Why Ahsoka Season 2 Will See Ackbar Face Off Against Thrawn Addressed By Dave Filoni

Ahsoka season 2’s showrunner Dave Filoni has revealed why Admiral Ackbar is returning to take on Grand Admiral Thrawn. As seen at the end of Ahsoka season 1, Thrawn has finally returned to the main Star Wars galaxy and will be bolstering the threat of the Imperial Remnant. As such, it’s recently been confirmed that Ackbar will be leading the charge against the Imperial villain in the upcoming season.Ahsoka

Star Wars Celebration 2025 is currently taking place in Japan, and ScreenRant has been in attendance all weekend, getting all the exciting news and reveals from the galaxy far, far away. This includes an exclusive interview with Lucasfilm’s Dave Filoni following the major panel for Ahsoka season 2. Following up on the reveal that Admiral Ackbar would be making a return to face Thrawn, Filoni addressed the reveal with ScreenRant’s Ash Crossan and why it was so important to bring the original trilogy Rebellion commander back:

That’s old though. That’s old Expanded Universe talk if it’s not a direct thing that ever occurred. It’s definitely inferred in the fact that Ackbar was leading… the New Republic Fleet [in that time], Thrawn was his main counterpart. So it just felt like I was dealing with Star Wars history in that way.

Even though a lot has been shaken up over the years. There are certain kinds of pillars that I like to stick to. So bringing Thrawn into this era isn’t anything clever by me. It’s just something that always was. And so where we are during this time period, Thrawn is that guy. And Ackbar obviously got introduced as its main leader, so I wanted to see that happen. Part of it’s just selfish. I want to see it happen.

Filoni’s comments are pretty exciting, if only for the simple reason that he selfishly just wants to see the biggest Star Wars admirals going head-to-head in what will likely take the form of a large-scale space battle with major fleets on both sides. However, it’s also cool that Filoni knows he’s not necessarily bringing anything all that new to the table by pitting Admiral Ackbar and Thrawn, especially when considering Legends and the original Expanded Universe.

Ahsoka Season 2 Will Give Admiral Ackbar The Redemption He Deserves

Unceremoniously Killed In The Last Jedi

Making his first appearance in Return of the Jedi, Admiral Ackbar led the Rebellion fleet in a desperate assault against the second Death Star. He’s also best known for delivering one of the most iconic lines in the final original trilogy movie: “It’s A Trap!” That said, future Star Wars media established that Ackbar was a brilliant strategist and gifted commander, beginning his military career among his own Mon Calamari people during the Clone Wars.

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Ackbar’s demise was ultimately depicted in The Last Jedi. However, many were disappointed by the unceremonious nature of his death when the First Order destroyed the bridge of The Raddus, killing Ackbar and everyone else aboard (aside from General Leia Organa). Additionally, Star Wars fans had to wait until The Last Jedi’s graphic novel adaptation to learn Ackbar’s final words (which weren’t heard in the movie): “Torpedoes inbound. It’s been an honor serving with you all.” As such, Ackbar’s return in Ahsoka season 2 is a prime opportunity to finally give the Admiral the true spotlight he’s always deserved.

Admiral Ackbar vs Thrawn Isn’t All That New

They Were Epic Rivals In Legends

As referenced by Filoni, Ackbar vs Thrawn was very much established in the Expanded Universe, now considered to be non-canonical stories known as Legends. The battle of admirals was one of the greatest military match-ups of Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy, demonstrating the tactical genius of both Thrawn and Ackbar. Likewise, the fleet battles between the two were iconic, and Thrawn even tried to personally target Ackbar’s homeworld of Mon Cala in the Expanded Universe.

Keeping that in mind, it’s very exciting to see Filoni honoring the Star Wars stories and these “pillars” of Legends past. However, it’s also just fun to see Filoni being a fanboy and admitting that he simply wants to see an epic rivalry on the screen. After all, his deep love, passion, and knowledge of the franchise are a big part of what makes Filoni’s Star Wars storytelling so good and popular in the eyes of fans (being a decades-long fan himself).

Ahsoka season 2 is set to release in 2026 and will be streaming on Disney+.

Check out more of our Star Wars Celebration coverage:

Ahsoka

6/10

Release Date

August 22, 2023

Network

Disney+

Directors

Steph Green, Jennifer Getzinger, Peter Ramsey, Rick Famuyiwa