Thrawn’s New Star Wars Origin Explained: How It Fits Canon & Legends

Legendary Star Wars author Timothy Zahn has finally revealed the true origin story of Grand Admiral Thrawn – and it’s one that fits with both Legends and the Disney canon. Star Wars has always been a transmedia franchise, with the first Star Wars novel – Alan Dean Foster’s Splinter of the Mind’s Eye – published in 1978, before The Empire Strikes Back had even been released. But it wasn’t until 1991 that the Expanded Universe really began, with the publication of Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire. The first book in a trilogy, this was set after the events of Return of the Jedi, with a resurgent Empire led by Grand Admiral Thrawn. It was an absolute hit, reigniting interest in Star Wars and even introducing elements of lore that made their way into George Lucas’ prequel trilogy – notably the city-planet of Coruscant.

Disney rendered the old Expanded Universe non-canon when they acquired Lucasfilm back in 2012, branding all that content “Legends.” Since then, though, they’ve been picking the best bits from the EU and reintegrating them into their new canon; Grand Admiral Thrawn is the perfect example, an alien Imperial leader who was brought back into canon as a villain in Star Wars Rebels, and who has been starring in a range of novels written by none other than Timothy Zahn himself. What’s more, there have been hints Thrawn will be returning in a live-action form pretty soon; The Mandalorian season 2 revealed former Jedi Ahsoka Tano was hunting for him, at the same time as an Imperial resurgent in the galaxy. It’s not hard to join the dots; it looks as though Lucasfilm is preparing their own version of the “Thrawn trilogy.”

Zahn’s novels have been subtly rewriting Grand Admiral Thrawn’s origin story, however. He’s just finished his latest trilogy, “Thrawn: Ascendancy,” and it finally confirms previous hints that Thrawn joined the Empire as part of a secret mission for his people, the Chiss. Given Thrawn’s likely future role in the Disney+ TV shows, this retcon could be particularly important.

Grand Admiral Thrawn’s New Origin Story Revealed

Grand Admiral Thrawn hails from the Unknown Regions of Star Wars‘ galaxy, described as an “unexplored infinity… closed off by a labyrinth of solar storms, rogue magnetospheres, black holes, gravity wells, and things far stranger.” The blue-skinned, red-eyed Chiss are one of the most important races in the Unknown Regions, notable for their defensive attitude; they will only use their weapons in defense, and members of the Chiss military – including their so-called “Expansionary Defense Fleet” – are forbidden from acts of aggression. Thrawn was a high-ranking member of the EDF, a tactical genius with a skill for seeing what even other Chiss could not, but his philosophy was rather more aggressive. Until now, it had generally been believed Thrawn was exiled from the Chiss due to a scandalous act of aggression, and was discovered stranded on an alien planet by the Empire, with Palpatine immediately curious about this strange new being.

According to Thrawn: Ascendancy: Lesser Evil, Thrawn was never truly exiled at all. It’s true his actions caused a political stir, but military leaders in the Ascendancy – concerned about the Empire, sensing they could be a potential ally against the threats they faced in the Unknown Regions – deliberately manipulated Chiss politicians into exiling Thrawn on a planet they believed the Empire would visit; in fact, the Chiss even had a secret scout watching to ensure their agent was picked up. Thrawn had encountered Anakin Skywalker once before, on the fringes of the Unknown Regions, and he name-dropped the Jedi, catching the attention of Emperor Palpatine himself. Palpatine was particularly interested in Thrawn’s knowledge of the Unknown Regions – he was aware of Jedi and Sith worlds hidden in the Unknown Regions, and sought to claim their power for himself – so he saw a useful tool in Thrawn. And so the Chiss agent rose through the ranks of the Empire, becoming the only alien Grand Admiral.

Grand Admiral Thrawn’s New Backstory Fits With Both Legends & Canon

Timothy Zahn is rightly considered one of the best Star Wars authors, and his Grand Admiral Thrawn retcon is the perfect demonstration of his skill. The genius of this retcon is that it fits perfectly with both Legends and the Disney era; in fact, in terms of legends it rather helps explain how the Grand Admiral accumulated a mysterious powerbase known as the Hand of Thrawn, dedicated to protecting the Unknown Regions from the marauding threat of the Yuuzhan Vong. According to this retcon, the Grand Admiral’s attention was always on the Unknown Regions, and he would have been ferrying war materiel there for decades.

Lucasfilm doesn’t seem especially interested in returning to the old Expanded Universe, so that’s probably just a bonus. More important is the fact this retcon has profound implications for Grand Admiral Thrawn’s role in the modern Star Wars saga; it means he never actually committed to the Empire, and in fact always intended to return to his home in the Unknown Regions when the time was right. Star Wars Rebels ended with Thrawn’s flagship blasted into the depths of the Unknown Regions with Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger aboard. Viewers have long wondered why Thrawn took so long to return, but this retcon means he had no reason to, because he’d been sent him. Only Force-sensitives can navigate the Unknown Regions, using a Force power called “Skywalking,” and thus ironically Ezra’s presence on the flagship would have been very helpful indeed for the Grand Admiral.

All this makes Thrawn’s apparent return in The Mandalorian era all the more curious. Presumably something has happened out in the Unknown Regions, something that has forced Thrawn to return to the Empire and attempt to restore its military might. If this is the case, then Lucasfilm may not be planning a straightforward adaptation of the “Thrawn trilogy” at all. Instead, they could have something far more sophisticated in mind, something that will make the story told on Disney+ unlike anything in the history of Star Wars.

About The Author

Thomas Bacon
(4916 Articles Published)

Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers, as well as a Peer Mentor for new writers and a member of the Care Team, offering support and a listening ear to members of the Comics group. A lifelong fan of major franchises including Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Marvel, Tom is delighted his childhood is back – and this time it’s cool. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon.

A graduate of Edge Hill University, Tom remains strongly connected with his alma mater as a volunteer chaplain. He’s heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he’s into British politics too.

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