Elegantly mustachioed and (occasionally) feared Imperial Warlord Zsinj may be making a return to Star Wars.
After the release of Star Wars: Beyond Victory – A Mixed Reality Playset, ILM released an interview with actor Bobby Moynihan, alongside some concept art from the game that features a look at an Imperial admiral who appears to be Warlord Zsinj of Star Wars Legends fame. Take a look at the art from concept artist Stephen Zavala below.
Grakkus the Hutt and an Imperial admiral, who appears to be Warlord Zsinj
I’ll give the caveat that this is possibly just an artist’s way of including a fun reference, but Zsinj is pretty unmistakable here, complete with his Legends-era haircut, mustache, and white Grand Admiral’s uniform and rank badge. However, Zsinj is not in the game, even though Grakkus the Hutt is. This scene must have been cut, so it’s notable that it’s the sole concept image ILM chose to feature in their article.
Take a look at Zsinj from the Legends reference book, The Essential Atlas, below, and see for yourself.
Warlord Zsinj from The Essential Atlas
In the game, there is indeed mention of an Imperial Admiral Rellen, who we don’t see. The Admiral is connected to Grakkus in Beyond Victory and is the recipient of a TIE Fighter-themed podracer from the Hutt. Given the art, it’s possible the developers intended to use a more notable Imperial character for a more involved scene, but it was subbed out.
To me, this seems a pretty likely possibility, because many parts of the game were left unfinished, according to a developer AMA event referenced on Wookieepedia. It’s possible ILM cut Zsinj out of the game once they had their updated release timeline, and didn’t want to get hopes up for a one-line cameo in Beyond Victory, a VR game most gamers can’t even play.
But there is a future in the world of Star Wars racing, and with the release of this art a week after the trailer for Star Wars: Galactic Racer was published, Zsinj may yet be a part of the plan. There are a few reasons that this seems to be the case.
“Tie Bolt” Podracer Journal Entry from Beyond Victory
Beyond Victory, announced in March of last year and released in October, would have been in development at the same time as the upcoming Racer game, which releases this year. It makes sense to connect the two, and we know there is at least one confirmed character returning: Sebulba.
Beyond Victory, which is set a decade into the Reign of the Empire, alongside projects like Solo and Obi-Wan Kenobi, features racers sponsored by the Hutts. Sebulba is a washed-up racer who runs afoul of Grakkus the Hutt, eventually getting dragged away to pay off his debts.
Racer is set more than a decade later, in the years after the Battles of Endor and Jakku and the fall of the Empire. That sets the stage for Legends’ second most-famous Imperial Warlord, Zsinj, to make his return to Star Wars.
Sebulba in the trailer for Racer
For those who don’t know or need a refresher on their Legends lore, Warlord Zsinj led one of the largest Imperial Remnant factions against the New Republic, eventually meeting his end during a battle with Han Solo. He was one of the most powerful warlords to face the New Republic, arguably second only to Thrawn. There are a few reasons Zsinj is the right Imperial to feature in a game like this.
After the fall of the Empire, the galaxy is in chaos. That’s made clear from the narration in the trailer for Racer. There is both freedom to gain and money to be made by syndicates, just like in Beyond Victory.
The official description for Racer says:
“With the Empire gone and the galaxy rebuilding, The Galactic League is formed: an underground, unsanctioned circuit where syndicates bankroll chaos and champions are forged.”
If an ambitious warlord like Zsinj saw an opportunity to bankroll a racer and fund his war under the nose of the New Republic and his fellow Imperials, I could see him doing it. In fact, that’s really the only way I could see the Empire factoring into this plot at all. It could be an interesting way to align various racers, syndicates, and the New Republic to stomp out a renewed Imperial threat that threatens their newfound freedom.
Even in Legends, Zsinj was a pragmatist and notably quite open to experimentation with non-Imperial groups to run his war machine. He even had a Hutt economist named Teubbo, who leveraged his connections to the Hutt Cartel and operated Zsinj’s organization like a cartel.
Imperial Shadow Council from The Mandalorian season 3
With The Mandalorian and Grogu coming up, I think 2026 might be the year we finally start building out the post-Endor and Jakku landscape. We know warlords from the Imperial Shadow Council we see in The Mandalorian will appear in the upcoming movie, and Ahsoka Season 2 will focus on Thrawn’s war against the New Republic. So why not utilize missing warlords like Zsinj in a game like this? Legends explored this era intensely, but canon has only scratched the surface of the 30-year period and could tell a variety of stories.
With Sebuba freed from Grakkus since Beyond Victory (likely after Grakkus went to prison in Star Wars (2015)), he’s an independent operator once more. His crew may also make it into Racer, returning after such a short appearance in Beyond Victory and the accompanying comic. His business partner, Luuda, and explosives expert Trizz presumably escape at the end.
Sebulba and his criminal partner Luuda in Beyond Victory
Grakkus himself could even make a limited appearance, though he’s locked up in Megalox prison at this point in the timeline. Likewise, famous podracing announcers Fode and Beed may show up, providing colorful commentary over our races on planets across the galaxy.
Fode, Beed, and Sebulba are portrayed by their original Phantom Menace actors in Beyond Victory, and with the appearance of Sebulba in the Racer trailer, it’s safe to assume they will be returning to voice them again. In fact, it’s possible they already did, given the tight release timeline of both games.
Podracing commentators Fode and Beed in The Phantom Menace
Lastly, racers from Beyond Victory could appear, both as allies and adversaries.
Main character Volo Bolus may have gone from a rising star to a veteran racer at this point in the timeline, while Jabba’s old racers and resident heels of the track, Staka and Raka, could be looking for a new patron to stay in the race. Deland Tyrell, the podracing protestor, could appear on the sidelines. Likewise, Coy Vrizh, Paghee’Dhe, or other racers could fill out the roster, perhaps alongside racers like Ben Quadinaros from The Phantom Menace?
Volo Bolus from Beyond Victory
But the main thing that I’m hoping Racer will bring back from Beyond Victory is podracing itself. We don’t actually have confirmation that it will appear, though the sounds playing and a shot of Sebulba in front of his racer at the end of the trailer basically confirm its presence.
With two racing games coming out back-to-back, and multiple projects featuring Imperial Warlord villains, it feels like Star Wars is really having a retro moment, returning to some late 90s, early 2000s Legends roots while bringing the franchise back to theatres. As a fan of both, I think that’s pretty “wizard,” and I hope we find a home for some of Legends’ most memorable characters in the new canon.
Colin is a lifelong Star Wars fan and researcher who enjoys diving deep into every corner of this weird and wonderful galaxy far, far away.