Timothy Zahn is what the future of Star Wars needs
By Chris Dixon
Author Timothy Zahn recently revealed his most recent Star Wars novel, Thrawn: Alliances, debuted at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list. Zahn is an excellent author who not only brings good stories and writing to the galaxy, he also is responsible for some of them most popular elements.
Recently, author Timothy Zahn took to Facebook to reveal Thrawn: Alliances would debut on top of the New York Times Bestsellers list. It’s exciting because his work hasn’t hit #1 since the 1991 release of Heir to the Empire, which is largely responsible for revitalizing Star Wars and giving us some of the Expanded Universe’s most popular characters.
It was because of this, many hardcore fans were upset when Disney announced it would all be re-branded as Legends and purged from the official canon. At the same time, it was noted Legends elements could find their way back into canon.
One of the highest characters on everyone’s wishlist was Grand Admiral Thrawn, who is one of the greatest villains in the Star Wars universe. Whereas the face of the franchise, Darth Vader was known for his ruthlessness and brutality, Thrawn was a more cold and calculating character. He was strategic and intelligent.
The Star Wars sequel trilogy has villains, but no one really stands out. General Hux is no Grand Moff Tarkin, Kylo Ren is no Darth Vader, and Supreme Leader Snoke is no Emperor Palpatine. This is less nostalgia talking and more the characters lacking any intriguing development.
What if we saw Thrawn in the sequel trilogy’s finale? Snoke’s apparent death opens the opportunity for another threat to enter.
Star Wars needs more of what Timothy Zahn brought to the table. Characters like Gilad Pellaeon, Talon Karrde, Thrawn and Mara Jade would add a great deal to the universe again. There’s an even greater opening for Mara Jade in the sequel trilogy at this point.
We see Jacen Solo as Darth Caedus to a degree in Kylo Ren and Rey could become a parallel of Jaina Solo, but it’s still not the same.
The Last Jedi sent fans into a state of civil war, but Zahn’s work has earned a lot of love and respect. There’s no doubt those behind Episode IX know what they’re doing, but elements from the Legends universe should be incorporated.
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Give us more Thrawn, bring back Mara Jade Skywalker, give an appearance to Rukh and the noghri.
Thrawn: Alliances landing #1 on the New York Times bestsellers list should tell the powers that be all they need to know about what Star Wars fans really want.