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''Star Wars: Thrawn'' (also known simply as ''Thrawn'') is a ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'' novel 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 ...
, published on April 11, 2017, by
Del Rey Books Del Rey Books is an imprint (trade name), imprint of the Random House Group, a division of Penguin Random House. The imprint was established in 1977 under the editorship of Judy-Lynn del Rey and her husband, author Lester del Rey. Today, th ...
. It chronicles the origins of
Grand Admiral Thrawn Grand Admiral Thrawn (full name: Mitth'raw'nuruodo; born: Kivu'raw'nuru) is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He first appeared in what came to be known as the ''Thrawn'' trilogy of novels (1991–1993) by Timothy Zahn. A ...
, a popular character originating from the ''
Star Wars Legends ''Star Wars'' has been expanded universe, expanded to media other than the original films. This spin-off material is licensed and moderated by Lucasfilm, though during his involvement with the franchise ''Star Wars'' creator George Lucas reserve ...
'' line of works, which were declared non-canon to the franchise after
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redefined ''Star Wars'' continuity in April 2014. The novel was announced in July 2016 alongside news that the character Thrawn would be reintroduced into the ''Star Wars'' franchise on the 3D CGI
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''
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 ...
''. A sequel, titled '' Thrawn: Alliances'', was released in July 2018. A third novel, '' Thrawn: Treason'', was released in July 2019.


Plot

Found on an unnamed Outer Rim planet, the exiled Chiss warrior Thrawn pledges himself to Emperor
Palpatine Sheev Palpatine ( ) is the main antagonist of the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He first appeared in the 1980 film ''The Empire Strikes Back'' as . He is also known by his Sith name, Darth Sidious, which was first used in the novelization of the 199 ...
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.


Development

The character of Thrawn was originally introduced in Zahn's 1991 novel '' Heir to the Empire'', and became a fan favorite. He went on to appear in several other novels, short stories, comics, and video games. Following the 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm by
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
, most of the licensed ''Star Wars'' fiction produced since the originating 1977 film ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'' were rebranded as ''Star Wars Legends'' and declared non-canon to the franchise in April 2014. In a prerecorded video, Zahn announced at the London ''Star Wars'' Celebration in July 2016 that he was writing a new novel for Del Rey Books titled ''Thrawn''. The same day, Del Rey confirmed on
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the novel's spring 2017 release. In a subsequent interview with '' StarWars.com'', Zahn noted that the novel would cover several years between Thrawn's "first encounter" with the
Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
and the events of the third season of ''Star Wars Rebels'', an animated television series in which the character will appear prior to the book's release. He said: Asked if he would be incorporating any material from previous Thrawn novels, Zahn said, "I've thrown in a few bits and pieces. Nothing too blatant, just little Easter eggs for those who are familiar with my other books." Though in ''Legends'' works Thrawn was mostly used in post-''
Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas. The sequel to '' The Empire ...
'' storylines, both ''Rebels'' and ''Thrawn'' take place prior to the events of the original 1977 film and show his rise to power. Zahn said, "I get to show how he's treated by his fellow officers and shipmates on his way up the military ladder, particularly when he's not in a command position over them." A full synopsis of the novel was released in January 2017, followed by an excerpt in March 2017.


Publication

''Thrawn'' was published on April 11, 2017.
Del Rey Books Del Rey Books is an imprint (trade name), imprint of the Random House Group, a division of Penguin Random House. The imprint was established in 1977 under the editorship of Judy-Lynn del Rey and her husband, author Lester del Rey. Today, th ...
produced three variant covers: the standard edition is white, featuring Thrawn's face split by the spine; the
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-exclusive edition has the same cover design in black, with a double-sided pull out poster that has a Thrawn portrait on one side and the Del Rey novel timeline on the other; and the ''Star Wars'' Celebration limited edition has a textless cover with Thrawn's full face, the portrait on the back cover, and special end papers.


Reception

''
The Verge ''The Verge'' is an American Technology journalism, technology news website headquarters, headquartered in Lower Manhattan, New York City and operated by Vox Media. The website publishes news, feature stories, guidebooks, product reviews, cons ...
'' said that the book "a welcome resurrection of one of the extended universe’s brightest points." ''
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'' wrote: "Overall, Thrawn takes some familiarities, expands them, and paints an intimate portrait that gives new life to a beloved character." ''
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'' compared the novel to other recent ''Star Wars'' books: "Zahn is simply a better storyteller with a better handle on his characters and his plots than we’ve seen in a while." ''
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'' gave a mixed review and said that "the novel gets dragged down by its own pacing".


Comic adaptation

In July 2017,
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
announced that a comic book miniseries adaptation of ''Thrawn'' is scheduled for release in early 2018. The first issue was released on February 14, 2018, with five more to follow on a monthly basis.


Sequels


''Thrawn: Alliances''

A sequel to ''Thrawn'', titled '' Thrawn: Alliances'', was announced during
New York Comic Con The New York Comic Con is an annual New York City fan convention dedicated to comics, Western comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, cosplay, toys, Film, movies, and television. It was first held in 2006. With an attendance of 200,00 ...
in October 2017. The novel was scheduled to be released on June 26, 2018, but was later delayed to July 24, 2018. The cover artwork was revealed in November 2017, and an excerpt was released on the official ''Star Wars ''website on March 23, 2018. The excerpt was the first canon appearance of the planet Batuu, which was featured in ''Star Wars'': Galaxy's Edge, the new theme park expansion at
Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...
and
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, in 2019. ''Thrawn: Alliances'' was released by Del Rey Books on July 24, 2018, and debuted at #1 on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list. ''Thrawn: Alliances'' focuses on Thrawn's partnership with
Darth Vader Darth Vader () is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was first introduced in the original film trilogy as the primary antagonist and one of the leaders of the Galactic Empire. He has become one of the most iconic villain ...
, whom he meets at the conclusion of ''Thrawn''. In the novel, Grand Admiral Thrawn and Darth Vader are sent on a mission to the unknown regions to explore a disturbance in
the Force The Force is a Metaphysics, metaphysical, mysterious, and Energy (esotericism), ubiquitous power in the ''Star Wars'' Universe of Star Wars, fictional universe. Characters refer to the Force as an energy that interconnects all things in the univer ...
felt by Emperor
Palpatine Sheev Palpatine ( ) is the main antagonist of the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He first appeared in the 1980 film ''The Empire Strikes Back'' as . He is also known by his Sith name, Darth Sidious, which was first used in the novelization of the 199 ...
. The mission is more than that, however, as Thrawn's split loyalties between the
Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
and his native people the Chiss and Vader's past as a
Jedi Jedi (), Jedi Knights, or collectively the Jedi Order are fictional characters, and often protagonists, featured in many works within the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Working symbiotically alongside the Galactic Republic, the Jedi Order is depic ...
require a test of loyalty for both. The book also features flashbacks to a
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 ...
conflict featuring Thrawn and Anakin Skywalker.


''Thrawn: Treason''

In December 2018, it was announced that Timothy Zahn would write and publish another ''Thrawn'' sequel, titled '' Thrawn: Treason''. The novel was released by Del Rey Books on July 23, 2019, and debuted at #5 on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list. The novel explores the crisis Thrawn encounters when he discovers that his people are in peril, forcing him to choose between loyalty to the Empire or loyalty to the Chiss Ascendancy.


Prequels

At the 2019 New York Comic Con, a new prequel trilogy from Zahn was announced to launch with ''Book I: Chaos Rising'' in May 2020. After being delayed twice, the first novel was ultimately released on September 1, 2020. In October 2020 a sequel to ''Chaos Rising'' was announced, titled ''Greater Good'', which was released on 27 April 2021. On April 1, 2020, the final novel in the ''Thrawn Ascendency'' trilogy was announced, titled ''Lesser Evil'', which was released on November 16, 2021.


References


External links

* {{Star Wars Rebels 2017 American novels 2017 science fiction novels Star Wars novels Del Rey books Novels by Timothy Zahn Star Wars Rebels Thrawn