“After Mitth'raw'nuruodo –or 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—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 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—and
his own carefully laid plans for future ascendancy. “
Out of all the books that came out post Return of the
Jedi, everything that encompassed what became known as the Star Wars Expanded
Universe, Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last
Command remain many fans favorite series of books (and where the first ones as
well). And a lot has to do with Thrawn, who became one of the most captivating
villains the EU ever unleashed. But while he was an exciting new character at a
time when Star Wars was in need of revitalization, not much of Thrawn’s past
was revealed in those three earlier books. And for many fans, that hope was
diced when Disney acquired Lucasfilm and the Mouse House announced not only a
new trilogy of films, but the old Expanded Universe books would be abandoned
(though never gone, as they would be rebranded as “LEGENDS”) for a new
canon-approved novels that would adhere to a continuity never done before (as with
most external media like novels and games associated with franchise, they sat “outside”
the TV or movie universe).
But over the years, some elements of the old EU began to
pop up in the new canon approved books (or what I call Expanded Universe 2.0).
Some situations, some minor elements began to be added and since both animated
series The Clone Wars and Rebels were considered canon, this became the perfect
arena to reintroduce Thrawn. And so, in the third season opener of Rebels in
2016, Thrawn was folded into the new official Star Wars Canon.
This also allowed Timothy Zahn to revisit and give us an
origin story of the Chiss admiral.
Star Wars: Thrawn is a good novel, well paced and very
fun to learn of Mitth'raw'nuruodo beginnings. For me, I really never saw Thrawn
as villainous –he’s not evil per se, just ruthless in his pursuit of his
tactical goals (you can tell Zahn has read many, upon many military tactical
books). Yes, he’s deceptive, always a step-ahead of everyone else (and is secretive),
but he’s truly more antagonist to both the humans-only Imperial Fleet and the rebels
than say a killer. Another words, it forces everyone to bring their A game when
dealing with him. This, I think, makes him more relatable. I also liked the
idea, though it’s not blatant, the dislike the (and maybe racist) the Imperial
army has for Thrawn, who, as noted, is an outsider, blue, and who seems really
smarter than anyone else. The fact that his military strategy is unconventional
yet successful causes more discourse amongst everyone, from cadets to the
Imperial senate itself.
Even though these books –the second one was just released
on July 24, 2018- are designed to give readers a backstory to Thrawn and
explain his appearance in Rebels, my only issue is with the timeline. It seems
to cover about 10 to 12 years of his life, starting sometime after The Clone
Wars, but shortly before season three opener of Rebels. It is also mentioned
that Thrawn encountered Anakin Skywalker during the events of the Clone Wars, long
before he became Darth Vader (this is something that will be explored in the
next book, apparently) so how old is Thrawn and exactly when this takes place
further muddles the timeline here. And that’s odd, considering how much these
EU 2.0 is tied into the current Star Wars movie series and the ones destined to
come after episode IX in 2019.
But you really can’t hate Zahn’s prose and this tale. It
shines with everything long-time fans of the Thrawn Trilogy have ever wanted, along
with Easter Eggs and tying in these tales not only into animated series, but
the original novels that were released over 25 years ago.
No comments:
Post a Comment