It's been a while since Thor and Punisher: War Zone star Ray Stevenson was added to the cast of Ahsoka, though it was made clear to us at the time that the actor wouldn't be playing Grand Admiral Thrawn. Now, thanks to Making Star Wars (via SFFGazette.com), we have some intel on his mystery character, including the likelihood that he'll be named "Babylon."
Said to be an incredibly important part of the Disney+ series, Stevenson's villain apparently even has an assassin droid that reports to him.
The site is unsure exactly what connection this baddie has to Thrawn, including whether he could be in charge of the unnamed army from a previously unexplored region of the Galaxy his superior commands. However, Thrawn looks set to be Babylon's boss, and Stevenson's character looks to be a key ally to the Grand Admiral during this post-Return of the Jedi era.
"It seems as if 'Babylon' and his assassin are tied to Thrawn having his army 'resurrected by dark side shadow magicks,'" the report adds. "So our Grand Admiral has been a busy boy while in exile, making new friends, and preparing to challenge the New Republic’s dominance over the known regions, it seems."
While Stevenson would have been a great Thrawn, Star Wars Rebels star Lars Mikkelsen is expected to reprise his role. It sounds like the site has managed to get an early sneak peek at the iconic baddie as they note that he "looks really tall and imposing in the part."
The actor made Thrawn downright terrifying even in animation, and he definitely has the right look to play the blue-skinned baddie in this series. Some fans believe he's the one pulling Moff Gideon's strings, orchestrating events on behalf of the fallen Emperor Palpatine and his fractured Empire.
If so, it would tie a lot of loose threads together and answer some big questions, so fingers crossed that Mikkelsen's involvement in Ahsoka is made official sooner rather than later. We'll see, but a very exciting rumour just dropped claiming to reveal Mary Elizabeth Winstead's role.
Ahsoka is set to premiere on Disney+ sometime in 2023.