In Ahsoka, Does Grand Admiral Thrawn Know Anakin Skywalker Was Darth Vader?
This article contains spoilers for "Ahosoka" episode 7, "Dreams and Madness."
With the show's seventh episode in the books, "Ahoska" season 1 (assuming it isn't just a one-and-done) is rapidly approaching its conclusion. Not only do we have all of the major pieces on the board following the arrival of Grand Admiral Thrawn and Ezra Bridger last week, but the pieces have started to come together as Ahsoka Tano finally made it to the distant galaxy that both her friend and enemy had been stranded in for more than a decade. But this episode also lightly touched on a part of Thrawn's past involving one of the most notorious characters in all of "Star Wars" history: Darth Vader.
In the episode, Thrawn learns that Anakin Skywalker was Ahsoka Tano's master. This new information hits him like a bag of bricks. While Thrawn is a very even-tempered, calculated being, a bit of true emotion hit him in that moment. He goes on to explain that Anakin was a bit reckless, and therefore his apprentice would be as well. He demonstrates a knowledge of the former Jedi. So that begs the question, if Thrawn is so familiar with Anakin, did he know that he eventually became Darth Vader?
The short answer is yes. Thrawn did indeed know that Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader were, in some ways, one and the same. However, as Obi-Wan Kenobi once argued, Anakin "died" when he became Darth Vader. Without getting into semantics, Thrawn knows who was under that black armor. But how did one of the Empire's most brilliant military minds learn Vader's true identity? That itself is a fascinating tale within the "Star Wars" canon, but not in the movies or TV shows.
Thrawn's run-ins with Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader
Author Timothy Zahn's 2018 novel "Thrawn: Alliances" holds the answer to how the military strategist not only met both Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader, but also how he figured out these two were the same person. Zahn, who created Thrawn in the "Heir to the Empire" trilogy of novels from the old Expanded Universe from the '90s, returned to pen a trilogy of novels centered on the character beginning in 2017. "Alliances" was the second novel, telling simultaneous stories centered on Thrawn. One was set during The Clone Wars on a mission where he worked with Anakin, while the other was set between "Star Wars Rebels" seasons 3 and 4, with Thrawn working alongside Darth Vader.
Thrawn tends to like to play things close to the chest until the moment is right, so it's never explicitly said in a "Eureka!" kind of moment that Thrawn deduced who Vader actually was. But "Alliances" makes it crystal clear that he knew. For example, Thrawn's alien race, the Chiss, call their astronavigator children Skywalkers. Vader's reaction to this little tidbit is what helped tip Thrawn off.
The key thing is that this means Thrawn not only knows who Ahoska's master was, but he also knows what her master became. That may undoubtedly come into play as things continue to unfold here in the show's season finale and beyond. Let's not forget that writer/producer/director Dave Filoni is making a live-action "Star Wars" movie as well. Very few people knew who Vader was before becoming Palpatine's right-hand man. What might Thrawn do with such information in facing Anakin's former apprentice? One can only imagine... for now.
The "Ahsoka" season 1 finale airs Tuesday, October 3 on Disney+ at 9pm ET/6pm PT