Introduced in the "Thrawn" trilogy (1991–93), Thrawn became a fan favorite and subsequently appeared in multiple works in what became known as the "Star Wars" Expanded Universe, including novels, comics and video games, through 2006. He is often cited as one of the most popular characters in the franchise. "Star Wars Rebels" executive producer Dave Filoni said of the character in 2016, "You couldn't have grown up a "Star Wars" fan without encountering Thrawn in "Heir to the Empire". It was a dark time when there weren't any more movies, and it blew our minds that there could be more." The "Thrawn" trilogy itself is widely credited with reviving interest in the "Star Wars" franchise. In 2010, "" creator Filoni expressed interest in using Thrawn in that series. Some fans of Zahn's "Thrawn" series had long hoped the books would be adapted, and after the 2012 announcement that The Walt Disney Company had acquired Lucasfilm and planned to produce film sequels to "Return of the Jedi", Zahn commented that if material from the expanded universe was used in the films, "we'd all be thrilled to death".