New Star Wars Novel Marks The Return Of Thrawn

One of the few characters to survive the EU purge was Grand Admiral Thrawn. While we’ve been seeing him in Rebels, he’s now back in a new Star Wars novel!

The brainchild of Timothy Zahn — the godfather of the Star Wars extended universe — Grand Admiral Thrawn has now earned a following all his own thanks to his appearance as a super-villain in Star Wars Rebels on Disney XD. But in a new Star Wars novel written by Zahn, Thrawn is returning to the extended universe — where he originally made his appearance in the 1990s— in a book called Star Wars: Thrawn, which will be released by Del Ray Publishing on April 11th.

And though Thrawn was a central figure in the post-Return of the Jedi novelizations, Star Wars: Thrawn will be set in a time prior to the events of Star Wars: A New Hope.

In an interview with USA Today, Zahn revealed that Thrawn also knew of Anakin Skywalker during the Clone Wars, before he became Darth Vader and helped with the installation of the First Galactic Empire under the tutelage of Emperor Palpatine.

And Zahn said that Thrawn has an advantage because he’s got a different set of strengths.

"“Most of the Imperial leaders we see in the movies rule through a combination of fear and manipulation. I wanted to create something different: a commander who could lead through loyalty. The result was Thrawn, a tactical genius whose troops follow him willingly, and who will fight for him whether or not he’s watching over their shoulders.”"

Next: The Full Star Wars: Thrawn Synopsis

This new Star Wars novel, Star Wars: Thrawn, will be available beginning April 11. These new extended universe novels are considered canon, whereas the ones released in the 1990s are now considered “Star Wars Legends.”