Which 'Star Wars' Legends Fan-Favorite Might Be Appearing In 'Ahsoka'?
Image Source: Cine Dope
Last year, The Hollywood Reporter namedropped a new casting for Ahsoka. Ray Stevenson (RRR, Vikings, Das Boot, Thor) would be playing a villain, more specifically an admiral, in Ahsoka. However, their sources said he was not cast as the Grand Admiral Thrawn. Stevenson had already voiced the villain Gar Saxon in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. Who could he play in the upcoming Disney+ series?
Image Source: Hindustan Times
There is a “blink and you’ll miss it” line in the last few scenes of the Star Wars Rebels series finale. As Ezra holds Thrawn at gunpoint, Thrawn demands to speak with Admiral Pellaeon followed by one line of dialogue over the coms. It was a tease like no other to Legends fans, but with Ahsoka reportedly continuing where Star Wars Rebels left off, Gil Pellaeon could be appearing in the flesh. If true, the 6ft 3in actor might look very good standing next to another tall actor that fans would like to see on the show like Lars Mikkelsen…just saying.
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Who Is Gilad (Gil) Pellaeon?
Image Source: Wookieepedia
Pellaeon is Thrawn’s right hand man and protégé. He is one of the most popular characters from the Expanded Universe (now rebranded as Legends), and there were repeated calls to make him canon before Filoni finally gave in at the end of Star Wars Rebels. The character first appeared in Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy, but most of the big Star Wars Legends authors have written about him, including Kevin J. Anderson, Aaron Allston, Michael A. Stackpole, and Troy Denning. Pellaeon has been in all of Thrawn’s big five Legends books, and it would be strange to have one without the other in a live-action setting.
At the age of fifteen, Pellaeon signed up to fight for the Republic in the Clone Wars alongside Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker. He fought in every major conflict for the Empire including the Battle of Endor and was stationed on the Chimaera long before Thrawn took command of the ship. When the Chiss finally took the Star Destroyer as his flagship, the by-the-book military man had difficulty adjusting to Thrawn’s style at first. However, their mutual respect for the lives of their men, as well as an appreciation for intelligent space warfare forged a strong friendship.
Pellaeon was also featured frequently in comics where his character was fleshed out as a womanizer as well as a war horse. Although Pellaeon could not compete with Thrawn’s genius, he was a great leader and strategist in his own right. After Thrawn’s death, Pellaeon became second in command to Natasi Daala and the pair attempted to unite the squabbling remnant of the Empire under one banner. When diplomacy with the warlords failed, Daala reverted to more lethal tactics, but decided to save the Pellaeon with the intention of handing the reins of power over to him after they had achieved their objective. While their assault on Yavin 4 was thwarted, Pellaeon did end up leading the Imperial Remnant.
Often seen going head-to-head against Admiral Ackbar and Garm Bel Ibis, Pellaeon was one of the few Imperials respected by the New Republic. It was Pellaeon who eventually brokered peace between the two governments after he came to the conclusion that extended conflict would eventually result in mutual destruction.
How He Might Fit Into Ahsoka
Image Source: Entertainment Weekly
Pellaeon’s loyalty has always been to the Empire and his commanding officer, whether he agrees with them or not. Thrawn encouraged input and ideas from his men and valued Pellaeon’s insight (even if he didn’t always take it). The most obvious route is for him to be a foil to the Chiss, a confidant that Thrawn can have a back-and-forth discussion.
Since Filoni has said that he will be borrowing from Legends for Ahsoka, there is also another Legends storyline with a false Thrawn. In Timothy Zahn’s The Hand of Thrawn duology, an actor teamed up with an enhanced stormtrooper to try and fool the galaxy into believing that Thrawn was alive even though he had been killed in the previous books. Pellaeon was extremely conflicted by the rumors as he had seen Thrawn die with his own eyes. He also felt abandoned because if by some chance, Thrawn was back, he chose not to contact Pellaeon. While a number of interested parties searched for the false Thrawn, he was still able to manipulate local conflicts and wreak havoc in the galaxy. Since Thrawn was separated from his Star Destroyer at the end of Rebels, it is highly likely for Pellaeon to be one of the many people searching for him.
The return of Gilad Pellaeon in Ahsoka would be another nod to Legends fans who are finally seeing their lore return to canon. It was these fans who kept the franchise going when it was not cool to like Star Wars. It is only fitting that Disney finally pays them back for their commitment with all these ties to The Mandalorian.
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Source(s): The Hollywood Reporter, IGN, Gizmodo, StarWarsNewsNet, Wookieepedia, IMDb
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