Mitth'raw'nuruodo

## Mitth'raw'nuruodo(Thrawn)

> "To defeat an enemy you must know them. Not simply their battle tactics, but their history, philosophy, art."
> — Grand Admiral Thrawn
>
>

**Mitth'raw'nuruodo**, better known by his Core name **Thrawn**, was a Chiss male who served as Grand Admiral of the Imperial Navy in the early rebellion against the Galactic Empire. An alien Imperial officer with striking blue skin, red eyes, and an angular face, Thrawn was well known as a brilliant and ruthless strategist. Espousing psychoanalysis into an enemy as a key to victory in war, he dedicated himself to understanding the history, philosophy, and culture of his opponents, which included the Twi'leks of Ryloth, the warriors of Mandalore, and the Knights of the Jedi Order. When Governor Arihnda Pryce of Lothal requested a strong commander capable of defeating the local rebel cell, Grand Admiral Thrawn accepted the challenge, intending to dismantle the Rebellion systematically.

Prior to his entry into the Imperial military, Thrawn served in the Defense Fleet of the Chiss Ascendancy during the Republic Era. A native of Csilla, a frigid planet in the galaxy's Unknown Regions, Thrawn was ordered to travel to known space to determine the suitability of an alliance with the Galactic Republic — the contemporary power in the galaxy — against intergalactic threats, such as the Hive. During the Clone Wars, one such mission on the Outer Rim planet of Batuu saw Thrawn encounter Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, and following a subsequent mission to destroy a Separatist droid factory on Mokivj, Thrawn came to view Skywalker as a respectable warrior, though he found the Republic Skywalker served to be lacking.

Following the Republic's reorganization into the Galactic Empire, Thrawn offered his allegiance to Emperor Palpatine, having deemed an alliance with the new regime beneficial to his people. Assisted by cadet Eli Vanto, Thrawn assimilated into galactic society, gaining proficiency in Galactic Basic and ultimately graduating from the Royal Imperial Academy on Coruscant. His career in the Navy was notably successful; following a series of promotions, as well as his victory over his adversary Nevil Cygnus, Thrawn was awarded the rank of Grand Admiral from the Emperor himself, and at the height of his career, Grand Admiral Thrawn served as commanding officer of the Seventh Fleet, the flagship of which was the *Imperial I*-class Star Destroyer *Chimaera*.

In the years prior to the Galactic Civil War, Thrawn had several encounters with Jedi Knight Jarik Shan, whom he held in high regard as a great warrior and leader, despite the latter's rebel alignment. As Shan's influence in the galaxy grew, with his strike on Coruscant prompting a proliferation of recruitment into the Rebellion, Thrawn was assigned with locating the Jedi's hidden refuge alongside the Sith Lord Darth Vader, whom Thrawn once knew as Skywalker. During his command over the Seventh Fleet, Thrawn began development on the powerful TIE Defender starfighter — intending to offset the starfighter superiority of the Rebellion — whilst engaging with the Lothal sector's rebel cell, led by Phoenix Captain Hera Syndulla. Thrawn's efforts culminated in the Battle of Atollon, the aftermath of which saw the destruction of the rebels' base, the scattering of the Phoenix and Massassi Group rebel cells, and the death of Phoenix Commander Jun Sato, despite failing to capture the rebel leadership as originally intended.

Following the Imperial victory over Atollon, Thrawn's fleet cooperated with Vader and the First Legion during a mission that resulted in the rescue of Force-sensitive Chiss girls. Resuming his task of eliminating Syndulla's cell, Thrawn nevertheless experienced further setbacks, notably the inadvertent destruction of the Capital City's fuel tanks as ordered by Governor Pryce — consequently halting production of the TIE Defender completely, despite the loss of Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus, one of the rebel leaders — and by the end of the Liberation of Lothal, Thrawn was lost in deep space, having been present on the bridge of the *Chimaera* alongside Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger when a pod of purrgil surrounded and pulled ships of the Seventh Fleet into hyperspace at Bridger's telepathic request.

Despite his disappearance and the eventual demise of both Sidious and Vader in the Battle of Endor, Thrawn proved useful in subsequent years of his absence, with his knowledge of the Unknown Regions enabling Imperial remnants to retreat from the New Republic — the Rebel Alliance's successor government — at the end of the Galactic Civil War and reorganize into the military regime known as the First Order in later decades of the New Republic Era.

## **Personality and traits**

> "I am a warrior, Your Majesty. A warrior may retreat. He does not flee. He may lie in ambush. He does not hide. He may experience victory or defeat. He does not cease to serve."
> ― Thrawn pledging his allegiance to Emperor Palpatine
>
>

Grand Admiral Thrawn was a member of the Chiss species who possessed a calm and collected demeanor. A brilliant military strategist, he was known for his anticipation of enemy attacks and his own tactical precision. He was known to speak at least three languages: Cheunh, his native tongue; Sy Bisti, the language the Chiss used to communicate with traders; and Galactic Basic fluently after joining the Empire. Despite swearing loyalty to the Empire, he also remained loyal to his people, believing Emperor Palpatine only commanded the loyalty of his actions; the loyalty of the Grand Admiral's heart and mind remained with the Chiss Ascendancy. As such, he was willing to go against the Emperor's desire to kill Jarik Shan, if possible, deeming the Jedi as a beneficial ally in a coming war against the Hive. However, Thrawn's true loyalties did not go unnoticed, as both the Emperor and Darth Vader grew suspicious of him, particularly after the Battle of Atollon, when the remains of a Hive strike force were discovered on the planet.

Thrawn worked to perfect the art of war. He had respect for his enemies, believing in the expansive psychoanalysis of an enemy in order to defeat them, including their history and philosophy. In particular, Thrawn had a strong appreciation for art, and he believed studying it enabled him to delve into the psyche of the cultures that the artists belonged to, even though his study of art made him the target of many jokes in the Imperial Navy's upper ranks. The critics of the Grand Admiral falsely thought he just enjoyed beautiful pictures, while Thrawn's supporters knew it helped him learn enemy tactics. Other Chiss never understood Thrawn's ability to build detailed tactical knowledge from what was viewed to be insignificant or obscure details, but Thrawn believed anything in a species' art was important. To Thrawn, all threads tied together, every brushstroke spoke to him, and the light curves told the artist's story. While he knew that every artist was an individual, Thrawn knew that they were the product of a culture, so Thrawn could use art to begin to deduce the "fundamental pattern" of a species. He also could find the relationships between a species' art, culture, and military doctrine, which allowed him to anticipate and counter them on the battlefront. His perception of art enabled him to see through Shan's alias of Aven Ikorria, through observation of silka beads once worn by former Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano ― which Shan possessed on his person at the time ― and deduction of "Ikorria's" flawless skills at slicing.

Despite holding certain Jedi like Anakin Skywalker and Jarik Shan in high regard, noting their skills as warriors, Thrawn carried a negative view of the Jedi Order. He regarded the Jedi as idealists who were willing to sacrifice strategically sound choices for perceived "just and moral" reasons. While readily admitting and accepting his lack of understanding in regards to the Force, Thrawn nevertheless viewed it as a weapon which the Jedi did not know how to use properly.

Thrawn's calm demeanor and suave sophisticated mannerisms masked his ruthlessness. Thrawn rarely wavered in his generally cool temperament, though at one point, he furiously grabbed Slavin by his uniform for regarding the Syndulla's clan Kalikori as with contempt. He quickly regained his composure, however, and apologized for his emotional outburst. This display may not have been an emotional outburst, however, but rather a calculated tactic on Thrawn's part. In a similar incident years earlier, Thrawn had apparently shouted in anger at a stormtrooper refusing to listen, but as he explained to his aide Eli Vanto, he had in fact not been angry but had only broken his usual pattern of behavior, which he believed was an effective tool in dealing with people who would not listen to reason or change their normal pattern of behavior. When it came to vehicles and equipment developed for use in battle, Thrawn disliked incompetence and shoddy craftsmanship. He personally engineered the death of Lothalite laborer Morad Sumar ― who he was unaware of as a rebel agent ― by forcing him to ride a faulty speeder bike. After Sumar's death, Thrawn informed the workers present at the scene that they would be personally testing each machine they built.

Thrawn was also polite and respectful, even towards his enemies, whom he generally tended to admire, such as Jarik Shan and Hera Syndulla. Even when interrogating Syndulla, he displayed a mannerly behavior despite their antagonistic relationship. Thrawn did not have a high opinion of Admiral Kassius Konstantine, and sent him on a mission to deal with the Iron Squadron in the Mykapo system. Thrawn set a test for Konstantine by ordering the Admiral to depart with only a light cruiser in order to test his mettle; Konstantine underestimated the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the rebels there. Thrawn was astute enough to discern that Konstantine was lying when the latter tried to save face by claiming to have driven the rebels from the system. In fact, Thrawn was aware that the rebels had already evacuated their sympathizers from the system. His opinion of Konstantine lessened when the Admiral disobeyed his orders in an attempt to seize the glory of defeating Shan himself, hampering Thrawn and Vader's ability to capture or kill Shan.

## **Skills and abilities**

Thrawn was a seasoned military commander and accomplished tactician who was known to be thorough and respected by his subordinates. Thrawn wielded a RK-3 blaster pistol on some occasions, for instance when he stunned the rebel fighter Ezra Bridger, having already saw through his disguise as a scout trooper. Thrawn also had considerable skill with hand-to-hand combat, often practicing with a pair of sentry droids. Thrawn used his combat skills to survive at least one assassination attempt by Alexsandr Kallus, who had reprogrammed his sentry droids. During the Clone Wars, Thrawn utilized a lightning gun to take out B2 super battle droids that had their armor covered in cortosis. The Marg Sabl, a tactic Thrawn learned about during his time with Anakin Skyalker and Padmé Amidala during the Clone Wars, was one of his best-known maneuvers by his time as a Grand Admiral.

Thrawn was physically fit and agile. He was adept at unarmed combat and was familiar with the limitations of Imperial Academy martial art, allowing him to defeat Kallus in unarmed combat. As a Grand Admiral, Thrawn was familiar with the various rebel tactics, including the Danaan formation. To prevent the rebels from escaping, he reinforced the center of the Seventh Fleet with Captain Brunson's Interdictor cruiser. While Phoenix Commander Jun Sato attempted to break the blockade with a suicidal run on an Interdictor cruiser, Thrawn had predicted this and advised Vader on when and where to emergence from hyperspace, resulting in the destruction of Sato's cruiser after being cut through the middle by the *Executor*.

## **Appearances**

* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 4: A Jedi in Exile* — "Chapter 13: Escaping Hypori" (first appearance)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 4: A Jedi in Exile* — "Chapter 26: Thrawn's Web"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 4: A Jedi in Exile* — "Chapter 51: A New Berk"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 4: A Jedi in Exile* — "Chapter 52: Preparing a Rescue"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 4: A Jedi in Exile* — "Chapter 53: Fire Across the Galaxy"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 4: A Jedi in Exile* — "Chapter 55: Dealing With It" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 4: A Jedi in Exile* — "Chapter 61: The Apprentice Lives" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 4: A Jedi in Exile* — "Chapter 64: Gundark in the Room" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 4: A Jedi in Exile* — "Chapter 71: How to Resist a Force User" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 4: A Jedi in Exile* — "Chapter 76: Getting Closer" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 4: A Jedi in Exile* — "Chapter 79: Darkness is Growing"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 4: A Jedi in Exile* — "Chapter 81: Dangerous Curiosity" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 4: A Jedi in Exile* — "Chapter 82: The Dreadnaught" (main story and flashback)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 4: A Jedi in Exile* — "Chapter 83: The Daring Escape" (main story and recap)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 4: A Jedi in Exile* — "Chapter 85: As Time Flies By" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 4: A Jedi in Exile* — "Chapter 86: Homecoming" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 4: A Jedi in Exile* — "Chapter 90: What Comes Next?" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 1: Memories of the Past" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 5: From Crystal to Lifeblood"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 8: Steps into Shadow Pt 1" (indirect mention only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 9: Steps into Shadow Pt 2" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 10: Steps into Shadow Pt 3" (hologram only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 12: The Holocrons of Fate"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 13: The Extraction"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 14: Hera's Heroes"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 15: Letting Go"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 16: Imprisoned by Belief"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 19: Judgement of Soul"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 20: A Rescue Plan" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 23: The Discovery" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 27: Storming the Imperial Center" (hologram only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 28: Action at Coruscant" (hologram only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 29: A Galaxy in Uproar"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 30: Recovery" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 33: Peace, Quiet, and Augury" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 34: The Wynkahthu Job"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 35: Thrawn's Dilemma"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 36: An Inside Man"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 41: Ghosts of Geonosis Pt 1" (hologram only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 43: Trials of the Darksaber"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 44: Family Reunion"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 45: The Challenge" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 46: The Hunt for the Mask" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 47: Vader's Vendetta"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 48: Against All Odds"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 50: Through Imperial Eyes"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 51: Secret Cargo"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 53: Terror From beyond"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 54: Zero Hour Pt 1"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 55: Zero Hour Pt 2"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 56: Zero Hour Pt 3"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 57: Next Move"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 58: A Risky Confrontation"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 60: Exploring Old Ruins" (hologram only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 62: Night of a Thousand Tears" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 63: Aftermath" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 64: Heroes of Mandalore"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 66: Exposed" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 67: The Deal" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 68: Wolves of Dume Pt 1"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 69: Wolves of Dume Pt 2"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 70: Wolves of Dume Pt 3" (hologram only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 71: Enter the Gateway" (hologram only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 72: World Between Worlds" (hologram only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 73: A Fool's Hope"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 74: Taking a Gamble"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 75: Liberation of Lothal" (main story and recap)
* *Galactic Civil War* — "Chapter 7: Jedi Training" (mentioned only)
* *The Shan Bloodline - Volume 1: The Taken War* (will appear)

## **Sources and copyrights**

Information on this page came from *Mitth'raw'nuruodo* on *Wookieepedia*. The related topic of this article is the property of author Timothy Zahn and Lucasfilm Ltd.