Fans who are looking forward to seeing the Sith Lord himself in "Star Wars Rebels" season 3 should prepare to be disappointed. It has been revealed that Darth Vader will not be appearing in the new installment.

While speaking to Slash Film, creator Dave Filoni explained the decision behind opting not to show Darth Vader in the third season of the "Star Wars" animated series.

"You know, I've kind of gone on this course, which is pretty, pretty direct about certain things 'cause I don't like to tease people along and then have them be disappointed. So it's really an elected decision to not have Vader around because, as we get closer to 'A New Hope,' I want him to serve as that story," he said.

Filoni went on to say that he never envisioned Vader in the third season because it would not fit well in the story. Since the Sith Lord is a powerful being, it would not make much sense for him to struggle with hunting down the rebels of the Ghost crew. It would take no time at all for Vader to gain the upperhand against them.

"It's more interesting to me to setup this completely different kind of villain that's gonna play a long game against our guys that they're not typically used to," Filoni explained.

That villain is none other than Grand Admiral Thrawn. Thrawn will be introduced in the premiere episode titled "Steps into Shadow." The episode will see Ezra leading the Ghost crew who have now taken shelter on Atollon. Thrawn will be a worthy opponent for the rebels as he is described as tactical and strategic.

On the other hand, another character, Ahsoka Tano, is expected to become the first Gray Jedi. As it was previously reported, a Gray Jedi is a user of the Force whose allegiance does not lie with either the Jedi or the Order.

"Star Wars Rebels" season 3 will premiere on Sept. 24 on Disney XD.