Star Wars The Last Jedi: 8 Plot Theories From The Expanded Universe

One of the main gripes from fans of the expanded universe was that they had been denied the chance to see Grand Admiral Thrawn, a blue-skinned super-evil imperial officer who took over the Empire after the fall of Palpatine and Darth Vader. While Disney has rectified this by making him a canonically recognised character through his appearances on Star Wars Rebels, he could be making his presence known more subtly.

Perhaps even in the form of General Hux who, played with sinister glee by Domhnall Gleeson, was one of the more interesting minor characters in The Force Awakens. What stands out about him the most is that, unlike the majority of imperials we’ve seen previously aside from Grand Moff Tarkin, he seems very capable and even seems to hold a decent level of sway over Kylo Ren.

If Hux is to take on a larger role while Ren undergoes his training with Snoke, it’s a given that Johnson will look to Thrawn for inspiration. Described as a brilliant tactician and ‘one of the most significant antagonists in the Star Wars universe’, he is a perfect source of characterisation.

It would also be a breath of fresh air to see a baddie that relied on cunning rather than the force to score some victories over the rebellion. It looked like this would come in the form of Orson Krennic in Rogue One but unfortunately, he was proved to be a pushover. Moving General Hux to the foreground with Grand Admiral Thrawn’s traits would, without a doubt, land him a spot as everyone’s new favourite villain.