Thrawn

**Thrawn** is a character from *Star Wars* who appears in Mission: Rats and Rebels. Annoyed by the recent rebel activity going on at Lothal, Arihnda Pryce approaches Grand Moff Tarkin and requests for the assistance from someone who sees a "bigger picture" about bring about the downfall of the rebels and requests for the Seventh Fleet led by Grand Admiral Thrawn.

## Personality

Clever and intelligent, Thrawn was a brilliant military strategist, being able to anticipate any of his enemies moves and learn his enemies' battle tactics. During the rescue of Alexsandr Kallus, he figured out that Kallus was the true rebel spy when Yogar Lyste took the fall for it because he protected the identity of their then prisoner, Ezra Bridger. He also managed to find Phoenix Squadron's hidden rebel base on Atollon in just a matter of months while it took the rest of the Empire years. Thrawn could also tell who Hera (who was posing as a Twi'lek slave) was just by looking at her portrait with her father. The Grand Admiral could also deduce that Nightswan was a Pirate when they first met and trying to deceive them. He was respectful towards his allies and his enemies, acknowledging Nightswan, Hera Syndulla, Commander Jun Sato and Alexsandr Kallus as worthy opponents. However, both hera and Alexsandr remained rude towards him as he spoke to them because they felt animosity towards him. Though he mocked Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger he still spoke in a calm manner.

Despite his calm demeanor, there have been times when he has lost his patience. In Hera's Heroes, He furiously grabbed Slavin by the front of his shirt and growled when his captain called Hera's artwork a "piece of Twi'lek trash." Thrawn later got easily frustrated whenever his subordinates disobeyed a direct order, evident when he glared after hearing Admiral Konstantine would not abide the Chiss' command any more.

Even though he never told anyone, not even his most trusted friend, Eli Vanto, Thrawn despised the oppressive, racist, and corrupt Imperial culture, viewing many of his fellow officers as either evil or downright stupid. He was also one of the few within the Empire to realize how evil the Emperor actually is, even going as far to speculate that he could be in touch with the Force. Being a pragmatist, Thrawn believed the Empire to be a necessary evil and that serving it is the best way to defend his people. Ironically, he managed to obtain the rank of Grand Admiral, meaning that he is one of the highest ranking members of a civilization he neither adores nor originally comes from. Even so, the fact that he purposefully infiltrated the Imperial hierarchy means that he has to follow Imperial directives, meaning that, in order to fit in, he comes across as far more cruel than he actually is on a moral level. He believed in the ends justifying the means, which is evident when he practically kills a mechanic to set an example.

Finally, Thrawn inspires loyalty from his men rather than out of fear. Where people like Darth Vader and Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin seek to punish those who fail, Thrawn sees those failures as opportunities, so that his men can learn to do better and succeed. This includes separating three cadets instead of punishing them. He views death as a means of punishing soldiers as being wasteful. Despite all of that, Thrawn is still a cold-blooded Imperial and one of the Rebels' most dangerous adversaries.

## Relationships

### Eli Vanto (Former Aid/Best Friend)

Eli was a loyal friend and follower of Thrawn's, especially acting as his translator whenever Thrawn struggled to speak the Galactic Basic. Vanto helped Thrawn integrate into the galactic society; in return, Thrawn admired Vanto for hisi understanding in Throughout the beginnings of his career, Eli was initially angry that he was turned over promotion and instead, put under Thrawn's services. However, over time, Eli grew loyal to Thrawn. The Chiss grew to see Eli a friend and a confident, but never revealed anything personal from his past. He tried everything to ensure his aid gained promotion within the Galactic Empire.  When he was offered to leave Thrawn's services, Vanto refused out of loyalty towards his friend.

Revealed at the end of the novel, *Thrawn*, in the titular character's personal diary that he did consider Vanto a friend and knew that his friend's skill would prove to be a valuable asset to the Chiss Ascendancy.

### Arihnda Pryce (Subordinate)

Thrawn used to get along well with Pryce, first meeting her at an Ascension Week party in the Alisandre Hotel's grand ballroom, when she was just an aid to Lothal Senator Domus Renking. He  later helped Pryce escape  a trap set up by Moff Ghadi and helped her expose her so-called friends as traitors of the Empire.  After  Pryce caused an explosion during the battle of Batonn, any respect for her disappeared altogether. Though they worked together, they only did so because Pryce agreed to help navigate Thrawn into politics.  In Season 4, whatever partnership existed between Thrawn and Pryce came to an end where he knew she was to blame for the explosion of the fuel depot and said he would deal with her when he returned.

### Hera Syndulla (Arch-enemy)

Thrawn acknowledges the Twi'lek general as a worthy adversary. He kept her Kalikori and believed that keeping it in a place of honor for Hera, but she found it insulting. Throughout the war, he continued to intensify Hera's hatred for him and, despite only meeting her only three times, he still regarded her as a talented and worthy opponent whom he respected.

### Ezra Bridger (Second Arch-enemy)

Because Ezra is a member of the Rebellion, Ezra is an enemy. He first encountered the Jedi when he and Hera were trying to take her Kalikori from Cham's office. Thrawn dismissed Ezra as nothing more than a boy lost in a war, believing him to be a lesser opponent than any of the other rebels he had faced. When they finally came face-to-face, Thrawn mocked Ezra of following the same paths of a Jedi. Ezra was disgusted by Thrawn's collection of artwork in his office, that was part of Sabine's artwork and some from Lothal. However, Thrawn never expected to be outsmarted by Ezra when he called the Purrgil and had them take them both to parts unknown.