The Mandalorian season 3, episode 7 titled The Spies introduced Captain Gilad Pellaeon in live action. Pellaeon is a loyal officer of Grand Admiral Thrawn in Star Wars canon and Legends.
Pellaeon debuted with Thrawn in Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn in 1991 and became a major character in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, mostly in post-Return of the Jedi stories.
Pellaeon has had fewer roles in canon than in Legends, but his comeback in The Mandalorian makes him a key player in Ahsoka and possibly Dave Filoni’s live-action Star Wars movie.
The Mandoverse is clearly adapting Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy to canon, but it’s unknown how it will differ from Legends. Pellaeon’s cameo in The Mandalorian is faithful to the character, both in looks and how he’s often the sensible one among the Imperial Remnant.
However, The Mandalorian also showed new links between the Empire and the First Order, indicating that Pellaeon’s history can’t fit exactly in canon. Still, looking at Pellaeon’s past as Thrawn’s loyal officer may hint at what role he will have in the future.
Pellaeon’s relationship with Thrawn can be compared to Dr. Watson’s relationship with Sherlock Holmes, as Zahn intentionally based them on that duo. Thrawn was brilliant and crafty, thinking ahead of his foes and using unconventional ways of reasoning to beat them.
He needed his own Watson, someone to share his thoughts with, so the reader could understand his mind. It also showed that Thrawn was humble, checking his plans with Pellaeon to make sure they were solid.
Pellaeon’s chats with Thrawn were always the most interesting parts of Zahn’s books, advancing the story but also showing more about each character. Pellaeon was totally faithful to Thrawn, but not as naturally cruel, and while he didn’t have Thrawn’s skill of sharp insight, he always understood what the Grand Admiral planned.
Thrawn was also able to justify his logic without being condescending or coercive towards Pellaeon. Pellaeon’s devotion to Thrawn in The Mandalorian, as well as his hope for Thrawn’s comeback, fits well in this context.
Pellaeon became the Empire’s new leader in Star Wars after Thrawn’s death. Pellaeon kept serving in the Imperial Remnant for the next decade, fighting the New Republic in several battles.
This became harder as time passed, with the Empire losing more land and troops in their war against the New Republic, until he was ready for a peace treaty. The Moffs and other Imperials opposed this idea, but Pellaeon finally achieved peace with the New Republic in 19 ABY.
Pellaeon became a hero and a noble man in the next decades, bettering the Empire and working with the rest of the galaxy. He helped stop the Yuuzhan Vong Invasion, which made Imperial Remnant join the new Galactic Federation of Free Alliances.
Though he quit for some time, Pellaeon later became Supreme Commander of the Galactic Alliance Defense Force, serving in more wars until he went back to lead Imperial Remnant. Pellaeon finally died by the hands of Tahiri Veila, the apprentice of Darth Caedus, who seized the Galactic Alliance before he was beaten.
Pellaeon’s role in canon has been smaller than in Legends, but that is about to change. Pellaeon also had a brief voice cameo in the Star Wars Rebels finale.
Now that Pellaeon has been revealed as a member of the Imperial Shadow Council, it is confirmed that he will still be Thrawn’s loyal officer and Watson in canon. How his story will differ from Legends is unknown, but for now, The Mandalorian has established that Pellaeon will continue to serve Thrawn faithfully.
The Mandalorian season 3 finale airs on Wednesday on Disney+.
About The Mandalorian
The Mandalorian is an American space western TV series on Disney+, created by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni. The show aired its first episode on November 12, 2019, and is two seasons in with an upcoming Season 3.
The show follows the story of one of the Mandalorians from the famed Star Wars Universe, Din Djarin. After the fall of the Galactic Empire, he is hired to retrieve Grogu, known as “The Child,” from the Impreial forces, but ends up going on the run to protect him from Moff Gideon, a former Imperial Officer.
The show stars Pedro Pascal in the lead along with actors Carl Weathers, Gioncarlo Esposito, Gina Carano, Amid Abtahi and Katee Sackhoff.
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