The recent development of the mando verse and revelation of the upcoming movie debut of Grand Admiral Thrawn means it was the right time to look at Timothy Zahn’s Original trilogy. Since 1991 with the publication of ‘Heir to the Empire’ Zahn’s antagonist has grown in popularity and stature to dominate the expanded universe leading to numerous follow up publications and a rich backstory. This success is based on Zahn’s skill as a writer and a clear understanding of the Star Wars fans of the era.

Characterisation

Throughout all his Star Wars novels Zahn has demonstrated an ability to craft interesting and complex characters. Thrawn is the most well-known example of this skill. From the outset Thrawn’s description creates a striking appearance which reinforces his standing and develops a sense of awe within the Empire itself as an alien despite Palpatine’s xenophobia. This is a concept clearly visible in Darth Vader’s appearance at the start of “A New Hope” as his physical appearance and actions distinguish him from the other villains in the film. In both cases the audience’s respect for these characters is reinforced by the way other characters act with deference and fear. This is established early in ‘Heir to the Empire’ through Captain Pellaeon’s reflections on Thrawn but is a continuous theme throughout the trilogy in all his interactions with other characters. Finally, the last element is an interesting backstory that creates a sense of mystery and leaves the audience wanting to read more to fill in the gaps. Thrawn’s revelation that he was responsible for the destruction of the Outbound flight is an example of the long game which leads to another later book while the relationship with the Noghri introduced early in the ‘Heir to the Empire’ is built throughout the trilogy and ends up as a key plot point. This method of characterisation is much the same for Mara Jade as the other memorable character from the series, who is established as an enigma through her interactions with Talon Karrde and has her own dark past as the ‘Emperor’s Hand’. Zahn’s understanding and skill at building these characters is therefore paramount for the status of Thrawn as part of the canon.

Understanding audience

It is not just Zahn’s writing that created a memorable character but a clear understanding of Star Wars fans during the 1990s and realisation that a new character was not going compete with Darth Vader. Instead of attempting to replace Vader, Zahn went down the opposite where Vader wields the power of the force with ruthless intent believing it the ultimate power in the universe Thrawn sees it as a tool that was overused by the Emperor and led to a dependence which brought about the defeat at Endor. This is reinforced throughout the plot of the Trilogy and Thrawn’s use of the insane clone C’Baoth by limiting the force through the ysalamiri. Similarly, while Vader acts impulsively once again Thrawn is a clear contrast as a cunning strategist using logic to predict the actions of his opponents and patiently studying their behavioural characteristics through art. Even their methods of commander are poles apart with Vader removing incompetent officers while Thrawn demonstrates a desire to teach and improve his men. It is Thrawn’s differences here that made him acceptable to Star Wars fans as he doesn’t seem like a poor imitation but something unique which was especially important writing less than 10 years after “Return of the Jedi’. It has not been until much later that nostalgia has really kicked in and we were given Kylo Ren in ‘The Force Awakens’ to a reasonable leave of success, although nostalgia only goes so far and his characterisation in later films and the redemption story ark became less appealing to many. Instead, the success of Rebels and subsequent books demonstrates that a different archetype that is well crafted has more longevity.

The result is we have a memorable and intense character that will hit our screens soon due initially to Zahn’s earliest work in the Star Wars franchise. So, make sure you do yourself a favour and meet the real Grand Admiral Thrawn, you will not be disappointed.

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