This post will have spoilers for Star Wars: Rebels, Clone Wars, recent episodes of Resistance, and various novels like Thrawn, Thrawn: Alliances, and the Aftermath Trilogy.

I didn’t jump into Star Wars: Rebels right away. I missed all of season one. When I heard that Ahsoka Tano, my personal favorite character in Star Wars, came into the series, I realized that I needed to watch it. I quickly caught up in time for season two. She was followed by Captain Rex, another favorite of mine, and I realized what Rebels really was. It wasn’t just a standalone show in a vacuum. It was built on top of the story of Clone Wars, the series that gave me my love of Star Wars.

This is probably one of my favorite things about the new canon. I love how intertwined the shows, movies, comics, and books are. In the Thrawn novel, Eli Vanto makes an offhand comment to Thrawn about how he didn’t understand why the Umbarans were rebelling. They got beat down in the Clone Wars. I screamed, “YEAH THEY DID!” because Umbara is my favorite arc of Clone Wars. I knew exactly what he was talking about and what happened on the planet during the show. It gave me such a deep appreciation of the canon as a whole.

If Rebels was any indication of a show building on it’s predecessor, I can only imagine how Star Wars Resistance will build on top of Rebels and even Clone Wars. The Filoniverse does such a great job at keeping all of these stories together in the canon universe. It made me dream up who I would like to see come into the show.

Here’s my top list of characters that I would love to see show up in Resistance.

Ezra Bridger and Thrawn

I think this is the number one choice on a lot of wish lists. From chatting with other people online and listening to theories on podcasts, people want Thrawn and Ezra back.

After the Rebels finale where space whales took away the hero and the villain, they both had open ended stories. We know they survived the ordeal thanks to Dave Filoni. The character of Sabine Wren comments in the final moments of the show that they’re still missing after the Battle of Endor. It’s why her and Ahsoka Tano (the White) start searching for them.

I think out of everyone on this list Thrawn and Ezra have the best chance of coming back. The reason is based on words by Thrawn creator, Timothy Zahn. I attended his panel at Dragon Con this year where he talked about Thrawn and Ezra. He stated that he would love to write a book about their adventures together. He was excited to do it.

But as of right now, he cannot touch either character in case Dave Filoni uses them (as I tweeted here from the panel). Lucasfilm is holding Zahn from the characters. He stated he wouldn’t know if he could write the characters for at least a few years.

This to me is a huge indication. We don’t know how long Resistance will run for. But it’s at least a hint that Thrawn and Ezra are very much on the table.

Sabine Wren and Ahsoka Tano

This is probably the next choice on a lot of people’s wish lists.

I never thought when I started Clone Wars that Ahsoka Tano would live past it because of Order 66. Then, she left the Jedi Order and escaped it. When she showed up in Rebels, I cheered my favorite character was back. I cried through her supposed death in “Twilight of the Apprentice.” We find out that Ezra pulled her out of that space and time to once again save her. And again, I never expected her to appear in the Rebels finale looking like Gandalf the White alive past the Battle of Endor. I sobbed like a child having seen her entire journey to this point. Knowing everything she lived through to continue in Star Wars canon filled me with so much joy.

I’m a sucker for Ahsoka, but I can’t discount Sabine Wren either. Over four seasons, she grew from a sassy, skilled, tactical teenager to a sassy, skilled, tactical adult. She went through an amazing journey fighting to free Lothal, saving other worlds, and protecting her own people even from her own creations. Sabine is a fan favorite for a reason. She’s an inspiration for children and rightfully deserves her place in Star Wars canon.

We know they’re both working together looking for Ezra (probably with Thrawn). Knowing they could be out there still kicking it during Resistance and could show up at anytime, like Ahsoka did in Rebels, is an exciting thought.

Rae Sloane

I have to admit something up front. I haven’t read much about Rae Sloane. I just started listening to A New Dawn on audiobook a few days ago. I fully intend to read the Aftermath trilogy as soon as I can. I chose not to delve into her too much, because I didn’t want to be spoiled on books I want to read in the future.

That said, there’s no reason they can’t use Sloane in Resistance. In fact, my first exposure to Thrawn was Rebels. I was aware of who he was from the EU, but I didn’t know much about him. It wasn’t until I saw him on the show that pushed me to read Thrawn, Thrawn: Alliances, and I’m in the middle of Heir to the Empire for the first time (so no spoilers please).

What I do know about Rae Sloane is that she sounds like a potentially fantastic villain that could appear in Resistance. She not only helped the remnants of the Empire escape into the Unknown Regions, but she also became one of the founders of the First Order.

In a show where the main baddies are the First Order, it would be great to see some more of their leaders like Sloane. Plus, there’s not a lot of female villains in Star Wars. I would love to see her fill that role. It would be a similar experience like I had with Thrawn. It could inspire people to look into her more and pick up those novels with her backstory.

Kix, the last Clone Trooper

This has been one of my theories ever since they announced Resistance. Maybe it’s because Clone Wars is my favorite media in all of Star Wars. I’m completely biased to the show and would love to see a representation of it in this new era. I want to see Kix, the last Clone Trooper, show up in Resistance.

To give some background about why a clone trooper of all people would be this show, we need to go back to two sources:

The Clone Wars episode “Orders” and the short story “The Crimson Corsair and the Lost Treasure of Count Dooku.”

The short version is Arc Clone Trooper Fives accidentally discovered the clones had inhibitor chips implanted in their heads. He approached Kix saying there was a conspiracy within the Republic that went all the way up to the Emperor. Fives had been drugged at the time, so he was ranting like a lunatic.

But it planted a seed in Kix to look into it. Somewhere after this time, he also discovered the same truth Fives warned him about. Only, he caught the attention of Separatist leader, Count Dooku. Captured and tortured, Kix was placed in a stasis pod, stuck on a one of Dooku’s ships, and was sent into space to circle around the galaxy for the next fifty years.

He was discovered by a group of pirates led by Captain Sidon Ithano finding himself in the Force Awakens timeline. He was crushed to know that he didn’t get to save the Jedi or his brothers from the conspiracy. With no where else to turn, Kix joined the pirates.

I don’t think Kix will become a staple character like Rex did in Rebels, but I think it would be cool to see him again. Clones have had a presence in the first two shows in the Filoniverse. It would be great to have another one in Resistance.

Also, we have a design for him! He appeared in the Star Wars: Adventures ashcan with concept art by Eric Jones.

Luke Skywalker and the Knights of Ren

Before I knew when Resistance was set, I wanted to see Luke’s Jedi Academy showcased at some point in the show. It was one of my highest hopes for the series. Then when I found out it’s set only six months before The Force Awakens, I’ve given up that thought. Luke’s Academy had already been destroyed and he’d gone into hiding. I really wanted to know more about this as well as the Knights of Ren.

Then, a report came out that Kylo Ren will be making a cameo in the show. Kylo was even named dropped in the episode “The Children of Tehar.” Maybe it could be an opening for the Knights of Ren? We also know that the show will continue past the timeline of Force Awakens and I would assume Last Jedi since the movie is like hours after the first. This could be the opening for Luke to come into the show as well. But he would have to be a Force Ghost which makes me think more and more he won’t make it into Resistance. We could still have a flashback!

But I do have to wonder about the Knights of Ren. We don’t know much about them. I’m hoping that we’ll get to find out something. There’s so many fan theories about the group. I’m ready to see some solid canon information.

Finn either before or after he left the First Order

This could go one of two ways.

If they bring in Finn earlier in the show when it’s still in the six months before The Force Awakens period, it could show him with his old First Order platoon. We know from the book Before the Awakening that Finn was at one point stationed at Starkiller Base, which we have already seen in the show. I think it would be a fun side story to give more background on his time in the First Order. It could be reminiscent of the episode “Through Imperial Eyes” from Rebels which showed the daily life of the Empire from the point of view of Agent Kallus. I would love to see how the First Order works through Finn’s eyes and get to know his squad. It could give background to his showdown with trooper FN-2199 (lovingly called “TR-8R” by the internet) in The Force Awakens.

The other way they could bring in Finn is after the show goes into The Force Awakens timeline. He would be with the Resistance and probably teaming up with Poe and Kaz.

Honestly, I would prefer the first choice. Letting us get to know the First Order from an already established character would be a smart move. It would give us some new details in the story and for Finn.

Jacen and Hera Syndulla

Now we’re getting into the fan service half of the list. These are mostly people who I would like to see pop up in Resistance, but I think they have the lower chances.

First up is Jacen and Hera Syndulla. When it comes to Hera, I doubt she’ll make it into the show. While she’s been prominent in the current Marvel Star Wars comics, her story came to a satisfying ending in Rebels. I could see her rising to the occasion to fight a new threat to the galaxy. It’s part of who she is. But I could understand them retiring her from this series.

But her son Jacen could step into the limelight. I doubt we’ll see many Force sensitive characters in Resistance. Rebels was careful to keep Kanan and Ezra away from Luke, and we only saw Obi-Wan Kenobi once. Of course, Maul was a big player but even then his story came to an end. If Resistance wanted to have a potentially Force sensitive character in the show while staying away from Luke, Leia, and Rey, I think Jacen could be a good choice. He’s a new character still in need of being developed.

I don’t believe we’ll see him in season one. If they follow Rebels format, we’ll probably spend most of the season developing Team Fireball before expanding to more of the universe. I think in later seasons, Jacen could be a great addition to the show.

Eli Vanto and more Chiss

This is a loooooooong shot! But I want it anyway!

I want to know more about the Unknown Regions in general. We got a shout out to it in the episode “The Children from Tehar.” In the current canon, there hasn’t been many stories from that region. What we do know is from various novels mostly surrounding the character Thrawn. There could be some big developments happening in the Unknown Regions. He says in Thrawn: Alliances that the Chiss were on the verge of a civil war when he left the Chiss Ascendancy. My theory is this could play a big part in this period of Star Wars. The First Order gathered strength in the Unknown Region. If there’s a faction of Chiss who broke away, pretty much a bunch of Thrawns, that helped them get their power, the First Order could be more deadly than we expected this early on.

Which brings me to Eli Vanto. He’s my precious boy that must be protected at all times. I love Eli Vanto. He was introduced in the novel Thrawn and immediately stole my heart. He’s resourceful, smart, sassy, and can check Thrawn which isn’t easy to do. He’s a resilient character from Wild Space who would be knowledgeable about that area and now the Unknown Regions. He left at the end of Thrawn to be a representative to the Chiss.

I would give anything to see him in animation. Luckily, we got to see him in the comic adaptation of Thrawn. You can thank Luke Ross for his amazing artwork.

Eli would be older in Resistance if he did show up. I would want Marc Thompson, who did the Thrawn audiobook and gave Eli life, to voice him.

And the Chiss. I want to see more of the Chiss in general. Sadly, I’m not expecting Thrawn’s brother, Thrass, to show up in this show. I don’t have an official source, but I did ask Timothy Zahn about Thrass at Dragon Con during a book signing. He said he wanted to stay as close to his original canon, now in the EU, as he could. So in his mind, Thrass is dead (and I shouted “NO!” Zahn very kindly laughed and apologized. We had a nice moment over it). But there’s all the other Chiss still out there. Is their civil war going to spill into the known galaxy? Zahn did state at Dragon Con that he has plans for Admiral Ar’alani, Thrawn’s boss when he was still with the Chiss Ascendancy. I would love to see them come into play more, especially in the animated shows.

Hondo and Cad Bane

Here’s the wishful thinking part of the list.

As I said, I love Clone Wars, and Cad Bane is one of my favorite characters in the show. He’s in my top ten list of favorite Star Wars characters. His ending in Clone Wars was super unsatisfying, because he never got a proper finale. His final arc where Obi-Wan Kenobi was undercover as a bounty hunter had Cad getting arrested and never seen again in the show. There was an unmade arc with Cad and Boba Fett that ended in a shoot out. It could have possibly been Cad’s death. But since it wasn’t made, he’s still technically alive.

I’ve enjoyed seeing him pop up in other media like the Darth Maul comic. While I am almost positive that Cad won’t be in Resistance, I would give anything to see my boy in animation again.

Now Hondo does have a shot to be in the show. We know he’s still around in this timeline, because he’s the host of the new Star Wars: Galaxy Edge ride at Disney. The ride’s premise is set during Resistance or roughly in the same time period. He has a good chance of popping up, because Hondo always seems to find where the action is to make a profit.

It would be great to see Hondo again. Like the clones, he’s been in the previous two shows. It would be fun for him to continue on his own legacy in this new Filoniverse era. I could see him make a cameo or even be a reoccurring character. But I could also see them retiring the character this time around. We’ll just have to wait and see.

 

Who are some of the character you would like to see in Star Wars Resistance? Let me know in the comments!

 

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