Thrawn (novel)

Thrawn is a novel written by Timothy Zahn. The novel is about the character Thrawn, who was canonically reintroduced in the third season of Star Wars Rebels. Zahn was the creator of the original character in the author's Thrawn Trilogy. The novel was released on April 11, 2017.

Publisher's summary
'"I study the art of war. Work to perfect it." &mdash;Grand Admiral Thrawn'

One of the most cunning and ruthless warriors in the history of the Galactic Empire, Grand Admiral Thrawn is also one of the most captivating characters in the Star Wars'' universe. From his introduction in bestselling author Timothy Zahn's classic Heir to the Empire, through his continuing adventures in Dark Force Rising, The Last Command, and beyond, Grand Admiral Thrawn has earned an iconic status among Star Wars ' greatest villains. But Thrawn's origins and the story of his rise in the Imperial ranks have remained mysterious. Now, in Star Wars: Thrawn, Timothy Zahn chronicles the fateful events that launched the blue-skinned, red-eyed master of military strategy and lethal warfare into the highest realms of power&mdash;and infamy.''

''After Thrawn is rescued from exile by Imperial soldiers, his deadly ingenuity and keen tactical abilities swiftly capture the attention of Emperor Palpatine. And just as quickly, Thrawn proves to be as indispensable to the Empire as he is ambitious; as devoted as its most loyal servant, Darth Vader; and a brilliant warrior never to be underestimated. On missions to rout smugglers, snare spies, and defeat pirates, he triumphs time and again&mdash;even as his renegade methods infuriate superiors while inspiring ever greater admiration from the Empire. As one promotion follows another in his rapid ascension to greater power, he schools his trusted aide, Ensign Eli Vanto, in the arts of combat and leadership, and the secrets of claiming victory. But even though Thrawn dominates the battlefield, he has much to learn in the arena of politics where ruthless administrator Arihnda Pryce holds the power to be a potent ally or a brutal enemy.''

All these lessons will be put to the ultimate test when Thrawn rises to admiral&mdash;and must pit all the knowledge, instincts, and battle forces at his command against an insurgent uprising that threatens not only innocent lives but also the Empire's grip on the galaxy&mdash;and his own carefully laid plans for future ascendancy.

First contact
The novel opens with a brief flashback prologue on Mitth'raw'nuruodo reflecting on his purported exile from the Chiss Ascendancy. In the present, the Imperial Cadet First Class Eli Vanto is part of an Imperial scouting party led by Colonel Mosh Barris and Captain Voss Parck that is scouting an uncharted world in the Unknown Regions. They discover a hut which show signs of recent habitation. While exploring the site, the Imperial scouting party comes under attack from a mysterious assailant, who claims the lives of five Imperial Navy troopers and a stormtrooper.

After returning to the Venator-class Star Destroyer Strikefast, Captain Parck realizes that the assailant has stowed aboard their transport. He orders the lights in the hangar to be dimmed. As expected, the castaway emerges and surrenders to the stormtroopers. Eli recognizes the castaway as a Chiss, a blue-skinned humanoid species considered to be the stuff of legends on his Wild Space homeworld of Lysatra. Since he can speak Sy Bisti, Eli acts as a translator between his Imperial superiors and the castaway, who identifies himself as Mitth'raw'nuruodo or Thrawn).

While undergoing interrogation, Thrawn claims that he was exiled by his people for opposing preemptive attacks. He also reveals how he outsmarted the Imperial scouting forces on the uncharted world. Thrawn also admits attacking and killing Imperial personnel in order to test the mettle of the Empire. Thrawn claims that he came to seek the Empire's help to protect his people from various unmentioned dangers in the Unknown Regions. In private, Parck commends Eli for his services and appoints him as Thrawn's translator. While Thrawn knows Galactic Basic, he is not fluent in that tongue. Parck decides to take Thrawn to Coruscant, believing that the Emperor Palpatine will be interested in meeting the Chiss warrior. During the journey, Eli takes the opportunity to meet with Thrawn and learn more about the enigmatic alien.

Eli accompanies his Imperial superiors and Thrawn to the Imperial Palace, where they are granted an audience by the Emperor himself. Claiming that there are threats lurking in the Unknown Regions, Thrawn offers his knowledge and skills to the Empire. Thrawn also offers to serve the Empire in return for receiving a guarantee of protection for his people. Thrawn also expresses interest in meeting Anakin Skywalker, another servant of the Emperor when he was still Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic. The Emperor claims that Skywalker did not survive the Clone Wars. The Emperor accepts Thrawn's offer to serve as his adviser on the Unknown Regions. Thrawn also convinces the Emperor to permanently reassign Eli as his translator, much to his discomfort.

Pryce's window
On the Outer Rim world of Lothal, Arihnda Pryce helps her father Talmoor and mother Elainye Pryce to manage Pryce Mining, which operates a doonium mine used to supply metals for the Imperial Navy's starships. Arihnda rebuffs an offer by Arik Uvis, who has come on behalf of Governor Ryder Azadi to buy up a 21 percent stake in Pryce Mining. Governor Azadi retaliates by fabricating trumped up embezzlement charges against Arihnda's mother Elainye. After conferring with her father Talmoor, Arihnda seeks the help of Senator Domus Renking. Renking agrees to get the charges against Elainye dropped in return for Arihnda signing the rights of the mine over to the Empire. As a sop, Renking offers Arihnda a job at a Lothalian citizen assistance office on Coruscant. Seeking to experience life in the Core Worlds, Arihnda accepts Renking's bargain.

Imperial orientation
Since Eli Vanto is only three months away from graduating from the Myomar Academy, the Emperor orders that he be reassigned to the Royal Imperial Academy on Coruscant with Thrawn. At the Royal Imperial Academy, Thrawn and Eli are greeted by a dismissive Commandant Deenlark, who regards the former as an alien and the latter as a "backwater yokel." Since Thrawn is a "fancy-face soldier", Deenlark assigns him the rank of lieutenant and gives him three months to come up to speed before commissioning. While adjusting to their new surroundings, Deenlark briefs Thrawn about the xenophobic and regional prejudices within the Imperial military establishment. The two are aware that the predominantly Core Worlds student body despises them for being outsiders.

Back at the Royal Imperial Academy, Thrawn endures harassment from the Imperial cadets. His only true friend is Eli Vanto. After some discussion, the two decide to accept Spenc Orbar and Rosita Turuy's invitation play cards at the metallurgy lab. Thrawn suspects that it is a trap but is determined to learn about his opponents. Thrawn beats Orbar and Turuy in a game of cards before being kicked out by an instructor. While teaching Eli some combat moves, the two cadets are ambushed by three hooded assailants. Thrawn manages to wound the leg of one of the assailants before other cadets discover the commotion.

Development
Thrawn was first announced at Celebration Europe 2016, as part of the revelation that Grand Admiral Thrawn would be appearing in the third season of the animated television series Star Wars Rebels. The novel was announced in a video from Timothy Zahn, the novel's author and the creator of the original character from Star Wars Legends. Shortly after the novel's announcement, Zahn revealed on his Facebook page that he had finished the first draft of the novel, and would be sending it to Del Rey and Lucasfilm Ltd. for their input.

Continuity
Thrawn covers the course of several years, starting with the first time Thrawn encountered the Galactic Empire and ending just before the start of Star Wars Rebels Season Three. In an interview with StarWars.com, Zahn revealed that he was including some minor references to his past Legends stories that included Thrawn, but nothing too blatant.

The first chapter and part of the second were adapted from the Legends short story Mist Encounter, first published in 1995. There are two main differences: firstly, the character of Booster Terrik is left out of the novel, although Captain Parck still refers to chasing smugglers as their reason for investigating the planet; secondly, the character of Eli Vanto is added. Vanto acts as the point-of-view character instead of Colonel Barris and translates for Thrawn's Sy Bisti instead of Thrawn immediately speaking Basic.

Editions

 * ISBN 9780345511270; April 11, 2017; Del Rey; US hardcover
 * ISBN 9780425287071; April 11, 2017; Del Rey; Barnes & Noble Exclusive Edition
 * ISBN 9780345542847; April 11, 2017; Del Rey; US eBook
 * ISBN 9780425287095; April 13, 2017; Del Rey; Star Wars Celebration Orlando 2017 Limited Edition