There have been only a few authors who’ve written in the
Expanded Universe that is Star Wars that can be said truly understand what
George Lucas created and expand upon it, giving us a more in-depth look into
the franchise, give us very realistic characters and stories that don’t rely on
so much magic, coincidence, and convenience.
When Timothy Zahn helped re-launch the dormant Star Wars
universe back in 1991, his Thrawn trilogy was highly regarded. Of course, until
then, Zahn was a highly successful science fiction writer, so while stepping in
the space opera world of Luke, Han, Leia, the Empire and everything else was
fairly easy for him, he was able to make his stories resonant. He was able to
set himself above some the other tales that would spin out over the next twenty-five
years.
While the character was killed off in The Last Command, Zahn would
continue over the next two decades to keep the character alive, writing a
sequel to the Thrawn Trilogy (Specter of the Past, Vision of the Future) along
tales that used his visage for nefarious uses (Survivor’s Quest, Outbound
Flight). The character would also pop up a few times in other writers stories, as well
With his latest duology, Zahn has given us an even greater look into
the Chiss Admiral and his actions with the Emperor and Darth Vader.
Thrawn: Alliances gives us, essentially, two tales set years apart, but
are essentially two sides of one coin. The first part opens a time after
Thrawn's appearance in season three of the TV series Rebels- prior to A New
Hope. The second part set somewhere after season 5 of the TV series The Clone Wars -between
Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. This allows Thrawn to team up with Darth Vader
and Anakin Skywalker.
“On Batuu, at the edges of the Unknown Regions, a threat
to the Empire is taking root -its existence little more than a glimmer, its
consequences as yet unknowable. But it is troubling enough to the Imperial
leader to warrant investigation by his most powerful agents: ruthless enforcer
Lord Darth Vader and brilliant strategist Grand Admiral Thrawn. Fierce rivals
for the emperor's favor, and outspoken adversaries on Imperial affairs -including
the Death Star project- the formidable pair seem unlikely partners for such a
crucial mission. But the Emperor knows it's not the first time Vader and Thrawn
have joined forces. And there's more behind his royal command than either man
suspects. In what seems like a lifetime ago, General Anakin Skywalker of the
Galactic Republic, and Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo, officer of the Chiss
Ascendancy, crossed paths for the first time. One on a desperate personal quest,
the other with motives unknown . . . and undisclosed. But facing a gauntlet of
dangers on a far-flung world, they forged an uneasy alliance -neither remotely
aware of what their futures held in store. Now, thrust together once more, they
find themselves bound again for the planet where they once fought side by side.
There they will be doubly challenged -by a test of their allegiance to the
Empire . . . and an enemy that threatens even their combined might.”
These two books offer some more wonderfully insightful look into Thrawn
and his purpose to both the Empire and his allegiance to the Chiss Ascendency.
Thrawn has always been complex, a non-human who straddles the fence between the
Empire’s iron-fisted rule and his own belief system, but here we get an deeper
look into what he’s willing to do to help his own people. Also, we get a great
look into Anakin Skywalker, who remains impatient and bratty that we all saw in
Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith (not unlikable, but certainly childish). But like two sides of any coin,
we get to see another side of Darth Vader that is rarely described in such
wonder -his own internal conflict to keep his past identity that must be
kept secret, but his effort to disassociate from that past identity. This battle of wills with himself gives
another window into the world of the character, and deepens the conflict Luke
senses in Return of the Jedi. Vader has always been portrayed in a no-nonsense
sort of way, which can make him one dimensional, but under the steady hand of
Zahn we see that the character is more than the sum of his parts.
The pacing between the two timelines is well handled and never ends up
being a distraction to the narrative. And while the Padmé sub-plot is
interesting, it does plod along slowly –but that may have to do with her and
Anakin being separated for so long. She remains a well constructed character
and you see the DNA that Leia will build upon decades later, but it is just a
plot device, predictable and somewhat pointless. Still, since Thrawn has now
been folded into the new Disney Expanded Universe, even this device will be
used in later books and TV series.
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