Star Wars Theory: Ahsoka & Thrawn May Team Up Against These Terrifying Aliens
Some of the most fearsome enemies in "Star Wars" originated in the franchise's novels, and have never appeared in movies or TV, and "Ahsoka" might finally bring one of them to life in live action. As Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) chases down Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) before she can make contact with Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) in a galaxy even further away, an even greater threat may emerge.
Thrawn, the Chiss Grand Admiral teased as the big bad of "Ahsoka," far predates the "Star Wars: Rebels" animated series, originating in the "Thrawn" novels written by Timothy Zahn and published from 1991 until today. And it is in those novels we find a hint of what may lurk beyond the primary "Star Wars" galaxy in the form of a terrifying alien species called Grysk.
The Grysk originate in the Unknown Regions, a neighboring galaxy beyond the outer rim — the probable destination of Elsbeth's supercharged hyperspace ring. They lead an empire of their own called the Grysk Hegemony, far more oppressive than the Empire we're used to. By using telepathic technology to find weaknesses in other species, they enslave them. It is estimated that only 100 Grysks are needed to rule an entire planet.
One of Thrawn's primary motivations for serving the Empire was believing it was the only way to repel a possible Grysk invasion. So it's possible he's researching them in the neighboring galaxy, and Elsbeth will lead Ahsoka to them as well. If that happens, there may be no choice for Ahsoka but to team up with Thrawn to stop the existential threat.
Could the Grysk be the next big threat in the Star Wars universe?
As the later "Thrawn" novels reveal, the Grysk are a far more pressing threat to the galaxy far, far away than anyone knows. In those pages, we learn that they have been spying on the galaxy since at least the Clone Wars and had made attacks against the Empire by 1 BBY.
Given Thrawn's knowledge of the Grysk, his disappearance following the events of "Star Wars: Rebels" may have been spent further researching the ascendant threat posed by the mind-controlling aliens. It is unclear whether Morgan Elsbeth knows about the Grysk, but nothing suggests she does, which means that in her single-minded quest to bring Thrawn back and restore the Empire, she may be walking into a far greater danger than she realizes. With Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) in Elsbeth's custody after the events of "Ahsoka" Episode 4, the Jedi has no choice but to follow Elsbeth. This brings General Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) along for the chase.
Should the Grysk turn out to be lurking in the neighboring galaxy, they would pose a much greater threat than Thrawn. While the Grand Admiral seeks to restore the Empire and strip galactic citizens of their rights, the Grysk seeks to enslave their minds, as well. It would most likely become necessary for Ahsoka and her allies to team up with Thrawn and his acolytes to take care of the greater threat before turning their weapons on each other.