Who Is Grand Admiral Thrawn?
Image Source: Cinema Blend
Grand Admiral Thrawn is a major villain in Star Wars and is someone you don’t want to mess with. He was first introduced in Timothy Zahn’s Heir To The Empire book, which is now considered Legends. Thrawn however has been reintroduced into canon, thanks to Star Wars Rebels, and even got a new book series, authored by Timothy Zahn once again. However, he is also the villain in the upcoming live-action Ahsoka series. For those who haven’t read the books, and haven’t watched Rebels, who exactly is Grand Admiral Thrawn?
Thrawn was born as Mitth’raw’nurudo but had a core name of Thrawn which is much easier to pronounce. He is a Chiss male, with blue skin and red eyes. The Chiss are quite secretive and reside in a part of the galaxy known as the Unknown Regions. He served as a male officer in the Chiss Ascendency, and later as a Grand Admiral in the Imperial Navy. Few are granted this title and is the highest rank you can get in the military without disturbing the Emporer's plans. Thrawn is well known as a brilliant and ruthless strategist. He believed that to achieve victory, you must know your enemy. This caused him to study the philosophy, art, and culture of his enemies.
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Image Source: Entertainment Weekly
Thrawn had a long military career. He started with the Expansionary Defense Fleet as part of the Chiss Ascendency. When the Galactic Republic reorganized into the Galactic Empire, Thrawn pledged his loyalty to Emperor Palpatine. Thrawn eventually meets, and partners with Eli Vanto, a boy from the planet Lysatra who was training to become an Imperial Supply Officer. Vanto was eager for adventure but knew the Empire punished those who strayed too far from their planned career paths. With the help of Eli Vanto, Thrawn was able to assimilate into galactic society and learned the Galactic Basic Standard. He also gave Vanto the adventure the boy so desperately craved, by tasking him with bringing returning Thrawn’s journal to the Chiss.
Grand Admiral Thrawn eventually served as commanding officer of the 7th Fleet. A few years after the start of the Galactic Civil War, Thrawn was deployed to the Lothal sector. He sought to defeat the rebels led by Captain Hera Syndulla, who he shared a rivalry with. He also shared a rivalry with Sabine Wren. Sabine is an artist who gave Thrawn something to study, hoping to tear the rebels apart. During his leadership, he proposed a new type of starfighter bomber, called a Tie Defender. It was set to be initially produced on Lothal and then mass-produced throughout the galaxy. Eventually, Thrawn is summoned by the Emperor himself and is recruited to join on a mission with Darth Vader.
During the mission, Thrawn worked with Vader’s first legion, and they successfully rescued force-sensitive Chiss girls that were held captive. Thrawn later took on a mission to defend the supply lines of Project Stardust. Thrawn returns to the Lothal sector to try and wipe out Hera Syndulla’s rebel force once and for all. Syndulla’s rebels confronted Thrawn’s forces, intending to liberate Lothal. Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger joined the fight and had the help of some Purgill, and with their service, Thrawn and Ezra are sent into deep space, with their whereabouts unknown.
Image Source: Nerdist
In the Ahsoka trailer, we get confirmation that Thrawn is indeed alive, and Ahsoka is looking for him. We first hear his name uttered in live action during season 2 of The Mandalorian where Ahsoka faces off with Thrawn’s protegee, Morgan Elsbeth. It also appears that Sabine and Ahsoka’s journey to find Ezra Bridger is still ongoing as well. While we don’t know how he survived or got back to the main parts of space, I have a feeling that will all be revealed when Ahsoka premieres on August 23rd.
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Source: Collider, Wookieepedia, Star Wars
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