Summary
A newStar Warstheory suggests that Jude Law’s upcoming Jedi character may be key to setting up a canonical Thrawn trilogy. A mysterious Force user with an unknown past,Skeleton Crew’sJude Law is likely much more than he seems. To that end, his upcoming role in the upcomingStar Warsseries may be connected toGrand Admiral Thrawnhimself.
Having returned to the known galaxy after his years in exile,Lars Mikkelsen’s Thrawn is ready to become “Heir to the Empire"during the New Republic Era, much like his original debut in Timothy Zahn’s non-canonThrawntrilogy of novels now known asStar WarsLegends. Having been brought back to the established canon via the animated seriesStar Wars Rebelsand more recently in live-action with 2023’sAhsoka,several elements have fallen into place for a canonical adaptation of the Thrawn trilogy, and a new theory suggests Jude Law’s Jedi may be one of the final pieces.
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Jude Law’s Jedi Is Clearly Going By An Alias
Jod Na Nawood Is Not His True Name
Cloaked and emerging from the shadows after using the Force to acquire a key at the end ofSkeleton Crew’sfirst trailer,Jude Law’s newStar Warscharacteris quickly identified by the show’s primary cast of kids as a Jedi. Likewise,promotional materials and merchandise have identified Law’s character as being named “Jod Na Nawood”. However, this is more than likely an alias of sorts. After all, a Force-user like “Jod” was more than likely on the run and in hiding from the Empire for many years, especially ifSkeleton Crewreveals that he was indeed a member of the prequel trilogy’s Jedi Order.
“Jod” being an alias has also been hinted at by Jude Law himself. In a recent interview withRotten Tomatoes TV,Law claims that “Jod Na Nawood” is just one of his character’s names, hinting that there will be questions about how trustworthy he is even while helping the show’s kids find their way back to their home planet. As such, this does imply that the show will at some point reveal who Jod truly is in theStar Warsgalaxy and what his real motivations actually are.
Jude Law Hints There’s More To His Jedi Than You Think In Star Wars' Next TV Show
Who’s Side Is “Jod” Really On?
In the same interview, Jude Law goes on to tease that audiences will never know whose side Jod is really on. According to Law when asked about his upcoming character,“Ultimately, he’s a part of the crew. Some want him (Jod) a part of it, some don’t want him a part of it. I can’t give too much away. I’m gonna say he’s full of contradictions.“Keeping that in mind, it certainly does suggest that Jod’s status as an ally or enemy will be pretty fluid.
On the one hand, this makes Law’s character all the more interesting and exciting. This is true if he’s revealed to be a brand-new character to the canon with a mysterious past that eventually gets revealed as the show progresses. However,it also means that while Jod could initially be presented as a heroic Jedi Knight, he could end up being revealed as a key villain fromStar WarsLegends, one who would massively set up a majorstoryline for Lucasfilm’s canonicalNew Republic Eraand the threat of Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Could Jude Law Actually Be Joruus C’baoth?
A Classic Star Wars Legends Villain
One intriguing possibility is thatJude Law may be secretly playing Joruus C’Baoth, a primary antagonist in Legends’Thrawntrilogy. A clone of the Republic Era Jedi Master Jorus C’baoth, Joruus was a creation of Palpatine during his attempts to create Force-sensitive clones, a concept which has made its way into the canon with elements including Mount Tantiss on the planet Wayland,Project Necromancer, and Palpatine’s eventual resurrection in the sequel trilogy. However, this insane Dark Jedi clone who ended up allying with Thrawn and providing access to Palpatine’s secret cloning facilities on Tantiss has yet to be re-canonized.
In theThrawntrilogy, Joruus C’Baoth and Thrawn join forces after the Grand Admiral promises C’baoth Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Leia’s unborn twins for him to train as his dark apprentices (though in canon it would just be Ben Solo).To that end, perhaps Jude Law could be Joruus who makes his debut inSkeleton Crewunder the alias of Jod. Initially presenting himself as a genuine hero, the show would eventually reveal his true nature as a canonical version of C’Baoth.
Joruus C’baoth Would Be The Last Thing Needed For A Canon Thrawn Trilogy
Building Up To Dave Filoni’sHeir to the EmpireAdaptation?
It’s already been confirmed that Dave Filoni will be directing his ownStar Warsmovie, one that’s expected to culminate all the New Republic Era narratives Lucasfilm has been telling since 2019’sThe Mandalorian. To that end,the return of Thrawn to the knownStar Warsgalaxy has generated expectations that this movie might just be a canonical adaption of Zahn’sHeir of the Empire,perhaps even being the first of the entire trilogy brought to life on the big screen. To that end, bringing Joruss C’Baoth back to the canon would certainly be quite significant.
Serving as recent additions to theStar Warscanon, Palpatine’s various cloning experiments have well and truly been established. This includes where the bulk of them took place withinMount Tantiss (the same as in Legends). Also, Thrawn has just made his return to theStar Warsgalaxy in the aftermath ofReturn of the Jedito presumably unite the fractured Empire. While in Legends he was simply in the Unknown Regions, the new canon had Thrawn exiled in another galaxy altogether (as seen inAhsoka).
Specific events leading up to this potentialHeir to the Empireevent have of course been different in the new canon compared to Legends, This includes the particular heroes who will likely have prominent roles in Filoni’s movie over the original trilogy characters like Luke, Han, and Leia (most like Din Djarin, Ahsoka Tano, Ezra Bridger, etc). However,some of the biggest core pieces needed to set up a canonicalThrawntrilogy are already in place, and Jude Law as a secret Joruus C’Baoth inSkeleton Crewdoes feel like it would be one of the lastahead of Filoni’s upcomingStar Warsmovie.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
Cast
Skeleton Crew follows four ordinary children who become lost in the expansive Star Wars galaxy. As they navigate unfamiliar worlds and the challenges they present, the group endeavors to find their way back to their home planet, undertaking a journey across the iconic Star Wars universe.
