''Thrawn Ascendancy'', also known as ''Thrawn: The Ascendancy Trilogy'' or simply ''The Ascendancy Trilogy,'' is a

trilogy A trilogy is a set of three distinct works that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games. Three-part works that are considered components of ...

series of ''Star Wars'' novels by

Timothy Zahn Timothy Zahn (born 1951) is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy. He is known best for his prolific collection of ''Star Wars'' List of Star Wars books, books, chiefly the Thrawn trilogy, ''Thrawn'' trilogy, and has published several ...

. The books '' Chaos Rising'' (2020), '' Greater Good'' (2021), and '' Lesser Evil'' (2021), follow

Thrawn Grand Admiral Thrawn is a character who appears in ''Star Wars'' media. ''Thrawn'' may also refer to the title of several ''Star Wars'' novels featuring the character: * The ''Thrawn'' trilogy (1991–1993) by Timothy Zahn, also known as the '' ...

as he rises through the ranks of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet as war brews between the various Chiss families throughout the Unknown Regions. The trilogy is a

prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term ...

to Thrawn's exploits in ''

'' (2017) and the TV series ''

Star Wars Rebels ''Star Wars Rebels'' is an American 3D animated science fiction television series produced by Lucasfilm Animation and set in the ''Star Wars'' universe. It takes place 14 years after '' Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'' (2005 ...

'' (2014–2018). According to the timeline of the books, the events in ''Thrawn Ascendancy'' occur after the 2002 film ''

Attack of the Clones Attack may refer to: Warfare and combat * Attack (fencing) * Charge (warfare) * Offensive (military) * Strike (attack) Books and publishing * ''The Attack'' (novel), a book * '' Attack No. 1'', comic and animation * Attack! Books, a publis ...

'' and before the events of the 2015 novel '' Dark Disciple: A Clone Wars Novel'' and the 2005 film ''

Revenge of the Sith Revenge is defined as committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Vengeful forms of justice, such as primitive justice or retributive justice, are often differentiated from more fo ...

''.

Setting

''Thrawn Ascendancy'' takes place in the Chiss Ascendancy, an

oligarchic Oligarchy (; ) is a form of government in which power rests with a small number of people. Members of this group, called oligarchs, generally hold usually hard, but sometimes soft power through nobility, fame, wealth, or education; or throug ...

autocracy Autocracy is a form of government in which absolute power is held by the head of state and Head of government, government, known as an autocrat. It includes some forms of monarchy and all forms of dictatorship, while it is contrasted with demo ...

residing deep in the Unknown Regions of the galaxy. The system is headed by the Nine Ruling Families: Boadil, Chaf, Clarr, Dasklo, Irizi, Mitth, Obbic, Plikh, and the Ufsa and is overseen by a ruling body named the Syndicure. Due to their heavily

isolationist Isolationism is a term used to refer to a political philosophy advocating a foreign policy that opposes involvement in the political affairs, and especially the wars, of other countries. Thus, isolationism fundamentally advocates neutrality an ...

belief systems, the Ascendancy was not involved in any external affairs and kept their presence hidden to the rest of the galaxy except in fairy tales heard from inhabitants in the Outer Rim. Their focus is primarily on research and exploration rather than expansion into the

Galactic Empire Galactic empires are a science fiction setting trope, in which most or all of the habitable planets in the setting's galaxy are ruled by a single centralized political entity. Galactic empires most frequently appear in works in the sub-genre ...

, but Thrawn's eventual rise to power in the Empire went against their primary desires. The Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet composes the Ascendancy's military fleet and monitored the rise of the Grysk forces as enemies of the Ascendancy.

Novels

''Chaos Rising'' (2020)

The first novel explores Thrawn and his companion Ar'alani's backstory set against the present day several years into the

Clone Wars The Clone Wars, also known as the Separatist Crisis, is a fictional three-year conflict in the ''Star Wars'' franchise by George Lucas. Though mentioned briefly in the first ''Star Wars'' film (''A New Hope'', 1977), the war itself was not depic ...

where Thrawn, a controversial figure in the Ascendancy, is tasked with tracking down a threat by the Nikardun Destiny led by Yiv the Benevolent.

''Greater Good'' (2021)

The second novel takes place several months after ''Chaos Rising'' and sees Thrawn's fleet continuing to track the Nikardun threat when a mysterious figure called the Magys seeks his help to save her planet from extinction. The resulting expedition leads Thrawn, Ar'alani, and their compatriots to discover a new threat that has been quietly brewing. Flashbacks show Haplif, an Agbui spy, infiltrating Chiss society at the behalf of Jixtus (eventually revealed to be a Grysk) in order to sow discord between the Mitth and Irizi families.

''Lesser Evil'' (2021)

The final novel, ''Lesser Evil'', follows Thrawn exploring the legend of the Starflash, a mythic weapon from ancient Chiss history and having to make a difficult decision in his quest for the Ascendancy's salvation as the tides of war continue to grow within and without the Ascendancy.

Reception

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said of ''Chaos Rising'': "

t is T, or t, is the twentieth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''tee'' (pronounced ), plural ''tees''. It is d ...

a ''Star Wars'' book quite unlike anything we’ve experienced so far in the last six years—in ways that are good and bad," calling the world "fascinatingly fleshed out" and the novel a "treat worth sinking your teeth into, although it may prove to be a little too rich for its own good at times." Star Wars News Net stated that the novel "will make you look at Thrawn in a completely new light...My faith in ''Star Wars'' feels very strong after finishing ''Chaos Rising''." '' CNET'' reviewed ''Greater Good'': "It becomes more engaging as it goes along, but fails to satisfy as a standalone story and ends on a disappointingly limp note." ''Chaos Rising'' debuted at number 9 on the

New York Times Best Seller list ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...

for Hardcover Fiction in the week of September 20, 2020. ''Greater Good'' debuted at number 10 during the week of May 16, 2021.

References

External links

* {{Star Wars Rebels Thrawn Star Wars novels Science fiction novel trilogies