Very few of the characters created for the Star Wars Expanded Universe have emerged intact in the post-Disney era at Lucasfilm. But Grand Admiral Thrawn is a rare exception who has not only returned in the new continuity with a major role in Star Wars Rebels season 3, he’s also headlining his own novel, Star Wars: Thrawn later this year. Thrawn’s creator, Timothy Zahn is returning for the new book, which will solidify Thrawn’s place in the new continuity. Now that the synopsis for the novel has been revealed, we’ve gotten a glimpse of Thrawn’s revised origin.
Via ComicBook.com, the novel’s description appears to slightly differ from Thrawn’s Expanded Universe backstory while chronicling his rise in the Empire.
“After Thrawn is rescued from exile by Imperial soldiers, his deadly ingenuity and keen tactical abilities swiftly capture the attention of Emperor Palpatine. And just as quickly, Thrawn proves to be as indispensable to the Empire as he is ambitious; as devoted as its most loyal servant, Darth Vader; and a brilliant warrior never to be underestimated. On missions to rout smugglers, snare spies, and defeat pirates, he triumphs time and again—even as his renegade methods infuriate superiors while inspiring ever greater admiration from the Empire. As one promotion follows another in his rapid ascension to greater power, he schools his trusted aide, Ensign Eli Vanto, in the arts of combat and leadership, and the secrets of claiming victory. But even though Thrawn dominates the battlefield, he has much to learn in the arena of politics where ruthless administrator Arihnda Pryce holds the power to be a potent ally or a brutal enemy.
All these lessons will be put to the ultimate test when Thrawn rises to admiral—and must pit all the knowledge, instincts, and battle forces at his command against an insurgent uprising that threatens not only innocent lives but also the Empire’s grip on the galaxy—and his own carefully laid plans for future ascendancy.â€
In the prior continuity, Thrawn became an exile from his people because he destroyed the Jedi expedition ship known as Outbound Flight at the behest of Palpatine. If Thrawn is merely “rescued from exile,” then that’s a big change. It also appears that the novel will be set before Thrawn’s appearances in Star Wars Rebels, since it only reaches Thrawn’s “rise to admiral” near the beginning of the rebellion. There may also be a hint of Thrawn’s larger ambitions, as it notes that he has “his own carefully laid plans for future ascendancy.” Could the future Grand Admiral have a master plan to seize the Empire for himself?
It’s not clear if any of Zahn’s other EU characters will appear in the book, but the author has suggested that there will be some Easter Eggs and references regarding his earlier Thrawn stories. Star Wars: Thrawn is scheduled to released on April 11.
Are you excited to learn more about Thrawn’s origins? And which additional EU characters would you like to see make their own comeback in the new continuity? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
Image: Del Rey
