Lucasfilm intentionally let a big cat out of the bag about season three of Star Wars Rebels at Celebration Europe, and that cat is a certain blue-skinned villain. Yes, Grand Admiral Thrawn is coming to the Disney XD animated series, and if you weren’t among the lucky few who got to view the season three premiere at Celebration, you’ll be able to watch it on Saturday, September 24 at 8:30p.m.

When we last saw the crew of Ghost, they’d just come out the other side of Kanan, Ezra, and Ahsoka’s mission to Malachor. The events that transpired in the season two finale had serious consequences for the crew: Ahsoka is MIA, Kanan was blinded by Darth Maul, and Ezra came into possession of a Sith holocron. Whew. As we head into the season three premiere, “Steps into Shadow,” Ezra is more powerful and leading the Ghost crew at a secret base on Atollon. This teaser is Intense. Capital I.

Thanks to the efforts of the Ghost team and their fellow rebels, the rebellion has become more of a serious threat, and the Empire is over it. They’ve assigned the cold Grand Admiral Thrawn (voiced by Lars Mikkelsen) to eliminate the insurgents. The fan-favorite character is making the jump to canon from Legends; he was prominently featured in the Thrawn trilogy written by Timothy Zahn and I can’t wait to see how the animated Thrawn compares to the character we met in the books. Thrawn will appear in the premiere and so will Bendu, a Force-sensitive being voiced by Tom Baker.

And in case you missed the season three trailer released at Celebration:

Who’s excited about seeing Thrawn on screen? I hope you’re all raising your hands. Head to the comments and tell me which aspects of Thrawn’s personality you hope to see in Star Wars Rebels.

Images: Disney XD/Lucasfilm