This Star Wars Legend Character Now Becomes Canon

The release of the new Rogue One: A Star Wars Story trailer that I talked about yesterday wasn't the only big announcement that hit over the weekend at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2016.  There was one announcement that was even bigger than the reveal that Darth Vader was indeed going to appear in Rogue One, and it caught everyone completely off guard...well, at least it caught me off guard.


Fans that grew up only knowing the original series should all know the name Timothy Zahn.  After Return of the Jedi, fans of the Star Wars films were in desperate need for new stories from the galaxy far, far away.  The first opportunity that we got was in the form of Zahn's trilogy, Heir to the Empire, which takes place five years after the Battle of Endor. The story brought back all of our beloved heroes, and introduced us to new enemies that they had to face, the most popular of which was Admiral Thrawn.  This evil, blue-skinned alien took over the Empire following Emperor Palpatine's death and continued his plan to wipe out the Rebel Alliance.  The series was a work of art, and when it was announced that it wouldn't be part of the official Star Wars canon, many fans began to protest.


Now it seems that their protests had been heard by Lucasfilm.  Over the weekend, while showing fans at a Star Wars Rebels panel a trailer for season 3, it was revealed that Admiral Thrawn will be making the jump from Star Wars Legend into Star Wars Canon.  Yes, Admiral Thrawn will be making his official debut into the Star Wars universe during season 3 of Rebels.  That's not the only big news involving this character that was announced during the panel, though.  Zahn appeared in the form of a pre-recorded video thanking fans for all of their support, and also explained how much fun he's had working with the people that put together Rebels.  He said that bringing his character to the show has been a honor, and loves what the team has done with Thrawn.  He also announced that he's working on a new novel that will feature Thrawn that will be apart of the official Star Wars canon.  The book will be released sometime next year.  You can check out the cover art for the book down below:

Now the younger generation of Star Wars fans will be able to enjoy one of the best villains that the older Star Wars fans have enjoyed for years.  This begs the question, though...if Thrawn could be moved from Legend to Canon, what about the other characters from the books?  I don't know, like Mara Jade?  Just throwing that one out there, Disney.

So what do you think about Thrawn joining Star Wars Rebels?  Are you familiar with this character?  If you aren't, you need to go out and read the Heir to the Empire series right away, you won't be disappointed.  If you have read the novels, let me know your thoughts about them bringing him into the show in the comments section down below.