Star Wars: Thrawn Excerpt Appears To Namedrop A Jedi From The Clone Wars

An excerpt from the first chapter of Star Wars: Thrawn by Timothy Zahn shows off Thrawn’s intelligence as well as namedrops a Jedi from The Clone Wars.

Thrawn throws off the Empire’s guard from the very beginning, as an excerpt from the first chapter of his upcoming novel reveals.

In an exclusive excerpt of Star Wars: Thrawn from Daily Express, Thrawn has his first (or one of his first) encounter with the Empire. Three Imperial officers speak with him. The first is Eli, the character who introduces Thrawn to Emperor Palpatine in an excerpt released by USA Today. The second is Parck, Eli’s commanding officer and the captain of the ship. The final Imperial is not described physically; but her or his name, Barris, is curiously similar to the name of one fans of The Clone Wars series are familiar with.

That character is Barriss Offee: a Jedi who sabotaged the Jedi Temple in The Clone Wars series and then tried to frame Ahsoka Tano for her crimes. Daily Express spells the name as “Barris,” but the missing “s” could simply be a typo. The spellings are just too similar to discount as coincidental.

Image Credit: Lucasfilm

Whoever she or he is, Barris in the excerpt is not described physically, nor does she or he speak. Barris is only mentioned twice: the first time as a part of the group going to meet Thrawn, the second time when she/he glares at Eli for speaking out of turn. There is nothing but the name to suggest this character is Barriss Offee. But that may be the point: Lucasfilm may not want to confirm that Barriss joined the Empire until Thrawn releases in April.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Barriss joined the Empire. During the Clone Wars era, she thought her fellow Jedi were corrupt for taking part in the war. At the same time, however, she herself resorted to violence by sabotaging the Jedi Temple. It probably wouldn’t take much work on Emperor Palpatine’s or Vader’s part to persuade such a misguided individual to take up their cause.

Image Credit: Del Rey Books

As for Thrawn, he is as disarming as ever, as befits him for his first encounter with the arrogant Empire. His appearance is not yet as regal as his crisp white uniform on the book’s cover above. Instead of military dress, he wears skins and hides. He also admits to being more comfortable speaking a language called Sy Bisti instead of Basic. But none of these facts take away from his intelligence, which is blatantly clear to the three Imperials present.

To read the full excerpt, head to Daily Express.

Next: Read The First Excerpt Of Star Wars: Thrawn By Timothy Zahn

Star Wars: Thrawn by Timothy Zahn releases in hardback and e-book formats on April 11.