The upcoming Ahsoka series will feature the live-action debut of the notorious Grand Admiral Thrawn, a blue-skinned Imperial officer with a legendary reputation. But many viewers of the series might wonder why other fans are making such a big deal out of his appearance, and it’s because he has a long history in Star Wars prior to this. As part of the leadup to Ahsoka, here are five things that you should know about Thrawn before you watch the show.
1. Thrawn is one of the most significant Star Wars characters ever created off-screen
An understanding of Thrawn’s character wouldn’t really be complete without going back to 1991. It’s hard to imagine today, in the golden age of Star Wars content, but there was a time where the future of the franchise was very much uncertain. Return of the Jedi released in 1983, concluding the trilogy of films, and while George Lucas produced a few Star Wars TV shows and movies in the next decade, they were met with middling success. But in 1991 two projects were released that would change the franchise forever. Timothy Zahn’s novel Heir to the Empire was released in May, while Tom Veitch’s comic Dark Empire kicked off in December. Both of them told stories about the original gang of heroes in the post-Endor world, and the latter saw the return of Palpatine (a tactic adapted for The Rise of Skywalker). But Heir to the Empire went a different route; rather than bringing back a familiar foe, Zahn introduced a new one: Grand Admiral Thrawn, having returned from the unknown regions to reunite the Imperial remnants and wage war against the New Republic – almost succeeding in it before his ultimate defeat.
The novel introduced some of the most beloved characters in all of Legends, but it was Thrawn who stood above them all and made the story work. A story about Luke, Leia, Han, and the gang in this time period was a fan’s dream come true, but it was really the fact that they were met with so formidable an opponent that made the story so compelling – especially since Thrawn was an entirely different kind of Star Wars villain. He didn’t use the Force; but he did use it to his advantage. He didn’t possess the brute strength to win, but he could out-smart the best of them. In contrast to the stony darkness of Palpatine or the fearsome rage of Vader, Thrawn was cool and calculated, meticulously studying his opponents to find their weakness. So to understand why Thrawn’s arrival in the series is so celebrated by Star Wars fans, this history must be understood. The Legends books became the driving way Star Wars stayed alive for a whole generation of fans, and it was the Thrawn trilogy (beginning with Heir to the Empire) that helped it find solid ground in the fandom.
2. As a Chiss, Thrawn faced an uphill climb to Imperial leadership
We’ll turn our attention now to the canon stories with Thrawn. His full name was actually Mitth’raw’nuruodo, but Thrawn for short, and he was a Chiss – a species with blue skin and red eyes who lived in the unknown regions. Thrawn served in the Chiss Ascendancy as a military officer, and at one point near the end of the Clone Wars a threat to his people drove Thrawn to seek answers in the galactic core – where he met Anakin Skywalker and teamed up with him on an investigative mission. That lurking threat (from a species known as the Grysk) later led Thrawn to the core again, where he was found by the Empire and aligned with them. His thinking was that the Empire was the only force strong enough to counter a rising threat, so he thought such a partnership would be beneficial to the Chiss Ascendancy. A meeting wiht Emperor Palpatine had the Emperor quite intrigued with Thrawn’s ability to help him better understand the unknown regions, but also the Emperor was impressed with his potential and skills.
As a new recruit in the Imperial navy Thrawn found it difficult to fit in and adapt. The Empire was overwhelmingly made up of human recruits and was significantly xenophobic, disliking and distrusting aliens. Thrawn endured opposition and mocking because of this, but he formed a friendship with another recruit, Eli Vanto, who helped him navigate these social and political circles that Thrawn found awkward. After graduating from the Imperial Academy, Thrawn was commissioned in the Imperial Navy and began rapidly ascending throughout the ranks, having success that was impossible to miss.
3. Thrawn was promoted to Grand Admiral and given command in the battle against the Phoenix Squadron
Thrawn was eventually promoted to Grand Admiral by Palpatine, making him one of the highest-ranking officers in the Imperial Military and the only (known) non-human to serve as a Grand Admiral in the Empire. Thrawn commanded the 7th fleet from his command ship, the Chimaera, and shortly after his promotion he was tasked by Grand Moff Tarkin with hunting down and eliminating the Phoenix group of rebels (led by Hera Syndulla, Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger, and others). Thrawn carefully studied the group’s movements and tactics, eventually discovering the location of their hideout. He launched a siege of the rebels at the Battle of Atollon and nearly wiped out their fleet, only being stopped by a rogue Imperial officer and a mysterious Force-sensitive being named the Bendu – who predicted Thrawn’s defeat in a cold embrace surrounded by many arms.
The rebels barely escaped after heavy losses, but Thrawn continued to pursue them. As he did so, he also devoted significant attention to his TIE Defender project. He had deduced the existence of the secret Death Star project and thought it was a waste of resources, thinking that the Empire should instead devote their resources to creating this new version of the TIE Fighter that was equipped with advanced weaponry, a hyperdrive, and deflector shields – making it the most advanced version of the Imperial ship in production.
4. Thrawn disappeared shortly before the Galactic Civil War – and we’ve not heard from him since
When Thrawn was summoned to Coruscant to plead his case before Palpatine regarding the TIE Defender, the rebels decided it was time to strike. They launched an attack in an effort to liberate Lothal, but Thrawn returned and began an orbital bombardment of the city. Ezra Bridger surrendered, but the Jedi summoned a group of Purrgil out of hyperspace. The Purrgil surrounded the Chimaera, with Thrawn and Ezra on board, and jumped into hyperspace, taking the ship and those on board somewhere into the unknown regions. And that is the last we’ve heard from Thrawn. But in Ahsoka we’ll see his return, a decade after he disappeared at the end of Rebels. The Mandalorian has already been hinting at this, with Captain Pellaeon saying that the Grand Admiral’s return was imminent.
5. Thrawn is a different kind of Star Wars villain
Whether that means Thrawn had already returned or was just getting ready to remains to be seen, but regardless it escalates the stakes for the New Republic considerably. Thrawn was as good a military tactician as any in the Empire, and he was one of their highest-ranking officers. He’s one of just two Grand Admirals known to have survived past the Civil War, with the other – Rae Sloane – being off somewhere unknown helping grow the seeds of the First Order with General Brendol Hux.
But what made Thrawn so formidable a villain is the fact that he would out-smart almost any opponent he faced. He had a particular fascination with art and meticulously studies the art of a species he faced, with the belief that he could learn all he needs to know by studying the culture of those he’s up against. Possessing a deep respect for cultures and opponents, Thrawn believed that in order to defeat an enemy he first had to understand them. He put this into practice many times, with tremendous success. The only way he lost battles was if something entirely unexpected happened, an extremely rare yet extremely frustrating development for a calculated leader like Thrawn.
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For more on what you need to know leading up to Ahsoka, check out these other articles in the series:
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