Thrawn vs. Ackbar: Star Wars Battle Fans Crave

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In the upcoming season 2 of “Ahsoka,” Grand Admiral Thrawn will face off against a renowned Star Wars military leader for the first time. Originally introduced in the Star Wars Legends continuity (formerly the official Star Wars canon before April 2014), Thrawn, along with many other elements from the Legends timeline, now has a counterpart in the current canon.

Season 1 of Ahsoka marked Thrawn’s first appearance in live-action, paving the way for a significant role in future Star Wars series. In season 2, Thrawn will face off against Admiral Ackbar, who commanded Rebel naval forces during the Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi. At the Star Wars Celebration in 2025, showrunner Dave Filoni expressed his eagerness to have these two notable officers engage in a confrontation.

In their respective groups, Thrawn and Ackbar are two highly respected admirals with a fascinating backstory that hints at potential rivalry in the original Legends series. However, these two characters clashed only once in Legends, while their contemporary versions have yet to cross paths. As stated by Filoni, “Their histories make for an intriguing narrative, but their modern counterparts have not yet interacted.

Despite the many changes over the years, I prefer holding onto certain fundamental principles. Including Thrawn in this era isn’t an ingenious move on my part; it’s simply something that has always been. Given our current timeframe, Thrawn is the ideal character to fit into the story. Ackbar was already established as a key figure, so I looked forward to seeing their interaction. To some extent, it’s self-serving; I want to witness this unfold.

Although Ackbar met an unexpected end in recent storylines, his potential confrontation with Thrawn might restore his current character.

Admiral Ackbar Was One Of The Few Military Strategists Thrawn Feared

Among those who pose a real challenge to Grand Admiral Thrawn’s strategic prowess, I count myself – Admiral Ackbar. Known for his tactical mastery within the Star Wars universe, Thrawn is not invincible. His supreme strength lies in his remarkable intellect, complemented by an uncanny knack for discerning the vulnerabilities of adversaries through deep analysis of their cultural artworks.

Through examining a species’ artwork, Thrawn acquires profound knowledge about their culture, emotions, and actions, enabling him to identify and leverage their vulnerabilities – a skill that’s mostly advantageous but occasionally proves ineffective, like when he faced the Kaleesh leader Bentilais san Sk’ar. However, it’s important to note that Thrawn is highly skilled even without this ability.

It’s clear that Thrawn found it hard to grasp the intricacies of Kaleesh art and could only rely on standard Imperial tactics, which led to a win that left him unsatisfied. On the other hand, understanding Mon Calamari art comes easily to Thrawn, yet he remains cautious when facing off against Admiral Ackbar in battle. This suggests that Admiral Ackbar’s exceptional naval leadership abilities might pose a challenge even for Thrawn, regardless of any insights gained from Mon Calamari artwork.

How Thrawn Tried To Deal With Ackbar In Legends

From a cinema enthusiast’s perspective, I’d say it goes like this: In the original Star Wars saga, Grand Admiral Thrawn cleverly dodged a showdown with Admiral Ackbar by setting up a scandalous situation to keep them apart. As depicted in Timothy Zahn’s “Dark Force Rising,” Thrawn subtly planted fabricated evidence to incriminate Ackbar as a traitor, leading to his arrest by the New Republic authorities.

Initially, Ackbar was removed from play temporarily, but later his name was exonerated. Ultimately, they fought in the final stages of the Thrawn campaign, as depicted in Timothy Zahn’s “The Last Command.” Despite trying to dodge a confrontation with Ackbar, Thrawn strategically laid a trap for the New Republic forces during the Battle of Bilbringi.

Throughout the battle, Thrawn mostly kept things under his command, showing himself as a masterful strategist. However, it was ultimately the New Republic who emerged victorious at Bilbringi. Interestingly, this triumph wasn’t solely due to their strategic prowess, but rather because of the betrayal by Thrawn’s bodyguard, Rukh, who turned against him after learning that Thrawn and the late Darth Vader had been using the Noghri for their warriors, exploiting them without scruple.

We’re About To See The Thrawn-Ackbar Battle For Real

In the current storyline, Thrawn and Ackbar haven’t crossed paths or clashed, but the upcoming season 2 of Ahsoka promises a fresh perspective on their relationship, marking the first live-action encounter between these two characters. Creator Dave Filoni seems to be loosely adapting Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy in the current continuity, which may involve Thrawn’s reluctance to engage with Ackbar, despite his superior strategy skills. Therefore, their rivalry as depicted in Ahsoka will bring a fascinating new element to the Star Wars franchise.

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2025-04-24 22:08