The greatest villain in Star Wars Legends has an intriguing legacy, with the first actor to portray him being revealed. The movies of Star Wars canon aside, Legends includes a lot of characters and storylines that audiences grew up with. Some of these storylines have even been translated into canon since, with upcoming Star Wars movies continuing that trend.

Star Wars’ New Republic timeline, for instance, uses a character like Grand Admiral Thrawn, who first debuted in Legends material. This is Star Wars‘ way of honoring some classic stories from the 1980s and 1990s, with upcoming Star Wars shows potentially following suit. Interestingly, though, one of the biggest villains of Star Wars Legends had a specific actor play them, who has finally been revealed after two decades.

Grand Admiral Thrawn Made His Live-Action Debut Over 20 Years Before Ahsoka

The Villainous Grand Admiral Has A Fascinating History

The villain in question is the aforementioned Grand Admiral Thrawn, who last appeared in Ahsoka‘s ending. However, over 20 years before Ahsoka‘s release, Thrawn made a surprise live-action debut that has been lost to time. On the cover of a book by Thrawn’s creator, Timothy Zahn, тιтled Survivor’s Quest, this version of Thrawn can be spotted.

Also, this same image of Thrawn is used for the Star Wars: Customizable Card Game, specifically the Reflections II expansion. Star Wars Centralized, as many curious Star Wars fans would, looked into this, intending to uncover the mystery actor behind Thrawn’s first “live-action” appearance.

After some extensive digging, Star Wars Centralized discovered that this version of Thrawn was played by Will Wimble. Wimble was an employee of Decipher, the company behind several games of this ilk related to pop culture IPs like Star Wars, Star Trek, and The Lord of the Rings.

Wimble found out that a likeness of Thrawn was needed and applied, with Decipher seeing it as a win-win that someone in-house wished to play the Grand Admiral. This explains how the villain had a live-action depiction over 20 years before Lars Mikkelsen’s performance in Ahsoka.

This Surprising Actor’s Legacy Lives On

Wimble Is Part Of Star Wars Lore

As proven by Star Wars Centralized, Will Wimble’s legacy as Thrawn lives on. Wookieepedia, a site renowned for its ability to make even the most obscure Star Wars lore accessible, has been updated to reflect Wimble’s impact. Of course, there was Thrawn art over 20 years ago, but Wimble could have shaped the entire live-action look of the villain.

Wimble also played a big role in the Star Wars: CCG, providing many with a way to involve themselves in the franchise outside of movies and novels. All of this just proves how Wimble’s legacy lives on, with the first live-action Thrawn actor in Star Wars seeing the light of day.