Did anyone else feel like the Thrawn kalikori stuff was a bit gimmicky?
Kind of a rant but it kinda annoys me when people talk like Thrawn is somehow more moral or less of a villain because he respects other cultures and art so much. Now I haven't read the Thrawn novels so I can't talk about anything other than his portrayal in Rebels. While it's true he knows a lot about art and culture it doesn't really change much for me. The kalikori stuff just seems like a gimmick to make him stand out compared to other imperial villains. I know how he uses his knowledge of culture strategically but the whole 'respect' is what feels gimmicky.
I feel like 'respect' isn't the best description for Thrawn. Like he's taken over Ryloth and is killing the people but, he likes their art. I feel like he doesn't truly respect them. Specifically with Hera's kalikori it makes it even worse because he knows how much Twilek's value their kalikori yet he still decides to take it because he thinks it's cool (Like Hera said, she'd rather he destroy it).
I know Thrawn's more fleshed out in the novels but in my opinion in Rebels he's no less evil than Slavin is.