The Ahsoka Season 1 Finale Reveals Thrawn's Dark, Twisted Plan
This article contains spoilers for "Ahsoka" episode 8 — "The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord."
And with that, "Ahsoka" season 1 has come to an end. Though it now very much feels like the end of a first season that will give way to a second season, as there is much left to resolve. In some ways, things are just getting started, as Grand Admiral Thrawn finally made his grand return to the galaxy after being trapped in exile in a different galaxy that was far, far away, for more than a decade. The heir to the Empire is clearly going to try and re-establish Imperial rule under his thumb. But how exactly is he going to do that? This episode provided some answers, and Thrawn's plans are, in a word, dark.
Despite Ahsoka, Ezra, and Sabine's best efforts, Thrawn was able to escape to the primary "Star Wars" galaxy with his army of Death Troopers and, perhaps most importantly, the Dathomirian Great Mothers. These powerful Dathomirian witches have been helping Thrawn the whole time and, for the most part, it was a little unclear as to why. By the end of the episode, we knew exactly why. Thrawn's grand plan involves heading to their homeworld of Dathomir, a location very familiar to fans of "The Clone Wars."
That alone would have, perhaps, been enough to explain why they were willing to help Thrawn. But things got more sinister before it was all over, as we saw that the cargo hold of the Chimaera, aka Thrawn's beloved Star Destroyer, was absolutely overflowing with coffins, presumably with bodies in them. And, to take it a step further, likely Dathomirian bodies. Regardless, it seems very much like the bodies in these crates are poised to become Thrawn's new Imperial army. Yes, really. Buckle up, because "Star Wars" is going full-on zombie mode.
It all comes together
The clear implication is that, with the help of the Great Mothers, Thrawn can raise the dead and have himself what is, in essence, an indestructible army. We got a taste of this during Ahsoka, Ezra, and Sabine's first bout with the night troopers, as they were resurrected on the battlefield in a demonstration of what the Dathomiri can accomplish through their unique connection with the Force. We've seen these zombies in "The Clone Wars" but now, they're seemingly going to be produced en masse for Thrawn's use. That's a twisted concept.
Thrawn has been away for a long time and, as we've seen in "The Mandalorian" and some of the earlier episodes of "Ahsoka," the remnants of the Empire are scattered, disorganized, and not nearly as powerful as they once were. The New Republic has its problems, but they are also clearly the word of law and order in the galaxy in these years after the events of "Return of the Jedi." Thrawn is going to tip that balance of power once again, and he's intending to do so, in part, with an army of the dead. This is, to say the least, new territory for "Star Wars."
This is one of the reasons it's crystal clear that this was merely the beginning. Thrawn is a master strategist and, given how long he was stranded, it had seemed a little unclear what he did with his time. Now, it's crystal clear that he had been hatching a pretty wild plan all along. One with seemingly limitless possibilities to provide the Empire with an army that the New Republic is probably ill-prepared to contend with. That army commanded by Thrawn? That's a lethal combination.
When will we see Thrawn execute his plan?
The biggest question that we're left with (and there are many) is just when, exactly, are we going to see Thrawn's plans begin to come to fruition? Ezra knows Thrawn is back and the episode concludes with him reuniting with Hera, which means she's going to know, and the New Republic is going to know. This feels like it can't wait that long. Fortunately, we may not actually have to wait for a second season of "Ahsoka" to have some of this payoff.
This show takes place in the same universe as "The Mandalorian," and we know "The Mandalorian" season 4 is in the works. It's possible, if not likely, that some of these plot threads will be picked up there. We've also got the "Skeleton Crew" show on the way, and some of this could be touched on there as well. Most importantly, we have Dave Filoni's "Star Wars" movie in the works, which is going to tie together all of the shows in the Mando-verse. That feels like the endpoint for all of this, and where we'll finally see the New Republic's forces go head-to-head with Thrawn's resurrected Empire. Let them fight, as it were.
No word yet on "Ahsoka" season 2 but it feels like an inevitability at this point. For now, you can revisit "Ahsoka" season 1, which is streaming in its entirety on Disney+.