'Star Wars Rebels' season 3 air date, spoilers news 2016: The death of the extended universe

A few weeks from now, the third season of "Star Wars Rebels" will premiere on Disney XD. The network recently released a trailer for the upcoming season, revealing one of the show's latest antagonists, Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Although the original antagonists Darth Maul and Darth Vader will appear in the series, the two will not be causing the main conflict in the upcoming season.

Thrawn will be plotting the destruction of the universe the Ghost crew in the upcoming season, as revealed in the latest trailer of "Star Wars Rebels." Unlike the more well-known antagonists who have relied on their strength and powers, Thrawn is a more manipulative and conniving enemy.

Sources reported Thrawn will be giving the heroes a terrible time this season, as the new character is relentless and clever. Sheer strength won't be able to defeat this particular adversary. 

For the uninitiated, Thrawn came from the unknown regions of the universe. He climbed up the ranks of the Galactic Empire because of his wit and skill. When he was a commander in the defense forces, he successfully completed his task to destroy the Outbound Flight. Because of Thrawn's success, his name resounded among the higher-ranking members of the Empire, earning him the title Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Since Thrawn was introduced in the "Star Wars" canon, fans have been disappointed and declared the death of the "Star Wars" extended universe. To note, the extended universe supposedly took place five years after the events of the 1983 film "Return of the Jedi." Thrawn was the main adversary in the expanded universe, particularly in the Thrawn trilogy, where he faced Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo and Chewbacca, but ultimately met his demise.

Incorporating the character with the original storyline has destroyed the possibility of reproducing the extended universe in "Star Wars Rebels."

"Star Wars Rebels" will be back on Disney XD on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 8:30 p.m. EDT.