Star Wars Rebels Season 3: 20 Easter Eggs & References You Need To See

In the original trailer for Rebels, Thrawn is revealed with a pair of lizard-like statues in the background. These are also seen on his personal Star Destroyer in Through Imperial Eyes, but they are in fact a reference to his previous life in the Old Expanded Universe.

The statues resemble the ysalamiri, a creature that had the ability to suppress the powers of the Force. Thrawn used these as a way of counteracting or subduing any threat from a Force wielder, but they haven’t been used in the series (thus far) as Filoni said the team didn’t want to introduce them because a creature like that could create far more story problems.

That being said, given Bendu’s warning at the end of Zero Hour, Thrawn may be more interested in learning more about defences against the Force. Up until that encounter, Thrawn was only been familiar with the Jedi, but now has seen just how mysterious and dangerous the Force really is. Perhaps we’ll see more of this in the upcoming fourth season?