A look at Star Wars: Thrawn on the eve of Thrawn: Alliances release

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Jul 23, 2018

With Thrawn: Alliances coming out on Tuesday, don’t forget to read Star Wars: Thrawn to start the trilogy.

We’re just one day away from the release of Thrawn: Alliances, the second part of a trilogy written by Timothy Zahn. But if you haven’t read Star Wars: Thrawn, the first book of the series, now is the time to pick up the thrilling title.

The first book – and subsequent comic adaptation – re-introduced Thrawn back into the Star Wars canon. He was part of what is now dubbed the Legends era of books that came before Disney took over Lucasfilm. But he returned in Star Wars: Rebels and we got a trilogy to bring him back into the fold.

Star Wars: Thrawn, which released in 2017, showcased what a dynamic character Thrawn is. While he infiltrates the Empire – and infiltrate is the best way to put it – he doesn’t quite fit in. It’s not just the blue skin and red eyes, but the way he tries to limit the amount of damage and casualties in his wake. That doesn’t sound like the Empire, but it’s what makes him so compelling.

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We generally root for the ‘good guys’ but when it comes to Thrawn in the first book, we don’t actually know where he stands. We learn that he is mostly on the side of his race, the Chiss. He becomes a member of the Empire’s military in an effort to figure out if they are a threat to his people.

Hey, spoiler alert: they are. They always are.

However, the good that he does as he completes tasks for the Empire can’t be dismissed, even if he does them in unorthodox ways. He cleans up problems in not so messy ways using logic and skill to get the most desired outcome.

Star Wars: Thrawn is a great read and gets into the background of Thrawn’s character and how he ended up on Lothal. Essentially, politics is not Thrawn’s strong suit. As he gets higher in the rankings, he realizes that he needs someone in that area to help, if not for him then for his aide and partner Eli.

Eli, who was paired with Thrawn because he could act as translator, saw his career derailed while Thrawn moved higher and higher in the ranks. It was all for political reasons. Since Thrawn was a favorite of the emperor, political leaders knew they couldn’t touch him, however, they could affect those around him like Eli.

Next: There’s Not Enough Padmé In Our Lives, and Thrawn: Alliances Will Fix That

That’s where Arhinda Pryce comes in. Pryce is a new character to the Star Wars world and explains her role in Star Wars: Rebels.

The books always tend to add more context than what we see on screen. While Thrawn and Pryce were a big part of Star Wars: Rebels, it’s a good idea to pick up the book to see the layers and dimensions added to the characters.

With Thrawn: Alliances coming out on Tuesday, it’s not too late to check out Star Wars: Thrawn.

Pick up Star Wars: Thrawn and Thrawn: Alliances on Amazon.

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