If the recently announced Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - Remake joins Disney's new canon, Darth Revan could learn a lot from Grand Admiral Thrawn, a fellow fan-favorite character once stricken from the official Star Wars universe. When Disney overhauled Star Wars canon, Thrawn and Revan were moved to the "Legends" designation. Thrawn's return in Star Wars: Rebels gave the admiral his much-deserved time in the sun, and his positive fan reception means developer Aspyr Media could model Revan's re-canonization in the KOTOR remake on Thrawn's.

[The following contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: KOTOR.]

Darth Revan has held an intriguing role in Star Wars since their debut in the first KOTOR. Revan has mastered both light-side and dark-side Force teachings throughout their history, something players can embrace in the game. With Darth Malak and other defected Jedi, Revan defied the Order's teachings to protect the galaxy during the Mandalorian Wars. Malak and Revan then faced the Sith Emperor, ultimately succumbing to the Dark Side. Their subsequent military campaign ravaged the galaxy until Malak's betrayal resulted in Revan's amnesiac return to the Jedi Order. Whether Darth Revan remains a Jedi or returns to the Sith is up to players' choices.

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Admiral Thrawn is a subtler character than Revan, lacking Force sensitivity and entering the Galactic Empire during the height of its xenophobia against non-human species. The character has appeared in several novels, though Thrawn made his Disney canon debut in Rebels. The non-canon Thrawn Trilogy books explored Thrawn's escapades following Return of the Jedi, while the canon novels expanded on Thrawn's journey through the Empire and into Rebels. His return to canon brought several changes to his original characterization, but fans have largely been pleased with the Disney version nonetheless, which could bode well for Darth Revan.

KOTOR's Darth Revan Needs Thrawn's Logic To Thrive In Star Wars Canon

Darth Revan

Admiral Thrawn's role as a Star Wars villain has been driven by his cunning and logic. Plots to uncover rebel cells throughout the galaxy and victories against the series' protagonists established Thrawn as a significant threat. Star Wars' habit of ensuring protagonist wins against impossible odds was broken by Thrawn time and time again. The admiral nearly wiped out the Galactic Rebellion without the assistance of Darth Vader or Emperor Palpatine, determining the location of its base with his cunning. Aspyr and Disney should adapt Thrawn's level of intelligence into Darth Revan, who should pose an even bigger threat to the galaxy in their pre-KOTOR actions than the Chiss admiral.

Star Wars' Sith masters are often mindless, genocidal monsters, with only a few (like Count Dooku) maintaining a level of control and military competency. Should players choose to, Darth Revan can be in command of the Sith army by KOTOR's conclusion. Revan also showed strong leadership skills during the Mandalorian Wars, where dozens of Jedi defected to follow them into battle. Revan's mastery of the light and dark side of the Force gives them a unique position in the Star Wars universe and could make them a legendarily powerful (current or former) villain in the canon.

Disney's Admiral Thrawn Is Less Ruthless Than His Star Wars Novel Version

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Before Disney's canon overhaul, Thrawn's novel trilogy explored the character's military campaign following Return of the Jedi. When these novels were deemed non-canon, author Timothy Zahn created a new trilogy to build off the character's appearance in Star Wars: Rebels. The new version is a softer, more empathetic Thrawn. His dear friend, Eli Vanto, accompanied his climb up the Imperial ranks. Thrawn's constant battle against prejudice and injustice within the Empire introduced a level of empathy to the previously cold villain. This complexity turned Thrawn from a calculating sociopath to a more layered military commander.

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Prior to the events of the original KOTOR, Darth Revan committed many atrocities across the galaxy, wiping out entire planets to appease their Emperor. The worlds of Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars: The Old Republic bear the scars of Revan's crimes against the galaxy. But, although praised as one of the most powerful Sith Lords in the universe, Revan suffered greatly at the hands of both Sith and Jedi. Exploring the character's internal conflict in the KOTOR remake could give Revan a similar depth to Thrawn; turning them into a two-dimensional, cartoonishly evil villain would do Revan a disservice.

Darth Revan's KOTOR Story Could Change To Appease Audiences & Canon

Darth Malak

In Disney's Star Wars: Rebels, Thrawn's association with the Chiss Ascendancy was never mentioned, despite the significance of that connection. The omission of specific parts of his history allowed Thrawn to grow in other ways, though, and straying from the minor details welcomed more casual Star Wars fans and encouraged a wider acceptance of Thrawn's addition to the canon.

Though the player ultimately chooses the ending of Knights of the Old Republic, wherein Darth Revan can remain aligned with the Jedi Order or return to the Sith, the existence of a wider canon means Disney will likely need to choose one as the "official" ending. Perhaps, rather than simply picking one and potentially alienating a group of players, Disney could change Knights of the Old Republic - Remake's story - or the events that come immediately after it - to somehow accommodate either Revan ending, just as it adjusted Thrawn's story to fit him into the new canon.

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Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - Remake will be playable on PC and PlayStation 5 as a timed console exclusive at an unspecified time.