Goldman, Eric (December 3, 2016). " Star Wars Rebels: "An Inside Man" Review". IGN . Retrieved March 5, 2017. Found on an unnamed Outer Rim planet, the exiled Chiss warrior Thrawn pledges himself to Emperor Palpatine and joins the Imperial navy. Thrawn's cunning and expertise as a tactician help him to rise through the ranks with unprecedented speed, though his renegade tactics ignite the ire of his superiors. At Thrawn's side is his translator-turned- aide-de-camp, Ensign Eli Vanto, whom he trains in the ways of war. Meanwhile, ruthless administrator Arihnda Pryce plots her own rise to power. The idea for a post-film trilogy was conceived by Lou Aronica, an editor at Bantam Books who proposed a series as "ambitious as the films were". [12] Lucas was initially skeptical of the proposal, but acquiesced; Bantam Spectra then brought Timothy Zahn on board to write the trilogy. [12] Most of the Imperial leaders we see in the movies rule through a combination of fear and manipulation. I wanted to create something different: a commander who could lead through loyalty. The result was Thrawn, a tactical genius whose troops follow him willingly, and who will fight for him whether or not he's watching over their shoulders. [13]

The character has been on many "top" lists of Star Wars characters, praising his villainy and character. In a list of fifteen Star Wars villains, Schedeen placed Thrawn as second best, beaten by Darth Vader, focusing on his greatness as a commander and tactician. [86] In 2008, IGN ranked him as the tenth best overall Star Wars character, noting his influence in the expanded universe, [89] and UGO listed him as the third greatest expanded universe character the same year. [90] Empire listed Thrawn fifth in their list of the 25 best of the more obscure Star Wars characters in 2015. [88] Vurawn attended an academy on Rentor and got exceptionally good grades. Sometime in his student career, he became a line leader in the academy and got the attention of multiple Ruling Families. The Mitth family in particular sent an Aristocra, Mitth'urf'ianico, to evaluate Vurawn's potential. [1] a b c d e f g h " 'Star Wars' writer reveals original vision for the sequels and his thoughts on 'The Last Jedi' ". Yahoo!. 30 July 2018 . Retrieved 21 July 2022. Star Wars: The Hand of Thrawn Duology – Legends Series". Penguin Random House . Retrieved 24 July 2022. Despite the fact that the Empire used to be the unquestioned master of the entire galaxy, the force of the Empire has now been reduced to a small skeleton force that could no longer take over the galaxy on its own. More and more independent worlds that used to be under the Empire are now joining the New Republic. While that may be true, Leia is still working hard to hold the Republic together and to make sure that it doesn’t fall victim to its own success as there age-old rivalries between different worlds and leaders resurface. But the problem is that there are more enemies rising by the minute, especially because former warlords are still on the run and are looking to make it more difficult for Leia to keep the Republic together.Fiction Book Review: Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy: Dark Force Rising". Publishers Weekly . Retrieved July 21, 2016. Aptly entitled, ‘Thrawn: Treason’ allows us to see the ultimate test of Thrawn’s loyalty to Emperor Palpatine as he is now placed in a situation wherein even the emperor isn’t sure of his allegiance. Nevertheless, Thrawn assured Palpatine from the very start that his service to the Empire automatically came with his allegiance.

Grand Admiral Thrawn and Darth Vader ally against a threat to the Empire in this new novel from bestselling author Timothy Zahn. ‘I have sensed a disturbance in the Force’– ominous words under any circumstances, but all the more so when uttered by Emperor Palpatine. On Batuu, at the edges of the Unknown Regions, a threat to the Empire is taking root — its existence little more than a glimmer, its consequences as yet unknowable. But it is troubling enough to the Imperial leader to warrant investigation by his most powerful agents: ruthless enforcer Lord Darth Vader and brilliant strategist Grand Admiral Thrawn. Andrew Liptak (July 26, 2017). "Marvel editor hopes upcoming Thrawn comic book series is just the beginning". The Verge. a b "Grand Admiral Thrawn – Mini Busts". JediTempleArchives.com. Archived from the original on March 30, 2015 . Retrieved July 22, 2016.Command Decision". Star Wars Books. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016 . Retrieved August 24, 2016. a b c Zahn, Timothy (2020). Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising (Firsted.). New York: Penguin Random House. ISBN 978-0593157688. Lazarides, Tasos (June 10, 2017). "Admiral Thrawn Coming to 'Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes' June 15th, Just Announced at E3". TouchArcade . Retrieved December 26, 2017.

a b McMilian, Graeme (April 25, 2014). "Lucasfilm Unveils New Plans for Star Wars Expanded Universe". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved May 26, 2016. Britt, Ryan (March 7, 2013). "Not Rising Fast Enough: On Zahn's Dark Force Rising". Tor.com . Retrieved August 26, 2015. In April 2014, with the sequel film Star Wars: The Force Awakens in production, most of the licensed Star Wars novels and comics produced since the 1977 film Star Wars were declared non-canon to the franchise. [26] [27] [28] However, Star Wars Rebels executive producer Dave Filoni announced at the London Star Wars Celebration in July 2016 that Thrawn would be reintroduced into the franchise in the third season of the Rebels series. [5] [6] [19] The character debuted in the season 3 premiere, " Steps into Shadow", [54] [55] [56] which aired on September 24, 2016. [57] Outbound Flight was initially scheduled to be published in 2002, and subsequently rescheduled for November 2005, and then January 2006. [16]But while ‘Heir to the Empire’ may no longer be canon, it still is one of the best books to read in relation to Thrawn and the mindset that he carried throughout his entire history as a character. The storyline takes place after the events of ‘Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi’ as there were rumors of Imperial remnants threatening to regain control over the galaxy under the leadership of a man named Grand Admiral Thrawn, who sought to lead the Imperials against the New Republic during a time when Luke, Leia, and Han had already helped bring peace to the entire galaxy by defeating the Empire. When the Emperor asks what he wants from the Empire, Thrawn replies that he wants a state of mutual gain, offering his knowledge and skill in exchange for consideration to his people in the future. Thrawn is prepared to gamble with the Emperor over the fate of his people. The Emperor asks Thrawn if he will choose the Empire over his people if a threat rose against his people. Thrawn affirms his loyalty to the Emperor and says that Anakin Skywalker can vouch for him. LaSalata, Justin (December 6, 2018). " Thrawn: Treason Novel To Be Released July 23, 2019". Jedi News . Retrieved March 12, 2019– via jedinews.co.uk. Goldman, Eric (February 25, 2017). " Star Wars Rebels: "Through Imperial Eyes" Review". IGN . Retrieved March 5, 2017.