Credit: Lucasfilm“Somehow Palpatine returned” was considered one of the worst lines from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and was disregarded as lazy writing. To the audience, it felt as though Palpatine’s return was unexplained and carelessly thrown into the trilogy’s story arc. But fans can now rejoice, as the Disney+ Star Wars series will officially tie loose ends from The Rise of Skywalker.
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Fans at this year’s Star Wars Celebration were treated to several trailers, teasers, and announcements for the upcoming projects that will be incorporated into the franchise, and it’s only the first day. One bonus for fans was an early screening for next week’s episode of The Mandalorian. In the preview, there were teases of Grand Admiral Thrawn returning to the Star Wars universe after his animated appearance in Rebels.
Author Timothy Zahn first created Grand Admiral Thrawn for a series of Star Wars novels that spans as far back as the 90s. The villain pledged himself to Emperor Palpatine and joined the Imperial Navy. Thrawn rose through the ranks with his renegade tactics and became one of the most successful commanding officers under the Empire’s rule. In other words, he’s a real force to be reckoned with.
While his face (and the actor) was not revealed in the episode seven preview of The Mandalorian, season 3, there was still mention of Thrawn’s return and that he would be connected to Project Necromancer. This top-secret project is being introduced into the series.
With cloning being a common thread throughout The Mandalorian, it was always speculated that this could be connected to Palpatine’s return. But now, with Thrawn being added to the mix, it is very likely that fans will start to see the pieces come together.
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So was it lazy writing? Or was this Disney’s plan all along? From the beginning, it was said that The Mandalorian was somehow relevant to The Rise of Skywalker (2019). As the series continues, it connects the dots even more. So while Poe Dameron didn’t know anything about Project Necromancer, it’s safe to assume the writers behind it all always knew it would be explained through the Disney+ series tie-in. Or this could just be clever backtracking to fix their mistake.
One thing that is becoming more certain, by the end of thyou’llu’ll want to watch the whole Star Wars series in a different order.
Are you satisfied with the connection between The Mandalorian and The Rise of Skywalker? Let us know in the comments.