Ahsoka: Portraying Thrawn in a New Way
Star Wars Rebels actor Lars Mikkelsen shares why he took such a unique approach to playing his character Thrawn again in the upcoming show Ahsoka. Thrawn, the legendary Chiss, is a prominent character once more in the animated series.
Ahsoka follows the characters Ahsoka and Sabine Wren as they search for their friend Ezra Bridger, who surrendered to Thrawn in Rebels.
While most of the Rebels cast will not be reprising their roles for the new show, Mikkelsen had the rare opportunity to portray Thrawn in both Rebels and Ahsoka. However, Mikkelsen did not re-watch old Rebels episodes to familiarize himself with the character.
“Would I go back and watch the stuff I’ve already done? By doing that you run the risk of repeating what you’ve already done, I think,” says Mikkelsen. “It is the same thing, I mean, since I’m playing the same character, I mean, but I didn’t want to create an impression of what it was. I wanted to create something new.”
This change in Thrawn’s character makes sense considering Ahsoka is aimed at an older audience than Rebels, which is why the spinoff show has a specific age rating. Ahsoka is likely to have a TV-14 rating, a significant jump from Rebels’ TV-Y7 rating, allowing for more mature themes to be explored.
This higher age restriction also opens up the writers to create a different version of Thrawn – one that may be crueler and more suited for older audiences. The change in Thrawn’s character hints at a potentially more violent and adult theme in the animated series.
How this will affect Ahsoka’s storyline remains to be seen. The animated show is set to premiere on Disney Plus in August 2023. You can also find the premiere dates for other Disney shows scheduled in 2023, as well as the official synopsis for the show.
