Few villains in Star Wars have made an impression like Grand Admiral Thrawn. Introduced in the Expanded Universe (EU) in the early ’90s, the blue-skinned Chiss stood apart from the likes of Darth Vader. He was more subtle with cool, calculating, and ruthless qualities. Thrawn moved from Legends into canon with season three of Star Wars Rebels, and so far, the animated series has showcased the best and worst aspects of Thrawn. We’ll undoubtedly learn more with the release of Star Wars: Thrawn by Timothy Zahn.

The novel focuses on Thrawn’s rise to power, from his exile to attaining the rank of Grand Admiral. USA Today shared the first excerpt from the book (it’s from chapter two) on Thursday, and I’m getting happy chills from the text. It’s fitting since Zahn was the author behind creating Thrawn way back in the EU days. The selection brings readers into the first meeting between Thrawn and Palpatine when Thrawn has to essentially sell himself to the Emperor:

“What more do I offer? I offer my military skill. You could utilize that skill in making plans to seek out and eliminate these dangers.”

He has military skill in spades. Though Thrawn was exiled from his people, he wants to work with the Empire in order to gain possible assistance from them in protecting them in the Unknown Regions. His loyalty shines through; it’s one admirable thing about the character. And side note: if you’ve read Empire’s End by Chuck Wendig, you know Thrawn’s knowledge of the Unknown Regions pays off.

The real stickler of the excerpt though? Thrawn has had some sort of contact with Anakin Skywalker and knows that Anakin is Darth Vader. Boom. Mic drop.

Will you be adding Thrawn to your to-read list when it’s out on April 11? If you’ve read the Thrawn trilogy, which traits do you hope to see in the character? Sound off in the comments.

Images: Disney XD and Del Rey