Warning! This article contains spoilers for Ahsoka episode 7.
Summary
- Thrawn's greatest weakness is his inability to predict and control the Force, making it difficult for him to factor it into his plans.
- Thrawn fails to foresee the arrival of Ahsoka and the motives of characters like Baylan Skoll, leading to unexpected outcomes and his own defeat.
- Despite powerful allies and his strategic brilliance, Thrawn will always fall short in his battles against the Force due to its unpredictability, which remains his ultimate weakness.
The return of Lars Mikkelsen's Grand Admiral Thrawn in Ahsoka proves he's still one of Star Wars' most brilliant villains, but also reveals that the Force continues to be his greatest weakness. Thrawn has long since been one of the most feared adversaries in the galaxy simply for his highly successful and intelligent strategies, many of which have derived from his unorthodox ways of doing things. From studying a culture's art to understand their weaknesses to giving his adversaries the illusion of free will, Thrawn is a powerful force in settings that he can control.
Something Thrawn can never control, however, is the Force. Seeing as many of Thrawn's strategies are based upon his ability to manipulate the situation, the Grand Admiral fails to have the control needed to manipulate the Force. Despite this, he clearly has a very nuanced understanding of the Force, especially given Thrawn's time working with Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader. Why, then, is the Force still Thrawn's biggest weakness?
Your browser does not support the video tag. The Force Has Always Been Impossible For Thrawn To Predict 
Not only does Thrawn lack the ability to manipulate the Force, but he also cannot predict it. Thrawn thrives in situations where he can learn so much about his adversaries that he can predict each one of their next moves, which is why he does so much research about them. Given that the Force is elusive to people like Thrawn, it cannot be predicted, and this makes it difficult for Thrawn to factor in to his plans.
In Ahsoka, Thrawn is unable to predict the titular former Jedi's arrival to Peridea. The Force does not allow him the foresight to see that another Force-sensitive character would be added into the mix. He makes up for it, however, by reading up on Ahsoka as much as she can – and when he discovers she's the former Padawan of Anakin Skywalker, he's able to predict what her strategies will look like. Thrawn controls as much as he can when the Force intervenes, but Ahsoka has shown in another way that it continues to be Thrawn's main area of weakness.
Even In Ahsoka, Thrawn Can't Predict Baylan Skoll 
Like Ahsoka, Baylan Skoll is another unforeseeable factor for Thrawn, led to Peridea by his own will in the Force. Thrawn is under the impression Baylan's on his side, as he's serving Morgan Elsbeth as her mercenary, but what he cannot see is the true motive Baylan has for coming to this new galaxy. Thrawn is ready to use Baylan as a movable pawn in his greater plan, and because the Force works in mysterious ways, he's unable to prevent what happens next.
When Baylan splits off from Thrawn's mission to instead pursue his own secret agenda, Thrawn is left without a significant player, something that leads directly to his defeat. Thrawn is still able to use this defeat as a victory in the long run, but he only has to do so because of Baylan's unpredictability in the Force. He tries to make up for it by making allies of the Great Mothers, who can connect with the Force in their own dark ways, and that's helpful in some reagrds – but it doesn't change the way the Force moves.
Thrawn May Have Powerful Allies, But The Force Is His Enemy 
In addition to the Great Mothers, Thrawn has had many powerful allies – Darth Vader and the Emperor himself, to name a few. As some of the most powerful wielders of the Force in Star Wars history, Thrawn certainly has tried to get the Force on his side for many, many years. He's aware that this is where he consistently falls short, an idea Thrawn has no doubt had in the back of his mind since the Bendu's warning to him in Star Wars Rebels.
The Force will always be Thrawn's enemy, because it embodies his worst fear: unpredictability. There's no way for Thrawn to control what happens at the Force's will, with Baylan, Ahsoka, and even Sabine as evidence of it in the Ahsoka series. So long as Thrawn continues to battle the Force, he will always fall short of the elusive way it moves, and this weakness will remain with him.
