Grand Admiral Thrawn began as a legends-exclusive character and found his way back into Star Wars canon. He’s not the only gem whose story deserves an epic retelling.
A long time ago (not actually in a galaxy far, far away), Timothy Zahn gave Star Wars fans a novel featuring a blue-skinned alien no one could forget.
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Grand Admiral Thrawn played such a critical role in the post-Empire era of the Expanded Universe – and was so beloved by fans and his creator alike – the character was officially reintroduced into canon with his own stand-alone novel.
Now there’s both a sequel to that novel and numerous appearances of Thrawn in Star Wars Rebels. Whether you love him or are taking your time warming up to him, Thrawn is important enough in the Star Wars universe that he could actually appear in Episode IX.
He’s back, he’s in charge, and his successful transition from the original expanded universe to current lore has paved the way for many more legends-born characters to find their way into new eras and storylines as well.
Han and Leia’s twins may be out of the running after the introduction of Ben Solo, but there are plenty more to choose from.
Here are a few classic legends characters that need to follow in Thrawn’s strategic footsteps, straight into Star Wars canon.
Kyle Katarn
FN-2187 wasn’t the first stormtrooper to escape Imperial ties and fight for a greater cause. At least, not if you count this fan-favorite legends character.
Kyle Katarn’s journey to becoming a master of the Force was not a typical one, even in Luke Skywalker’s era of training Force-sensitives following the Battle of Endor. Katarn’s story began not long after the Empire did, and he spent many years pulled between the dark and the light.
He went from stormtrooper to mercenary to Jedi Master throughout his lifetime. But unlike many eager Force-sensitives curious about the Force even at an older age, Katarn resisted Luke Skywalker’s training in the beginning because of his fear of the dark side. He would face its temptation more than once preceding and following his Jedi training.
Some of his backstory would have to change if brought to canon: He played a major part in getting the first Death Star plans to the Rebel Alliance, which has now been rewritten in Rogue One. But old-school Star Wars video game fans wouldn’t mind seeing him appear once again.
There’s not a great chance he’ll make an appearance in Star Wars Episode IX. But the upcoming live-action series seems like a good fit for his character, since he joined the New Republic era in the original legends storyline.
Starkiller
Star Wars canon has a way of honoring legends lore in subtle ways in its material, especially when naming its characters. Jacen Syndulla is a semi-cameo tribute to Jacen Solo, one of Han and Leia’s sons in the legends storyline.
Galen Erso and Starkiller Base both also borrowed their names from a beloved legends Sith apprentice-turned-hero.
Galen Marek (a.k.a. Starkiller) was taken from his homeworld as a child following the events of Revenge of the Sith and secretly trained in the ways of the Sith by none other than Darth Vader.
Similar to canon events following the Jedi Purge, Vader was tasked with hunting down former Jedi and Force-sensitive children. He used Galen/Starkiller to serve as a trained assassin on his behalf, but his apprentice eventually turned on him and became a hero the galaxy would never forget.
Starkiller was responsible for the original formation of the Rebel Alliance, sacrificing himself to save Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and company from his dark master.
In canon, the Inquisitorius have mostly covered his original purpose as a Jedi hunter following the Purge. But that doesn’t mean Vader can’t still kidnap a Force-sensitive baby and … oh wait. He already did. (See Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith #19.)
Mara Jade
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
Until Expanded Universe storylines began to emerge following the original trilogy, we quickly learned Darth Vader was not the only one receiving direct orders from Emperor Palpatine.
Thrawn was the Imperial military strategist Palpatine depended on to keep the Rebellion at bay on a large scale. The Emperor’s Hand operated on a much smaller scale, skillfully trained as an assassin who would do his bidding without question.
Her final orders from her master were to kill the man she would one day marry. Even after the Emperor’s demise, she pursued her target relentlessly for years.
An Empire-bred assassin-turned-Jedi Master, Mara Jade eventually added a well-known surname to her title: Skywalker. She and Luke were enemies for years until they were forced to work together. They eventually fell in love and had a son named Ben.
Even if she didn’t appear in canon as Luke Skywalker’s wife (not likely from what we know about his post-ROTJ life so far, but you never know) or even as a Jedi, her character would still add another female lead into the ever-expanding mix with a redemption story that’s familiar yet exhilarating.
Anyone that marries the man they were originally commanded to kill deserves her own one-shot comic at the very least.
Kal Skirata
Creating thousands upon thousands of clones from a single human’s DNA was not an easy feat, even for a species as scientifically and intellectually advanced as the Kamino natives.
Their first batch of clones didn’t turn out exactly the way they were intended to. If one man hadn’t intervened, they never would have seen combat. And we never would have gotten the video game or novel series that told their story.
The original six clones of Jango Fett would have been destroyed if it weren’t for Kal Skirata. The Kaminoans who created them labeled the squad as defective, but the veteran Mandalorian soldier saw them as something more.
He not only became their combat instructor, but their adopted father figure as well. He turned them into an elite squad of soldiers and taught them all about their Mandalorian heritage, something they came to be proud of as they fought against the Separatist army.
The Null-class clones Skirata trained and fought alongside played a significant role in The Clone Wars as an elite squad of operatives – in the legends universe, anyway. There’s no reason Skirata and his deep connection to Mandalore and its people couldn’t find a place somewhere in the Rise of the Empire era. Like the seventh season of The Clone Wars, perhaps?
Revan
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
Fans of the Knights of the Old Republic video game franchise know this name well. It’s been far too long since we’ve heard it spoken out loud.
Darth Revan was one of the most powerful Jedi/Sith to wield a lightsaber 4,000 years before Anakin Skywalker was born of the Force. He trained as a Jedi, defied the Council Qui-Gon-style to fight a bunch of Mandalorian warriors, fell to the dark side during the battle, and eventually saved the Republic he once sought to destroy.
Even if redemption stories seem old and tiring to you – no matter how much you love Star Wars – you could consider this one a first of many yet to come.
Bringing Old Republic stories and characters back into canon wouldn’t be as complicated as doing so with characters and stories from other Star Wars eras. Set so far in the past (a long time before a long time ago), Revan’s tale wouldn’t conflict with any previously established canon material we’ve seen in films, shows, or books to date.
It’s a completely separate era, and one fans would love to see explored in Star Wars yet again.
Which legends characters do you want to see in new Star Wars books, comics, TV shows, and movies in the future?