Is Ahsoka adapting one of the EU’s wackiest plots?

Warning: This theory for Ahsoka contains spoilers from the ending of Star Wars Rebels and The Mandalorian Season 2.

With Eman Esfandi reportedly being cast as Ezra Bridger for the Ahsoka series, fans have been speculating about how the character will be involved in the Disney+ series. Between the epilogue of Star Wars Rebels, Ahsoka Tano’s Grand Admiral Thrawn namedrop in season 2 of The Mandalorian, and a large host of characters from Rebels making the jump to the big screen for Ahsoka, many assume that the Ghost crew’s search for Ezra might even be the core plot of the series. But does show-runner Dave Filoni have other plans?

One theory is gaining traction quickly: some think that the “Mandoverse” Disney+ projects will slowly adapt pieces of the Legends Thrawn trilogy. The trilogy of books is comprised of Heir to the Empire (1991), Dark Force Rising (1992), and The Last Command (1993) written by Timothy Zahn. If you’re not familiar, here’s a quick data dump:

Five years after the events of Return of the Jedi, the cunning Grand Admiral Thrawn rallies the remaining forces of the Empire for an attack on the New Republic. He’s in league with the crazed clone of long-dead Jedi master Jorus C’baoth, who aims to control the powerful Luke Skywalker (and eventually, Leia and Han’s kids) for his own purposes. Also on a hunt for Skywalker is Mara Jade, who formerly served as the Hand of the Emperor and believes Luke to be the one that killed her master.

After some space battles, Imperial politics, and scoundrel stuff, Skywalker and Mara Jade enter an uneasy partnership. Together they face off against C’baoth, who has secretly created a clone of Luke (named, I kid you not, “Luuke”) using Luke’s hand that was severed on Bespin. Mara poetically fulfills her wish of revenge by being the one to defeat Luuke, and the trilogy ends on the implication that Jade and Skywalker are interested in being more than allies.

We don’t know much at all about Ahsoka, but we know that it already has a lot in common with the Legends trilogy: 1) it’s set in nearly the exact same time period as the original Legends story, 2) it will feature Thrawn as the antagonist, and 3) it will likely culminate in our heroes facing off against rallied Imperial Remnant forces. (Will this happen in Ahsoka or some sort of Disney+ crossover event? That remains to be seen.)

I believe that the similarities won’t end there.

“Ezraa” Bridger vs. Ahsoka?

In the finale of Rebels, Ezra disappears into hyperspace with Grand Admiral Thrawn as his captive. Where will they end up? My theory lands them on Exogol. Thanks to his status within the Empire, Thrawn is granted rank amongst the (future) First Order. Ezra is imprisoned… and cloned. Putting the pieces together?

"“Dark science, cloning… secrets only the Sith knew.”-Beaumont Kin in The Rise of Skywalker"

The Mandalorian season 2 reveals that Grogu’s blood is extremely valuable to the Empire because of its high midichlorian count. It’s easy to deduce that this will eventually be used to create clones of Snoke and Palpatine that were Force-capable. Thanks to Adam Christopher’s Shadow of the Sith (2022), we can confirm that Palpatine was already trying to clone himself even before the original trilogy, but was unsuccessful in replicating Force-capability—so surely the Sith Eternal had to have plenty of practice. I think that a dark side, Force-capable clone of Ezra—“Ezraa” if you will—was their first successful project.

I think that Ezraa will appear first in Ahsoka as a misdirect, fooling the audience (and Ahsoka Tano) into believing that he’s fallen to the dark side. This might even explain how the show will feature lightsaber battles—a D23 reveal from Favreau that boggled fans, seeing as not many saber-wielders are alive during this period of history:

"“It’s remarkable what they’re able to accomplish… seeing the lightsaber battles come to life… it’s just amazing action.”-Jon Favreau at D23 2022"

With an antagonist like Ezraa, the opportunities for dueling are endless!

If I were to get carried away with my theory a bit, I might even suggest that Ezraa could not only be an adaptation of “Luuke,” but also of the popular Legends character Starkiller of The Force Unleashed games—he could function as a secret Sith apprentice, carrying out vile deeds for the Sith Eternal. Maybe he could even sport a gnarly mask, making for a dramatic identity reveal. The Starkiller character has remained popular with fans even after his story was designated as Legends, and he was recently added to the mobile game Galaxy of Heroes as an unlockable character. Plus, The Force Unleashed received a rerelease this year. Is this evidence, or am I verging into deep conspiracy space?

Either I’m onto something, or I’ve missed the thermal exhaust port entirely… regardless, I’m thrilled to find out what’s in store for audiences when Ahsoka hits Disney+. Keep up with Dork Side for analysis, easter eggs, opinions, and more.