Celebrated Star Wars novelist Timothy Zahn is back, and he’s bringing with him an all-new canonical tale centered around one of the best greatest villains in the galaxy, with Star Wars: Thrawn….
The character of Grand Admiral Thrawn has been a Star Wars fan favorite since 1991 when he first appeared in author Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire. Zahn went on to write two more books in the series which would be later called the Thrawn Trilogy — Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command.
Sadly, when Disney acquired the rights to Lucasfilm, the Thrawn trilogy — along with all the rest of the Star Wars Expanded Universe — was relegated to the new Star Wars Legends category and officially designated as non-canon.
All hope for a canonical appearance of Grand Admiral Thrawn seemed lost until Dave Filoni decided to resurrect the character and bring him into the new Star Wars canon by making him the big bad villain of Star Wars Rebels season 3.
Now, author Timothy Zahn is back with an all-new Star Wars canonical novel centering around the blue skinned, red eyed Chiss himself, in Star Wars: Thrawn. Gone are the old storylines of the Thrawn Trilogy, replaced by a new timeline with new connections to some of the Star Wars universe’s most beloved characters.
Image Credit: Del Rey Books
USA Today just revealed an exclusive look at an excerpt from Star Wars: Thrawn, and it ends with a rather surprising twist. Check it out:
"“My word is my guarantee,” Thrawn said. “Perhaps your servant can speak to the strength of that vow.”“My servant?” the Emperor asked, his eyes flicking to Parck.“I do not refer to Captain Parck,” Thrawn said. “I speak of another. Perhaps I assumed incorrectly that he was your servant. Yet, he always spoke highly of Chancellor Palpatine.”The Emperor leaned forward a little, his yellowish eyes glittering. “And his name?”“Skywalker,” Thrawn said. “Anakin Skywalker.”"
Well now, this is certainly a pleasant surprise. Star Wars fans will be able to follow Thrawn’s rise in the Imperial Navy, from an unknown Chiss soldier to the Grand Admiral who strikes fear in the hearts of the Rebellion. And, as you can see, this new canonical version of Thrawn actually new Anakin Skywalker before he became Darth Vader, and by referring to him as Palpatine’s servant, it can be assumed that Thrawn also knows Vader was once Skywalker.
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You can read the entire excerpt from Star Wars: Thrawn by visiting USA Today, and the novel will be available in April. Are you excited to get your hands on it? Let’s discuss in the comments below.