Grand Admiral Thrawn creator Timothy Zahn
Grand Admiral Thrawn (full name: Mitth'raw'nuruodo; born: Kivu'raw'nuru) is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He is notable for appearing as the eponymous character in the Thrawn trilogies of novels (1991–1993; 2017–2019; 2020–2021) by Timothy Zahn. An Imperial military leader and a member of the Chiss race, Thrawn leads remnants of the scattered Galactic Empire in the aftermath of its fall.
In the 1991–1993 Thrawn trilogy, Thrawn returns from the unknown and leads Imperial remnants in a campaign against the New Republic, facing off against classic Star Wars characters Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Lando Calrissian, before seemingly being resurrected in the Hand of Thrawn duology (1997–1998), with his backstory explored in various other novels, short stories, comics, and video games in the Star Wars expanded universe; in 2014, these stories were rebranded as Star Wars Legends by Lucasfilm and rendered non-canon.
Thrawn reentered official canon in the 3D animated TV series Star Wars Rebels from 2016 to 2018, voiced by Lars Mikkelsen, and Zahn published a new Thrawn trilogy (2017–2019) and then the Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy (2020–2021), reinventing Thrawn as an anti-villain and double agent who infiltrated the Empire's ranks on behalf of his own people and the galactic government of the Unknown Regions, the Chiss Ascendancy, intending to use Imperial resources to engage in open warfare with the extragalactic fanatics, the Grysk, before they can invade the galaxy, in the meantime opposing the Rebel Alliance on Palpatine's behalf before being forcibly sent to the Unknown Regions by and alongside Ezra Bridger. He is set to make his live-action debut in the upcoming Disney+ series Ahsoka (2023), with Mikkelsen reprising his role.
Thrawn has been called one of the most significant and popular characters in the Legends continuity. Several Star Wars action figures and other merchandise have been produced of the character.Character
Thrawn first appeared in the 1991 Timothy Zahn novel Heir to the Empire, the first installment of what became known as the first Thrawn trilogy. He is a Grand Admiral in the Imperial Navy, and categorically "the most brilliant of the Emperor's minions". A member of the alien Chiss species, native language Cheunh, Thrawn is described as a tall, solidly built humanoid with blue skin and glowing red eyes who wears the white uniform befitting his rank. He has risen in power thanks to his "tactical brilliance and cunning", and has been described as "one of the most threatening antagonists" in the Star Wars universe. He is an unparalleled military strategist and tactical genius who has made extensive study of military intelligence and the artwork of other cultures, and the Thrawn trilogy finds him commanding the remnants of the Imperial Fleet in a series of stunning victories against the New Republic. His full name was given as Mitth'raw'nuruodo.
IGN described the character as "diabolical, brilliant and ruthless". Zahn describes Thrawn's command style as considerably different from that of Darth Vader and other typical Imperial commanders; instead of punishing failure and dissent, Thrawn promotes creativity among his crew and accepts ideas from subordinates. Zahn said in 2017:
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