minds, went mad during lockdown! The rabbit wholes, the stillness, and isolation were both gifts and impediments. 😂 😂 But, the experience gave us all greater inner perspective. Thrawn has been traumatized, his men have been traumatized, his ship is barely functional and he’s relying on mystics for knowledge. Yep. He’s in his own personal hell. His plan is: GET THE F*CK OF THIS PLANET!!
I love the series but the one thing that bothers me is why did they not have the cargo ready to go so that when Elsbeth arrived they could leave immediately? They didn’t start loading until after they got there and now the cargo transfer is literally the only thing keeping them on the planet
Good point, they may have simply not known when or even if she would get to them. If it's precious cargo maybe he saw it as safer in a fortress than in his hanger while they waited for an unknown length of time for Elsbeth to come, if she did come.
@@BHalo98 me too I'm really enjoying it so far, but honestly I don't mind too much if they don't explain it, it allows us to see Thrawn warming up and I'm here for it.
I don’t see it….how did Ezra avoid Thrawn for 10 years but Ashoka gets found out in 10 seconds by the witches. And why after 10 years do the night troopers still suck at aiming. Would Thrawn not have them drilling and training to stay frosty? The way this show is written begs these questions. Thrawn is only as smart as Filoni makes him. And episode 8 needs to make some major tactical sense for me to be impressed by this show.
Thrawn's trained troopers did not shoot until they stood in a circle around Ezra and Sabine, they did not obey Hati's order to fire (no, it was no jedi mind trick, literally there was a pause between the order to fire and Ezra opening his mouth) the gunships did not provide fire support from above, And not a single whale died from the mines, after giving the order to destroy whales with extreme prejudice. It was like watching them bumping tiny firecrackers. His orders make no sense - and he has to tell us what a great strategic mind he is, instead of letting us draw that conclusion - I think the writers realized that he is looking like a complete idiot and we need to be told what a genius he is through some twisted explanation. One problem with this show is that each episode (reminiscent of all the cartoons) must end with a rebel win, so these tortured explanations of 'strategic victory' are necessary to preserve the delusion that Thrawn has a brain. I mean, he could not find Ezra (apparently 2 minutes away by dograt) for love or money, even though we now KNOW the nightsisters can geolocate a jedi with their magic balls and he KNEW of this ability. If he was such a hyperefficient commander, he would have harvested the crab people for food already.... I could go on.
This episode was amazing in giving us the Thrawn we all know and love. I read the books. I'm so glad Rebels did him justice, and they're continuing to do him justice here. I only heard him raise his voice once when he was yelling at Bridger, whom he thought was Lyst. But a man like him getting loud and angry doesn't scare me. A man like him staying quiet and cold does. The best villains aren't the ones who get loud and aggressive. They're the ones who retain their outward cool, and control over themselves even when the fire inside them is lava hot. These are the ones the heroes should fear, because these are the ones who know what they're doing. This is a big part of what makes Thrawn so lovable. Writing a villain like this is hard, but really fun. :)
I'm not sure I'd call Thrawn "lovable' lol, but certainly a character who stands out and is awesome to watch as the viewer/audience if he's done correctly. He's a unique villain, especially when in the context of the Empire and the typical idiots, sycophants, etcetera that make it to the top (Tarkin is a good example of this) and He's even more interesting when the Chiss Ascendancy aspects are included in his characters motives, loyalties, goals, etc. I'd like to see/hear more about the Ascendancy in this canon iteration of the character since I don't believe Rebels or any canon material has mentioned it much or at all even.
I'm really enjoying Thrawn as an intelligent bad guy, completely the opposite of the usual maniacal evil overlord, strutting around twirling their moustache. He actually appears to be dangerous, and for once, you can really tell why Syndulla and Ashoka see him as a real threat to reunite the Imperial remnants back in the prime galaxy.
Duck Tape Troopers! You got the Dark Sabre the same way Boca Tan did. Just ask for one. "Hey I was at the same Walmart as you." "Well here's the Dark Sabre then." "Thank you woosie Mando!"
Note how the fact she is the apprentice of Skywalker and therefore experienced in combat changed his calculations regarding following her and letting her fight on her terms and backing off and looking for alternative approaches. master class indeed, you do not fight a veteran on his terms. he/she knows what he/she is doing ... they did it before.
I think Thrawn genuinely respects the Witches. He may not understand all the mysticism involved in the powers they wield, but he understands their motivations and thus are predictable, for now. He treats them as a black box solution. Being polite, he requests a service. They tell him if it can be done or not. If yes, they provide a resolution to the request. In turn, he provides maintenance so their solutions remain optimal (ex: kill Asohka or we will have problems, Grand Admiral Thrawn).
I am thinking Thrawn is going to dispatch Shen Hottie to destroy Ahsoka along with some other fighters, and he will ditch them and warp off into hyperspace attached with the Chimera to the hyperspace ring, leaving them behind. This will lead up to Ahsoka offering her a way back to the main SW galaxy and end up bringing her into the group to eventually fight against Thrawn. She might even end up being the person who delivers the killing blow against him, which Thrawn will enjoy in the end, being a poetic end to his life. You heard it here first.
@@Morgunth86 Shin and Baylan arent his men though. They were mercenaries hired by Morgan, that he doesnt trust AND hes already said that it doesnt matter if they get left behind on the planet int he first episode he appears in lol.
The actor playing the admiral is like an old time 40's actor? like the original Darth Vader. Very proper. I looked him up in IMDB. seen him in Sherlock. He's like an old movie actor from a british 40's crime thriller. I think they watched Sherlock and said this guy is a moriarty. a cool customer.
@@intensespoon6290 Yes, the difference is in many other fictional stories, writers are smart and competent - so they can have smart characters. Characters can't be smarter than their writers - and writers of Ashoka are dumb as a dodo. Take a look at The Expanse and their antagonists. That is the most recent and good SF. Thrawn in original work was indeed very smart and competent. Since his re-introduction to Star Wars, he hasn't actually won a single fight. He was always outsmarted and outmaneuvered. And that is a problem. He talks like a villain, like someone who'd you expect to be smart, and we know that he is in the original works. But Since Rebels that reintroduced him, he does not have a single win, he goes from one loss to another. So we never see how and why he is dangerous, we are just constantly be told that he is. And you can repeat it so many times before people stop believing it since they haven't seen it at all.
@@intensespoon6290 The biggest problem is the Empire being a threat when their troops cant hit anything. Stormtroopers were supposed to be the best trained and the most zealous and indoctrinated soldiers in the empire, and these guys (along with every stormtrooper) just consistently do dumb shit and never pose a threat. I dont need them to just massacre the protagonists, but I would like to at least have the feeling that they are in trouble for 30 seconds instead of just acting like Helen Keller with a space gun.
I’ve been thinking - what if the cargo being transferred are part of Hux’s “Project Necromancer”. It was mentioned in Mandalorian S3 that the return of Thrawn would aid Hux, or at least something to that affect.
Holy crap, we are actually witnessing the birth of the resistance right now and nobody sees it, it could happen many ways but if Sabine dies properly, Ezra and Ahsoka follow thrawn back to the star wars galaxy but split up to get more allies, Ahsoka goes to Syndulla who goes to Leia thus forming The Resistance and Ezra goes to New Mandalore to find Bo Katan and enlist the mando''s as back up bringing the whole tv universe together? boom. how it ends is anyones guess but this would be cool AF
Why didn't thrawn put the troops down, and then let the gunships take flight again and fire on the enemies? If i can think of this and he could not, thats not a good sign. He better have a reason.
Thrawn has been a complete moron in Ahsoka. 1. Keeping Baylan's promise and not just killing Sebine. No he did not need to find Ezra. 2. Apparently not using the witches to find Ezra. 3. Not finding Ezra over all that time... I mean good god. 4. Actually going after Ezra, he just drew attention to himself needlessly. Ezra and Sebine would have just derped around forever. 5. Sending in troops when he could have just turned Ahsoka and co into paste from the air. 6. Not sending any ships to blow the plot armour out of the sky. Thrawn from the EU would have tortured Sebine for info, then killed her. He would have set up a nice welcome party for Ahsoka, after getting the info from Sebine, and wiped her out. He then would have loaded up his ship and headed off back to known space leaving Ezra to rot. Thrawn is just another terribly written character in a long list of terribly written characters in the show. Seriously I am sure the people who think Ahsoka has good writing also think Rings of Power was good writing.
@@chrishealton3830 hey id rather die quickly face first to a mine, than have my suffering prolonged because my body clings to life. is it painful? yes is it quick? also yes. less suffering that way ironically enough.
I want to see at least a thrawn cameo in the next season of andor, let's see him at his imperial peak. Would love to see him visit that antiques shop. Though I don't know how the timeline fits.
Did you see how he was shirting when Ahsoka showed and Thrawn found out who was his master. He was a bit scared too it seemed of Ahsoka. He always respected Anakin and fear Vader but had a plan to defeat him.
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im probably wrong, and so far i feel like thrawn is acting like thrawn in many ways, but..... im saying i might be wrong, but i dont think that is actually thrawn. its unlikely, but something isnt right here. like ezra is.... too laid back. but yeah, so far im happy with thrawn. i dont care if he turns into a bad guy, but not with out reason. so there needs to be a book on this whole thing. i gotta saw, the way thrawn is teaching Morgan, its actually very Zahn like, Oh i mean thrawn like. im glad of it
@@Celestial_Reach it’s stupid thrawn has the way home he should have already left with whatever was in the ships stores. It’s a 3day trip in hyperspace get home and you have the route you can come back anytime with a real fleet not a busted ass Sd with broken engine and everything
@@gamedude412 I think the whole issue is thrawn doesn't have the route, hyperspace navigation is suicide without a starwalker which is what the Chiss use to navigate hyperspace, a force sensitive child slave, which he doesn't have. He's too smart to just go willy nilly into hyperspace which is why he got the nightsisters to send Elsbeth. Keep up
I think Thrawn should have just diverted some of the fighters pursuing Hyuyang and had them shoot at Ezra/ Sabine/ Ahsoka on the ground. They were exposed in the wide open, there was no need to send in ground troops.
Finally somebody that understands me. Not everything is bad.
Thrawn, the only Star Wars villain smart enough to retreat his forces when they're losing a fight
And the only villain smart enough to keep their focus on the primary goal and not get distracted by otherwise unnecessary secondary objectives. He basically attacked only to herd all of his enemies away from the Chimera and didn't actually care if they died or not, as long as he can leave without their interference. If he were a Bond villain, he would just kill Bond then monologue after.
Thrawn's forces have dwindled since reaching Peredia, so he can't afford unnecessary losses. The Empire used stormtroopers as cannon fodder, and retreating was punishable by death in many situations.
Everyone likes to praise Thrawn for being such a strategic genius, but he totally underestimated Phoenix Squadron, or he wouldn't have been stuck in another galaxy for many years. His subordinates also often disobeyed his orders, leading to losses.
@PlugInRides He did not underestimate Phoenix Squadran. He has done his best with every resources available. His subordinate is something he could influence at best, not control because that is determined by Empire higher HR department. By the way, Space Whale is an X factor no one sees coming, even Rebels.
grievous?
@@PlugInRidescan’t blame him for his losses. Even if we don’t discount the officers, as you stated, not following orders. Things like space whales attacking and teleporting your fleet and before that an ancient spirit attacking you isn’t exactly typical even in the Star Wars universe. The fact he managed to fend off the Bendu alone is insane.
Morgan talking back to thrawn is probably why he values her. He doesn't want a "yes girl", he wants someone with initiative who is going to provide another perspective.
It also shows you the difference betwee Thrawn and other Star Wars villains. Can you imagine how short a lifespan Elsbeth would have under Vader or Kylo Ren?
@@jarrodbright5231 "apology accepted Captain Needa"
I agree ! Enoch is thrawns “fist” whilst Morgan is thrawns “alternative viewpoint”.
He respect’s both equally though for different reasons.
His a true leader.
It’s why Thrawn enjoyed Captain Pellaeon in the Heir to the Empire trilogy. Thrawn essentially took over Pellaeon’s command, and Thrawn kept him around because while he questioned a lot at first (not always out loud since…That’s usually a death sentence in the Empire), he kept him around since Pellaeon seemingly learned from his explanations of why he did something.
Which in a way kind of makes Morgan this series’ stand in for Pellaeon
I was disappointed that the storm troopers weren't that much of a challenge. I was expecting troops with that much battle wear to be decent fighters.
Right, they got clapped.
Well I personally think they could have killed Ezra and Saben but when Ashoka showed up. There's only so much they could do. 🤷♂️
They are fighting people who are just as "battle-hardened" as they are....
It’s one of the things I’m starting to get annoyed with with Star Wars. They introduce a new badass looking trooper, the whole fan base gets hyped up and starts theorizing about them, and it just turns out they still get all killed off like regular stormtroopers. The night troopers were just regular stormtroopers with red ribbons and cracked armor. They still can’t even hit anything!!!!
My head canon is thrawn sent the worst troopers he has so any casualties would have minimal impact. As for the armor ig they might not be assigned to individuals and are kept in an armory when not in use?
What I love most about this Thrawn is that he's supposed to be the big bad but he seems like the best boss ever. As if that was the direction given to Skaarsgard, act like the leader you always wanted.
If I were thrown into this world not knowing anything else about Star Wars, I'd be asking for a set of ribboned armour by now.
Thrawn is simply a competent military commander in a world of incompetent commanders, a bit like Napolean in his early conquests.
Skaarsgard? Surely you meant Mikkelsen?
@@deeya now that's a Thrawn I could get behind. Bill or Stellan
My daughter was watching the show with me, when Thrawn came on screen , after his introduction she goes “he doesn’t seem bad” lmao
@@deeya Yup, sure did.
"I want to finish loading and leave. If they want to waste time wandering the wilderness looking for someone, more power to them. They won't be here causing problems, if we finish and leave and they are stuck here? All the better."
Its a solid plan.
Was there a split second of fear and surprise on Thrawn's face when he found out Anakin Skywalker was Ahsoka's master .
Yes
he already new and it was cannon, yet again retconned canon by disney
@@heyho.3757he knew Anakin became Vader but he never knew Anakin was Ahsoka's master till now
@@heyho.3757 In canon, he only knew that Vader was, in fact, Anakin. He did not know of Ahsoka being his apprentice.
I could totally buy Thrawn has developed bad habits in his isolated command, and it would hardly be out of character. As much as he's been romanticized, many people forget Thrawn died at the end of his original book series in large part due to becoming overconfident and complacent. Of course in Legends it was not realizing that his Noghri bodyguards had found out the Empire was gaslighting them on the "restoration" of their planet's ravaged ecosystem.
to be fair to Thrawn, he had no idea that the gaslighting was even a thing, (cause it was vader that discovered them & the emperor that kept them in servitude) he would have corrected that had he discovered it.
as for aquilla's comment above, he lost no advantages.
at least in terms of his skills, thinking & strategy.
what he lost was due to his enemies deception.
he had no reason to believe his bodyguard would betray him because he knew their culture.
his battleplan at bilbringi would have worked if he was still in/ capable of command
the only reason it happened was because plot demands the good guys always win in the end, which is BS.
Thrawn started as the underdog with only a few star destroyers against the entire new republic.
he fought where he was strongest & used the rebellions own tactics against them.
Thrawn went from a ragtag group of exhausted & demoralized star destroyers spread out across a front, to a massive rejuvenated armada able to threaten the very existence of the new republic.
all with very little support from the grand moffs & other warlords.
To be fair, it was so artistically done.
Honestly, I think Baylan is gonna be the unpredictable variable to Thrawn. He ditched his apprentice to go search for whatever he’s looking for. While Thrawn is preparing for Ahsoka, Ezra and Sabine to come after him, he’s not aware of what Baylan might come back with. That could be something the heroes could take advantage of.
*Watch Baylan come back with fucking Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos.* 💀
I don’t think he would have much of an ego. He’s stranded on peridia because of his humiliating defeat by phoenix cell (and space whales of all things!), I think he’s probably spent those 10 years thinking of how to correct for the mistakes that lead him to that point, analyzing his failure under the microscope for a decade.
He could have started by making sure that Ezra was dead instead of just assuming that he was. Force users are enough of a threat so you need to dedicate at least some time and resources to ensure that your Force-powered enemies are neutralized. Thrawn learned that the hard way in Rebels, so why was he busy getting a beer belly instead of ensuring that Ezra was neutralized? He had his brains, the Nightsisters, and an entire decade on his side. This is just your typical Star Wars plot armor that removes much of the stakes involved in the story.
@@KhukuriGodhe searched for Ezra somewhat because of the line he says "well give you his last known location" meaning he was keeping tabs on him because he knows how much of a threat he could be but also if he's that much of a threat why get the rest of your soldiers killed by Ezra if Ezra's not being a threat at that time when there's already something clearly killing off a lot of the night troopers already
@@TrueOmadTLG Fair enough. That's a valid way of thinking.
@@TrueOmadTLG Man, I can't WAIT to find out *what* is on this planet that has everybody, Thrawn included, just wanting to get the fuck out as fast as possible!
*And which Baylan Skoll's apocalyptic ass wants to let loose on the universe!* 😱
@@MrDibara for real I feel like it's going to insane
*Grand Admiral Thrawn is just that guy. Enough said.*
That said... I hope he doesn't get fumbled too badly by Disney in regards to his death. Granted, I also hope his older age hasn't increased much of his Ego, but at the same time, I couldn't blame him much.
Also, him telling Baylen "you wouldn't be the first" may be a callback to him knowing about Anakin becoming Vader, leaving the Jedi Order behind.
For the ribbons, I think it was just to repair their degrading armor like what we saw in the bad batch for the clones stationed on the icy world.
all that technology and they can't repair cracked armor..LOL
@@kan-zeethere in another galaxy on a breaking down ship
it was to give them a more samurai look to them
@@kan-zeeyou seem to forget the state of the chimaera
@@kan-zeelike other people have said their another galaxy with a ship In not good condition. Maybe you know use your brain.
It's pretty wild that we are headed toward a sort of adaptation of Heir to the Empire.
Removing him from the action by stranding him in another galaxy instead of leaving him isolated in the Maw was a creative way of attaining the same result with a different story.
@griffinsummoner is that where Thrawn was? I stopped following the novels before New Jedi Order so I only know the original Thrawn trilogy.
I’m happy about it though! While I personally enjoy the sequel trilogy, it’s nice that they are giving fans pretty much what they asked for for years, so maybe both sides of the fandom can be happy for once.
@@griffinsummonerThat was Admiral Daala stuck in the Maw.
We are not headed there. Not really.
I found it weird people were assuming they were zombies because of how the stormtroopers were acting like soldiers, obeying orders without question and silently standing in formation which is common to see when we see the empire. And because their armor was in shambles. They suffered a lot of punishment from being sent to this place and they have no where to get new armor or ways to properly repair their armor so It just made sense that keeping their gear in perfect condition is pretty low on the list when they have limited supplies and just barely surviving. The red ribbons could just signify that they made repairs and to differentiate themselves from many other storm troopers and make them visually distinct instead of just faceless minions unlike all the other imperial groups. Star Wars zombies typically act very erratic and the only control we really see over them is just pointing them in a direction and let them go ham but these stormtroopers showed no signs of being undead just that they had armor barely held together by red ribbons that made them unique. Plus why would thrawn and a few select people survive but all the thousands of stormtroopers/crew die and need to be resurrected or why would thrawn purposely sacrifice them to be undead, they were already extremely loyal soldiers.
Did you see any crew that arent storm troopers?
Bro no one is here to read a dissertation
@charliedulin good point. But whats it mean that we didn't in your opinion
Since they're not undead/zombie stormtroopers, under the direct influence of the Nightsisters, why on earth would they be known as Nighttroopers?
@@BigMan.270 to differentiate them from all the other stormtroopers. They’ve done this before when they had a new type of stormtrooper that they wanted to seem new or unique.
And I wouldn’t be surprised if the red ribbons do have a purpose beyond just holding their armor together ,like wards or boosts to the soldiers, but immediately assuming they are zombies because of the ribbons is my issue. The night sisters are known for a lot more then just zombies and have helped others achieve their goals in exchange for protection or aid.
He didn’t know about Ahsoka Tano until he obtained the info and realised that she was Anakins apprentice and unpredictable. I believe his jaw clenching was more of annoyance that another variable had entered his plans.
I don't get how he knew Baylan was a general just from his face, but doesn't know Anakin had an apprentice. He had figured out Anakin was Vader from their meeting in the Clone Wars. I would think news of the Temple bombing should have made its way to Thrawn, with Ahsoka being attached as the culprit.
@@generalkenobi9307You just answered your question unknowingly. Beylan was a high ranking general in the Jedi Order. Ahsoka was a lower level Jedi what never became a master. She also left the Order and wouldn't have been as well known. It's not a surprise that Thrawn would know who the high ranking were.
If Ahsoka could think like Thrawn she'd want him to return to the main galaxy and pull the Imps together so the Republic could deal with them all in one big strike/campaign. Just put an end to the whole Imp remnants hope of reforming the Empire
That's a horrible idea. That's what happened in Legends and Thrawn would've been the first non-Force Sensitive to conquer the Galaxy had he not been stabbed in the back literally. And considering the state of the Republic is in right now, Thrawn's form of government would probably be welcomed if it meant returning a sense of stability of peace rather than the New Republic's inefficiency. People still remember the horrors of the Clone Wars and the how terrible the Republic was prior to the outbreak and they wouldn't have known that Palpatine was the mastermind behind it all, just a tyrant that saw an opportunity and took it.
@@ianferguson6244 It's by far not as clearcut as you make it out, especially in legends. Thrawn was good, he was not invincible. He made mistakes, he slowly lost some very important advantages and the New Republic had at least two admirals able of, if not beating him then matching him. The whole story of the three books is that Thrawn starts with a massive advantage and slowly, with setbacks and more, the heroes start to level the playing field, and strike back.
The Battle of Bilbringi is a very good example of this. Thrawn starts out with a massive advantage, catching the New Republic forces in a trap, but Admiral Ackbar rallies the forces and while the balance of power is still in the imperials favor it is far from over. Which is when the Smuggler Alliance gets involved and suddendly the fight is far more even with the Imperial Attention firmly split and the New Republic and Smuggler forces making strong gains. Then Thrawn dies. But even if he had survived, at the same time a lynchpin of his plan, the cloning facilities and his Mad Jedi, where being utterly destroyed by Luke and Mara, so even if he had won Bilbringi the advantage would have still been back on the New Republic Side.
She'd be gambling the fate of her galaxy on that belief.
The series seems to put an exclamation point on Ahsoka's linear thinking and how it can be a major hindrance.
Not gonna lie, I'm really hoping Thrawn escapes or at least survives in a way that let's us have a season 2.
Goes without saying, If Thrawn dies and or is defeated in the next episode, people would riot. Figuratively, and on Twitter.
You don't build up a legacy character like that and off him in in just a few episodes. EVEN if he loses, it's likely gonna be like Moff Gideon in the first season of The Mandalorian. Post credits signifying his comeback.
There is supposed to be a movie in the future
@miguellopes7627 I would love a movie but don't think the viewing figures are helping that cause.
They won't kill Thrawn. He is a way to good character, they will keep him around for a while. And they have excellent source material to use for his overall story. I highly doubt they would ruin Timothy Zahns "Heir to the Empire", even if its technically Legends those 3 books were to well made.
Thrawn biting it would invoke a blowback worse than the Secret Invasion debacle.
The night troopers don’t just do the bare minimum. They add lots of pieces of flair! Just like Chotchkie’s
underrated comment
Who is Chotchkie and what does he own?
Thrawn has been great so far. My favorite part was when he was bewildered that Sabine risked everything on a gamble that Ezra was still alive. That really shows how his mind works.
I think Thrawn does understand Sabine's position more than she knows. But it's the sponteneity that throws him off as he's a master planner.
I’m just glad that Thrawn’s live-action portrayal is as good as his animated one, even if he isn’t as explicitly as complex in motivation as he was in Legends and expanded Canon material with his genuine desire for peace and prosperity and the security of his people rather than simple “fleeting” power (that role apparently being given to Baylan and his superficially benevolent goal of ending the cycle of galactic warfare with whatever source of power he seeks).
They hinted at his motivations when Thrawn asked Morgan to stay behind. Thrawn says that they need the Empire to protect their galaxy. This coupled with the other universe they're in seems to hint at the Grysk Invasion (they seem to be taking the Yuuzhan Vong's place in new canon).
Shin is going to flip because she realized in this episode that she was getting left behind by everyone....including her master. That they would strand her here for the rest of her life, that her life means nothing.
And that she hasnt really been trained all that well. She was absolutely handled by Ahsoka who didn't even bother getting a lightsaber out to deal with her.
This fits the fan theories that she is the Mara Jade analog for adapting Heir to the Empire in the future
@@richardmaloneriki1811 so she's gonna marry ezra?
@@insertcognomen Saw her eye banging someone else with a bit more intensity in the previous ep.
@@collins.4380Who?? Sabine? I was getting that Lesbian vibe off her too! 😂
Always one step ahead.
It is so satisfying to see my fourth favorite villain of all time finally makes his live-action debut! Grand Admiral Thrawn! Now this, puts a smile on my face 😌
Who is your favourite? Mine is Thrawn, but then again I've waited a long time to see him in live action.
I'm actually really impressed with you Alan, because of your knowledge of the historical cultures that all these parts of Star Wars are from. The amount you've learned about actual human history is considerable.
What I would love to see in the future is that Thrawn will figure out that Ezra has returned as well. Then the new republic will try to outsmart Thrawn by making a plan that relies on Thrawn not knowing Ezra‘s back. And then he will defeat them maybe with some severe losses on the Republic side.
Surprised nobody is picking up on the Edison quote when Elsbeth has her "lightbulb" moment, realising that Thrawn has his eyes on the prize and not on the distractions.
Also loved the irony of Baylan's name when he leaves Shin. "You're not going to help?" "Nah kid I'm Baylan on ya"
"Never again underestimate the heroics of a single Jedi"
So to make sure we'll send TWO TIE fighters, instead of ONE.
And to defend a ground assault , surely we LOCKED the front door and any other door in the fortress, right?
And finally, it might have been really good to know what's in those crates for us having to wait for every last one instead of just öleaving immediately.
Thrawn's probably gonna be the main reason I keep watching this.
rel
"Thrawn doesn't get the jedi."
Last 3 chapters of Outbound Flight would like to have a word with you.
He killed an entire fleet of jedi by using their attachment to the force against them.
He also wiped out a fleet of New Republic fighters in one of the books using 3 battle ships and a handful of fighters if I remember correctly.
I'm thinking that the "favor" Thrawn asked of the knight mothers was duplication of the few mines he had left onboard the Chimera using materials from the planet, in order to create the minefield.
I think the red ribbons are a way to identify themselves as being under the night sisters protection/as a warning. But it should also be noted that the colour red is common among clothing on the planet (the mothers, Enoch, the bandits all wear red)
Personally I think it’s primarily to hold their armor together but given how the are on a planet that was once dominated by the Night Sisters, I think you might be right that it’s a warning or an omen to those on the planet that they are aligned with them. Perhaps they’re shoulder straps and whatnot degraded over time or it’s a symbol meant to intimidate the locals, either way, it makes them look cool.
Hope they give Thrawn the win here. Dude needs it.
damn u guys are trippin if u really enjoy this version of thrawn
Morgan questioning Thrawn and him explaining to his actions to me seems more like a plot device to help the audience understand how big of threat he is through how calculating and forward thinking he is rather than a mentorship
Yeah, that's what they are using it as. But that was always something he was willing to do. He always wanted to help his underlings understand his reasoning, helping them learn.
People were saying Thrawn was on copium for losing troopers and lettimg them get together but Thrawn made it very clear he justs wants to leave and his strategy was about making that easy rather then trying to pack while in a battle
Anakin and Ahsoka have come to terms, so that most likely will throw off Thrawn's understandings of where Ahsoka is now.
And people have been complaining about Thrawn. I'm with you 100%
I really appreciate the positive perspective of the episodes. Helps pull me back from the edge
Too bad the entire tv show is complete shit
Whatever you're struggling in life with, mate, *fight on.*
Life and happiness are worth fighting for.
The fact Thrawn didn't use the gunships or Morgan's hyperspace ring to rain laser down on them and the Nitto civilians really separates how he acted at the end of Rebels. And that makes me so happy.
Great video, as always Alan. Was very surprised, yet pleased with Thrawns decisions and actions this episode.
And it left me absolutely wanting more Baylan. I'm so saddened that we won't see more of his character after this season, granting he survives in the series.
Thrawn is the only imperial I'd willing serve. Not only is he a genius, but he's also fair and kind of a good man. He has flaws, but these flaws are nothing compared to imperials like Tarkin or Palpatine.
They’re still Nazis 🤨
I'd prolly serve under Veers too, dude was legit.
Dedra wasnt too bad. Least she is competant.
I too would be completely enamoured with him and being in his service.
@westwardstar1686 Sure as hell wouldn't want to be her enemy.
One of my favorite Thrawn strategies from the Zahn trilogy was cloaking (I think it was) around four asteroids and placing them in orbit of Coruscant and bluffing that he had in fact placed more in degrading orbits using hyperspace to place them there. For a good chunk of the last two books the capital of the New Republic was effectively under siege because they had to randomly fire into space with the fleet to try and find these "cloaked" asteroids and destroy them - wasting time and energy. Not to mention that the planet shield had to stay up keeping people from coming or leaving the planet.
waited patiently for a new video to come out!
The so called Star Wars fans/ snobs who belittled this episode need to watch this video. You did a great job of describing the depth of Thrawn’s character.
Another key thing I like about Thrawn is the fact that he doesn't treat his men as cannon fodder. Sure he puts them at risk by sending them after Jedi but he knows not to over-extend when its a part of the plan. Ironically he's doing his job as their commander properly via pulling his forces back whenever the risk outclasses the reward like he did this episode. It's no wonder I've heard of so many stories of people claiming that Thrawn's men tend to gravitate their loyalties to him more then the Emperor as he actually looks after the soldiers under his command instead of wasting their lives for reckless high risk glory kills like other Admirals would by comparison.
In the last episode where he asked the Stormtroopers that volunteered where to slow Ashoka down if they understood that they where either going to die or be left behind and they understood and agreed to it
@@mysteryjunkie9808 Meanwhile someone like Tarkin probably would've abandoned his soldiers with a drop of the hat once things started going his way or spinning out of control.
The facial movements are also something they added because they needed to make some changes to fit a live action format. In Rebels the large shifts of his eyes were enough to convey emotions but that won't work in live-action because his eyes are not as prominent.
I think Thrawn understands Sabine's drive to find Ezra more than it might appear on the surface. In the Disney era Thrawn books, it was established that he had a long lost sister whose disappearance from his life when they were both small children informed his curiosity about and empathy for their people's Force-sensitive child navigators. He gets how the desire to find a lost love one can shape a person's focus.
Exactly. I don't know whether he ever met Borika again as I haven't finished all the books, but her disappearance did have a profound effect on him. Thrawn also was willing to sacrifice everything on a gamble for the Chiss to survive as a race, even voluntarily being exiled to get into the Empire to give them a chance. He understands more than Sabine knows.
Ahsoka and her gang lost like 10 minutes, they were reunited, and now they have a fast moving ship, and somebody who's been on the planet for a decade and understands it well, I don't see the victory for Thrawn.
Thrawn doesnt kill needlessly, the more pawns the better. he wanted to buy time, so chasing the rebels longer and not killing the locals quickly makes perfect sense. having them all surrounded and locals as potential hostages makes more sense than having rebels and dead bodies, too. I love dthe mental muscle this episode. I was disturbed at the chase scene at first but nope. it all makes sense. The Admiral isnt imho somebody who kills without a reason. different priorities. and not killing and doing as little as possible allows him to beserve the enemy more too. win win
For sure. Thrawn sees people as a resource.
@@magpieonline4801 for the empire
I find it interesting that the night sisters, the stormtroopers, and the raiders all wear red. Even ezra wears red which may just be coincidence. The only characters not wearing red are thrawn and the little natives.
he has red eyes so he's covered, as for the natives maybe they don't need red as they will have adapted to whatever power is calling out in the force.
everyone except baylan & the natives want to leave, yet the natives & baylan stay.
It may not be coincidence 😊
Minefield scene made me flashback of Tie Fighter, especially certain mission...
And minefield move is 100% Thrawn, based on predicting where enemy will head, and being prepared for them.
I’ve been watching UA-cam channel for years Love, your Content.
Bro, This isn't thrawn at all. He killed so many people instead of ending the Conflict without getting anyone killed. He is so unlike the Thrawn we grew to love.
Thrawn isnt a genius, he's just not as incompetent as his enemies
Why is this seen as brilliant? He can't find Ezra after 10 years. He left Sabine to live and find Ezra. He sends gunships, which would give him air superiority to take them out, however they land and send out stormtroopers and losses many troops- troops which are apparently scarce. He could of used those troops to load the cargo (which would of made the loading so much faster) and used the gunships to take out the two characters that will defeat him in the next episode. Now you got 3 characters with plot-armor reunited and I would bet my bottom dollar- will defeat Thrawn rather easily. Hopefully, his defeat doesn't happen in episode 8.
l He sent sabine on a wild goose chase which at first didn’t matter as they would strand them on the planet before they got word of Asohka, he did send in troopers to fight and support Baylin however he was nowhere there which was unforeseen
The entire point of Thrawns actions and decisions where to keep ahsoka away from his chimera as much as possible, letting sabine go out on her own removes her from the area, which also means ahsoka will not bother going near his chimera and instead search for sabine. Baylin Skoll not engaging the battle was not part of his plans. If Baylin had engaged...Thrawn would of kept his troopers engaged.
Without Baylin it was a lost cause..and he figured that out.
Baylin fooled Thrawn. Thrawn now knows Baylin has another agenda in play.
Come on man. Use your brain
The cope is strong with these replies. If Thrawn is willing to vaporize Ahsoka the moment she got out of hyperspace, I can't see why he shouldn't simply execute Sabine. Or find and kill Ezra - a troublesome JEDI and the one responsible for his predicament - in his decade of exile. Instead, he's been stacking all that fat under his belly.
"If so smart he is, why leave so many loose ends?"
- Grand Master Yoda
@@ammarelle I don't know but this is not sound military tactics- I understand it's Star Wars, but really, he has 2 gunships with large blaster cannons- air superiority is still a thing even in Star Wars.
Jedi can be killed we seen many of them die in the past and even Obi-Wan and Qui-Gonn ran from the droideka (destroyer droids) not wanting to go head to head with them and their blast shields.
The coffins or whatever they turn out to be could of been loaded much faster then what is shown on screen and really it didn't look like there was that many of them. If he used his troops to load them rather then sending them out to be slaughtered- which if he just killed Sabine instead of sending her on a wild goose chase- they would all be still alive. Ezra wasn't looking to be found and had no way of knowing what Thrawn was doing anyway. He only has power now because Thrawn gave it to him in the form of Sabine and Ahsoka. Thrawn is his own worse enemy.
If they focused on loading the cargo faster, Ahsoka really would of mattered not. Thrawn would have left before Ashoka arrived and Sabine would be dead and Ahsoka would be spending the next episode looking for Ezra and once she found him- she be stuck with him in that galaxy without a ride back home.
@@KhukuriGod Agreed. Thrawn is turning out to be a real "butcher." This is not the way he was portrayed in the original books where he was shown to have a military mind, understanding the culture of those he conquered and not taking anything for granted.
The sad truth is the writers don't understand military strategy and trying to write a convincing military strategist is imposable when you don't have a grasp or knowledge of military strategy. That's why Disney Star Wars keeps giving us incompetent military officers like Hux and Holdo.
Basic military strategy 101: take the high ground. Obviously Thrawn missed that lesson :(
I think if it comes down to a full out war the new Republic will be wiped out because of the different factions whereas thrawn has a sound tactical mind and can outthink the new Republic. But with the nights inters on side I think they are escaping from something worse
There’s different faction in the Imperial Remnant too but they will likely all rally behind Thrawn now
In my imagination i thought disney would retcon Thrawn species to age really slowly and get him back to be the antagonist for a new cinema trilogy, but this is good enough
I believe Thrawn is desperate to get the hell out of dodge. He could care less about The Scooby Gang. He’s ready to take his men home and I act his plan for the future.
The older you become, the more vision you gain. He’s been isolated with his calculated mind. Those of us with extremely analytical minds, went mad during lockdown! The rabbit wholes, the stillness, and isolation were both gifts and impediments. 😂 😂
But, the experience gave us all greater inner perspective.
Thrawn has been traumatized, his men have been traumatized, his ship is barely functional and he’s relying on mystics for knowledge. Yep. He’s in his own personal hell.
His plan is: GET THE F*CK OF THIS PLANET!!
7:23 - The look on Thrawn's face right here made reading all the Thrawn and Thrawn Ascendancy books worth it all over again. Perfect.
I love the series but the one thing that bothers me is why did they not have the cargo ready to go so that when Elsbeth arrived they could leave immediately? They didn’t start loading until after they got there and now the cargo transfer is literally the only thing keeping them on the planet
Good point, they may have simply not known when or even if she would get to them. If it's precious cargo maybe he saw it as safer in a fortress than in his hanger while they waited for an unknown length of time for Elsbeth to come, if she did come.
@@Kevc00 true, like I said I do like the series and I hope there’s some kind of explanation for it and not just a “we didn’t think of it” explanation.
That would involve critical thinking which is not allowed
That depends on what the cargo is
@@BHalo98 me too I'm really enjoying it so far, but honestly I don't mind too much if they don't explain it, it allows us to see Thrawn warming up and I'm here for it.
I don’t see it….how did Ezra avoid Thrawn for 10 years but Ashoka gets found out in 10 seconds by the witches. And why after 10 years do the night troopers still suck at aiming. Would Thrawn not have them drilling and training to stay frosty? The way this show is written begs these questions. Thrawn is only as smart as Filoni makes him. And episode 8 needs to make some major tactical sense for me to be impressed by this show.
Thrawn's trained troopers did not shoot until they stood in a circle around Ezra and Sabine, they did not obey Hati's order to fire (no, it was no jedi mind trick, literally there was a pause between the order to fire and Ezra opening his mouth) the gunships did not provide fire support from above, And not a single whale died from the mines, after giving the order to destroy whales with extreme prejudice. It was like watching them bumping tiny firecrackers. His orders make no sense - and he has to tell us what a great strategic mind he is, instead of letting us draw that conclusion - I think the writers realized that he is looking like a complete idiot and we need to be told what a genius he is through some twisted explanation. One problem with this show is that each episode (reminiscent of all the cartoons) must end with a rebel win, so these tortured explanations of 'strategic victory' are necessary to preserve the delusion that Thrawn has a brain. I mean, he could not find Ezra (apparently 2 minutes away by dograt) for love or money, even though we now KNOW the nightsisters can geolocate a jedi with their magic balls and he KNEW of this ability. If he was such a hyperefficient commander, he would have harvested the crab people for food already.... I could go on.
This episode was amazing in giving us the Thrawn we all know and love. I read the books. I'm so glad Rebels did him justice, and they're continuing to do him justice here.
I only heard him raise his voice once when he was yelling at Bridger, whom he thought was Lyst. But a man like him getting loud and angry doesn't scare me.
A man like him staying quiet and cold does.
The best villains aren't the ones who get loud and aggressive. They're the ones who retain their outward cool, and control over themselves even when the fire inside them is lava hot.
These are the ones the heroes should fear, because these are the ones who know what they're doing.
This is a big part of what makes Thrawn so lovable.
Writing a villain like this is hard, but really fun. :)
I'm not sure I'd call Thrawn "lovable' lol, but certainly a character who stands out and is awesome to watch as the viewer/audience if he's done correctly. He's a unique villain, especially when in the context of the Empire and the typical idiots, sycophants, etcetera that make it to the top (Tarkin is a good example of this) and He's even more interesting when the Chiss Ascendancy aspects are included in his characters motives, loyalties, goals, etc. I'd like to see/hear more about the Ascendancy in this canon iteration of the character since I don't believe Rebels or any canon material has mentioned it much or at all even.
I'm really enjoying Thrawn as an intelligent bad guy, completely the opposite of the usual maniacal evil overlord, strutting around twirling their moustache. He actually appears to be dangerous, and for once, you can really tell why Syndulla and Ashoka see him as a real threat to reunite the Imperial remnants back in the prime galaxy.
Duck Tape Troopers! You got the Dark Sabre the same way Boca Tan did. Just ask for one. "Hey I was at the same Walmart as you." "Well here's the Dark Sabre then." "Thank you woosie Mando!"
But that jedi shuttle can get to the chimera in no time!
Alan, I really appreciate the work you do to put out videos.
I love watching The Great Mothers hands. They show you what aspect of the force they are accessing when they are performing their magick.
Basically, thrawn fears black swans.
Note how the fact she is the apprentice of Skywalker and therefore experienced in combat changed his calculations regarding following her and letting her fight on her terms and backing off and looking for alternative approaches. master class indeed, you do not fight a veteran on his terms. he/she knows what he/she is doing ... they did it before.
nice to see y'all more active :)
I think Thrawn genuinely respects the Witches. He may not understand all the mysticism involved in the powers they wield, but he understands their motivations and thus are predictable, for now. He treats them as a black box solution. Being polite, he requests a service. They tell him if it can be done or not. If yes, they provide a resolution to the request. In turn, he provides maintenance so their solutions remain optimal (ex: kill Asohka or we will have problems, Grand Admiral Thrawn).
I am thinking Thrawn is going to dispatch Shen Hottie to destroy Ahsoka along with some other fighters, and he will ditch them and warp off into hyperspace attached with the Chimera to the hyperspace ring, leaving them behind. This will lead up to Ahsoka offering her a way back to the main SW galaxy and end up bringing her into the group to eventually fight against Thrawn. She might even end up being the person who delivers the killing blow against him, which Thrawn will enjoy in the end, being a poetic end to his life. You heard it here first.
Nah, it's not within Thrawn's character to ditch his own men, that's more like someone like Palpatine or Tarkin would do.
@@Morgunth86 Shin and Baylan arent his men though. They were mercenaries hired by Morgan, that he doesnt trust AND hes already said that it doesnt matter if they get left behind on the planet int he first episode he appears in lol.
@@Orapac4142 You said other fighters, by that I assumed you meant Night Troopers, which are his men.
We see NONE of these characters in the sequels whoch leads me to belive nobody makes it off the planet for another decade/dies
massive mistakes for Thrawn to let that mandalorian goes to find Ezra, even gave her that bug horse dog to save her a massive amount of times
You know what puts Sabine really far away from his base of operations? *_A blaster to the face._*
The actor playing the admiral is like an old time 40's actor? like the original Darth Vader. Very proper. I looked him up in IMDB. seen him in Sherlock. He's like an old movie actor from a british 40's crime thriller. I think they watched Sherlock and said this guy is a moriarty. a cool customer.
Lookout! Thrawn is right behind you!
I really liked how you showed us scene as a source to your analysis.
Thrawn and the stormtroopers are only as good as the writer allows them to be.
Not at all competent against rebels plot armor.
ehh same goes from most antagonists in fiction though
@@intensespoon6290 Yes, the difference is in many other fictional stories, writers are smart and competent - so they can have smart characters. Characters can't be smarter than their writers - and writers of Ashoka are dumb as a dodo.
Take a look at The Expanse and their antagonists. That is the most recent and good SF.
Thrawn in original work was indeed very smart and competent. Since his re-introduction to Star Wars, he hasn't actually won a single fight. He was always outsmarted and outmaneuvered. And that is a problem. He talks like a villain, like someone who'd you expect to be smart, and we know that he is in the original works. But Since Rebels that reintroduced him, he does not have a single win, he goes from one loss to another.
So we never see how and why he is dangerous, we are just constantly be told that he is. And you can repeat it so many times before people stop believing it since they haven't seen it at all.
@@intensespoon6290 there's this one guy from the EU though, his name's Admiral Thrawn. He pretty much wrecks Luke, Leia, and Han.
@@intensespoon6290 The biggest problem is the Empire being a threat when their troops cant hit anything. Stormtroopers were supposed to be the best trained and the most zealous and indoctrinated soldiers in the empire, and these guys (along with every stormtrooper) just consistently do dumb shit and never pose a threat. I dont need them to just massacre the protagonists, but I would like to at least have the feeling that they are in trouble for 30 seconds instead of just acting like Helen Keller with a space gun.
i dont know, nothing felt planned. just improvisation after improvisation.
i guess thats a strategy
It's the Red Ribbon Army. General Red is pulling the strings.
I’ve been thinking - what if the cargo being transferred are part of Hux’s “Project Necromancer”. It was mentioned in Mandalorian S3 that the return of Thrawn would aid Hux, or at least something to that affect.
Holy crap, we are actually witnessing the birth of the resistance right now and nobody sees it, it could happen many ways but if Sabine dies properly, Ezra and Ahsoka follow thrawn back to the star wars galaxy but split up to get more allies, Ahsoka goes to Syndulla who goes to Leia thus forming The Resistance and Ezra goes to New Mandalore to find Bo Katan and enlist the mando''s as back up bringing the whole tv universe together? boom. how it ends is anyones guess but this would be cool AF
Put all the shows in a timeline they should be known as the new Thrawnsaga
What a really great analysis! Again! Thank you :-)
Why didn't thrawn put the troops down, and then let the gunships take flight again and fire on the enemies?
If i can think of this and he could not, thats not a good sign. He better have a reason.
another great vid! thank you!!!! more please!!!!!
I don’t understand why Thrawn didn’t drop bombs on them. I saw some tie fighters in the hangar.
That was a lot of mines.
Thrawn has been a complete moron in Ahsoka.
1. Keeping Baylan's promise and not just killing Sebine. No he did not need to find Ezra.
2. Apparently not using the witches to find Ezra.
3. Not finding Ezra over all that time... I mean good god.
4. Actually going after Ezra, he just drew attention to himself needlessly. Ezra and Sebine would have just derped around forever.
5. Sending in troops when he could have just turned Ahsoka and co into paste from the air.
6. Not sending any ships to blow the plot armour out of the sky.
Thrawn from the EU would have tortured Sebine for info, then killed her. He would have set up a nice welcome party for Ahsoka, after getting the info from Sebine, and wiped her out. He then would have loaded up his ship and headed off back to known space leaving Ezra to rot.
Thrawn is just another terribly written character in a long list of terribly written characters in the show. Seriously I am sure the people who think Ahsoka has good writing also think Rings of Power was good writing.
Small flaws you're trying to make out are bigger then they really are
6:43 The goodest Grand Admiral
I noticed shin's saber is more of a blood orange whereas Baylin's is fire orange.
May show their personality
Okay… and? You want a cookie🍪
@@NETBU nothing wrong with sharing opinions
@@NETBU yes please
Well... I'm kinda worried about the Purrgils... They seemed to be badly hurt by the mines. 😕
I mean, it was made clear that they go to peridea to die. The process was.. expedited slightly, you could say. 🙃
@@chrishealton3830 hey id rather die quickly face first to a mine, than have my suffering prolonged because my body clings to life.
is it painful?
yes
is it quick?
also yes.
less suffering that way ironically enough.
The question of command scene is so akwardly funny
I want to see at least a thrawn cameo in the next season of andor, let's see him at his imperial peak. Would love to see him visit that antiques shop. Though I don't know how the timeline fits.
I am just praying that he gets back home safely 🙏
im just excited for the next timothy zahn novel, sure it hasnt been writen yet (maybe) but come on, 5+ years glorious
Did you see how he was shirting when Ahsoka showed and Thrawn found out who was his master. He was a bit scared too it seemed of Ahsoka. He always respected Anakin and fear Vader but had a plan to defeat him.
I was really hoping this video would be satire or at the very least told in a sarcastic tone
When Thrawn found out that Anakin Skywalker was Ahsoka's master, I saw a little bit of fear in Thrawn