The ''Thrawn'' trilogy, also known as the ''Heir to the Empire'' trilogy, is a trilogy of novels set in the ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' universe, written by
Timothy Zahn
Timothy Zahn (born September 1, 1951) is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy. He is known best for his prolific collection of ''Star Wars'' List of Star Wars books, books, chiefly the Thrawn trilogy, ''Thrawn'' series, and has publis ...
between 1991 and 1993. The first book marked the end of what ''Star Wars'' fandom calls "The Dark Times", a notable drought of new ''Star Wars'' material during a four-year period from the tenth anniversary of the original 1977 ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' film's release in 1987 to the release of ''Heir to the Empire'' in 1991.
Set approximately five years after the events depicted in ''
Return of the Jedi
''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who ...
'', the trilogy details the offensive campaigns of military genius
Grand Admiral Thrawn
Grand Admiral Thrawn (full name: Mitth'raw'nuruodo) is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He is notable for appearing as the eponymous character in the ''Thrawn'' trilogy of novels (1991–1993) by Timothy Zahn. Thrawn is an ...
as he attempts to bring down the recently founded
New Republic in a bid to restore the
Galactic Empire
Galactic empires are a common trope used in science fantasy and science fiction, particularly in works known as 'space operas'. Many authors have either used a galaxy-spanning empire as background or written about the growth and/or decline of s ...
to power. In addition to Thrawn, the trilogy introduced several notable characters, including
Mara Jade
Mara Jade Skywalker is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise. She appears in the now non-canon ''Legends'' series as the wife of Luke Skywalker and mother of Ben Skywalker. She has been voiced by Heidi Shannon, Edie Mirman and K ...
and
Talon Karrde
This is an incomplete list of characters from the ''Star Wars'' expanded universe, now rebranded ''Star Wars Legends''. The accompanying works were declared non-canon to the ''Star Wars'' franchise by Lucasfilm in 2014.
This list applies ''o ...
.
The ''Thrawn'' Trilogy sold a combined total of 15 million copies,
with ''Heir to the Empire'' reaching #1 on the
''New York Times'' Best Seller list.
The trilogy has been met with critical acclaim, and its success is credited to the creation of the
Star Wars Expanded Universe
'' Star Wars'' has been expanded to media other than the original films. This spin-off material is licensed and moderated by Lucasfilm, though during his involvement with the franchise ''Star Wars'' creator George Lucas reserved the right to ...
.
Books
''Heir to the Empire'' (1991)
In ' (1991), master tactician Grand Admiral Thrawn plots to destroy the New Republic despite their numerical advantage over the remaining Imperial forces. He sets his sights on the
Wayland storehouse of the late
Emperor Palpatine
Sheev Palpatine, also known by his Sith name Darth Sidious, is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. Initially credited as the Emperor in the original trilogy films, ''The Empire Strikes ...
, which contains a massive array of Spaarti cloning cylinders and a working cloaking shield. To this end, Thrawn and his subordinate
Gilad Pellaeon
This is an incomplete list of characters from the Star Wars expanded universe, ''Star Wars'' expanded universe, now rebranded ''Star Wars Legends''. The accompanying works were declared non-canon to the ''Star Wars'' franchise by Lucasfilm in 2 ...
, captain of the
Star Destroyer
Star Destroyers are capital ships in the fictional ''Star Wars'' universe. Star Destroyers were produced by Kuat Drive Yards, later Kuat-Entralla Engineering, and serve as "the signature vessel of the fleet" for the Galactic Republic, Galactic Em ...
''Chimaera'', enlist the help of smuggler Talon Karrde and his second-in-command
Mara Jade
Mara Jade Skywalker is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise. She appears in the now non-canon ''Legends'' series as the wife of Luke Skywalker and mother of Ben Skywalker. She has been voiced by Heidi Shannon, Edie Mirman and K ...
to obtain several salamander-like creatures called
ysalamiri
This is a list of creatures in the fictional universe of '' Star Wars'', a space opera media franchise. The types of creatures in this list are listed by category and then in alphabetical order.
Humans and humanoid sentient species
Humans
Huma ...
. Thrawn uses the ysalamiri, which possess the natural ability to disrupt the Force, to subdue the storehouse's guardian
Joruus C'baoth
This is an incomplete list of characters from the ''Star Wars'' expanded universe, now rebranded ''Star Wars Legends''. The accompanying works were declared non-canon to the '' Star Wars'' franchise by Lucasfilm in 2014.
This list applies '' ...
, a twisted clone of a
Jedi Master
Jedi (), Jedi Knights, or collectively the Jedi Order are the main heroic protagonists of many works of the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Working symbiotically alongside the Old Galactic Republic, and later supporting the Rebel Alliance, the Jedi O ...
whom the Grand Admiral had killed years before. C'baoth offers his allegiance in exchange for two acolytes to bend to his will: Darth Vader's twin children, Luke and Leia. Thrawn sends some of his
Noghri killers to capture Luke and a pregnant Leia, but their attempts repeatedly fail. Leia defends herself from one attack and is surprised when the Noghri suddenly surrenders. Thrawn launches his first offensive, a series of hit-and-run attacks into New Republic territory, and then steals a complement of mole miners from
Lando Calrissian
Landonis Balthazar "Lando" Calrissian III is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was introduced in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) as an old friend of Han Solo and the administrator of the floating Cloud City on the gas p ...
's mining operations on
Nkllon
The fictional universe of the '' Star Wars'' franchise features multiple planets and moons. While only the feature films and selected other works are considered canon to the franchise since the 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Dis ...
. In need of warships, and with his previous tactics having forced over 100 lightly crewed ships to be stationed at the
Sluis Van
Grand Admiral Thrawn (full name: Mitth'raw'nuruodo) is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He is notable for appearing as the eponymous character in the ''Thrawn'' trilogy of novels (1991–1993) by Timothy Zahn. Thrawn is an ...
shipyards as he planned, Thrawn invades. His
stormtroopers use the stolen miners to board and hijack the ships, but they are thwarted when Lando can seize control of the miners remotely. The Grand Admiral withdraws his forces, but thanks to Thrawn's plotting, his New Republic nemesis
Admiral Ackbar
Fleet Admiral Gial Ackbar is a fictional character from the ''Star Wars'' franchise. A member of the amphibious Mon Calamari species, Ackbar was the foremost military commander of the Rebel Alliance, and led the attack against the second Dea ...
is soon arrested for treason.
''Dark Force Rising'' (1992)
In ' (1992), it is revealed that before the
Clone Wars Clone Wars may refer to:
Star Wars Film and television
* ''Star Wars: Clone Wars'' (2003 TV series), an American animated television series set in the ''Star Wars'' galaxy
* ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' (2008 TV series), an American 3D CGI anim ...
, the
Old Republic had constructed a fleet of highly automated
heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in caliber, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval Tr ...
s, known as the ''Katana'' fleet. A virus infected the crews of the entire fleet and drove them insane. The fleet was never seen again until smuggler Talon Karrde discovered it (several years before the events of the first book). With access to Palpatine's private storehouse on the planet Wayland, Thrawn presses his advantage to marshal more forces for the battle against the New Republic. Mara Jade, in an attempt to exonerate the Empire's warrant for Karrde's arrest, goes to Thrawn and offers to reveal the location of the ''Katana'' fleet. Instead, he has her followed and Karrde is captured. Luke and Mara rescue Karrde from Thrawn's Star Destroyer as Thrawn attempts to capture another man who knows about the ''Katana'' fleet. Meanwhile, Leia learns that the Noghri serve the Empire because they revere her late father,
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...
, who they believe saved their planet
Honoghr
The fictional universe of the '' Star Wars'' franchise features multiple planets and moons. While only the feature films and selected other works are considered canon to the franchise since the 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Dis ...
from ecological disaster. Leia convinces them that they have been deceived and effectively enslaved by the Empire, and they switch sides. With Ackbar temporarily neutralized as a tactical opponent, Thrawn leads an army of clones to claim the so-called "''Katana'' fleet", outmaneuvering Luke, Lando, and
Han Solo
Han Solo is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. The character first appeared in the 1977 film '' Star Wars'' portrayed by Harrison Ford, who reprised his role in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) an ...
.
''The Last Command'' (1993)
In ' (1993), set about a month after the previous book, Thrawn uses the ''Katana'' fleet, crewed with clones, to mount a successful offensive against the New Republic. Seizing one planet after the other, the Grand Admiral soon immobilizes the galactic capital world,
Coruscant
Coruscant () is an ecumenopolis planet in the fictional ''Star Wars'' universe. Its first appearance was onscreen in the 1997 Special Edition of ''Return of the Jedi'', but was first depicted and mentioned by name in Timothy Zahn's 1991 novel '' ...
. He has placed multiple cloaked asteroids around the planet, and through a ruse, he has led the New Republic leadership to believe that Coruscant is surrounded with them. Learning of the deception, the Republic fleet attacks the Imperial shipyards at Bilbringi to capture a device that can find the cloaked
asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere.
...
s, but Thrawn's forces intercept and surround them. Meanwhile, Luke and Leia lead a group to destroy the cloning facility on Wayland, killing C'baoth and destroying the
cloning
Cloning is the process of producing individual organisms with identical or virtually identical DNA, either by natural or artificial means. In nature, some organisms produce clones through asexual reproduction. In the field of biotechnology, cl ...
cylinders. Just as Thrawn and Pellaeon learn that the Noghri aided in the attack on Wayland, Thrawn's Noghri bodyguard,
Rukh, kills the Grand Admiral—whose last words are, "But ... it was so artistically done." The tide of battle at Bilbringi turns, and with the hope of victory dashed by Thrawn's death, Pellaeon orders the Imperial forces to retreat.
Development
The idea for a post-film trilogy was conceived by Lou Aronica, an editor at
Bantam Books
Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by parent company Random House, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. ...
who proposed a series as "ambitious as the films were".
Lucas was initially skeptical of the proposal, but acquiesced;
Bantam Spectra
Bantam Spectra is the science fiction division of American publishing company Bantam Books, which is owned by Random House.
According to their website, Spectra publishes "science fiction, fantasy, horror, and speculative novels from recogniz ...
then brought Timothy Zahn on board to write the trilogy.
Zahn was given freedom to develop the direction the story should go in, with minimal pushback from
Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is a business segment of The Walt Disney Company. The studio is best known for creating and producing the ''Star Wars'' and ' ...
.
Before starting work on the books, Zahn was only given two rules: the series had to take place three to five years after ''
Return of the Jedi
''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who ...
'', and no characters killed in the films could return.
Changes which were requested by Lucasfilm included changing an evil clone of
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi () is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Within the Star Wars original trilogy, original trilogy, Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master as a supporting character and is portrayed by English actor Alec Guinn ...
to the new character of
Joruus C'baoth
This is an incomplete list of characters from the ''Star Wars'' expanded universe, now rebranded ''Star Wars Legends''. The accompanying works were declared non-canon to the '' Star Wars'' franchise by Lucasfilm in 2014.
This list applies '' ...
, and the renaming of Rukh's species from
Sith to
Noghri.
In order to provide him with existing
worldbuilding
Worldbuilding is the process of constructing a world, originally an imaginary one, sometimes associated with a fictional universe. Developing an imaginary setting with coherent qualities such as a history, geography, and ecology is a key task fo ...
material, Lucasfilm supplied Zahn with supplementary content from the
tabletop RPG
A tabletop role-playing game (typically abbreviated as TRPG or TTRPG), also known as a pen-and-paper role-playing game, is a form of role-playing game (RPG) in which the participants describe their characters' actions through speech. Participa ...
''
Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game''.
When conceiving of the antagonist for the series, Zahn desired a villain who was less brutal than Darth Vader or Emperor Palpatine.
Instead, Zahn sought inspiration from military commanders throughout history and envisaged an adversary who could outsmart the protagonists.
In creating the character of Thrawn, Timothy Zahn said:
I think it’s because he was so different from any other villain we’d seen in Star Wars to that time. Most Imperials seemed to follow the “hit it with a rock” school of thought regarding opposition. Thrawn, in contrast, used strategy and careful planning and usually managed to be two or three steps ahead of the New Republic.
Readers like their villains to be a challenge to the heroes because that forces the heroes to bring their best game to the field. The more clever the opponent, and the more difficult the fight, the more satisfying the victory.
The original, working title for ''Heir to the Empire'' was "Wild Card", which was rejected by Lucasfilm as they believed it was too similar to the Bantam's ''
Wild Cards
''Wild Cards'' is a series of science fiction superhero shared universe anthologies, mosaic novels, and solo novels. They are written by a collection of more than forty authors (referred to as the "Wild Cards Trust") and are edited by George R. ...
'' series. The alternate name "The Emperor's Hand" was also rejected.
''Warlord's Gambit'' was also a potential title, but ultimately ''Heir to the Empire'' was chosen, which according to Zahn was suggested by Aronica.
Adaptations
Denis Lawson
Denis Stamper Lawson (born 27 September 1947) is a Scottish actor and director. He is known for his roles as John Jarndyce in the BBC's adaptation of ''Bleak House (2005 TV serial), Bleak House'', as Gordon Urquhart in the film ''Local Hero (f ...
, who portrayed
Wedge Antilles
Wedge Antilles is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He is a supporting character portrayed by Denis Lawson in the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy. He is also featured in the ''Star Wars'' expanded universe, most notably as ...
in the
original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, narrates the abridged audiobook of ''Heir to the Empire'', and
Anthony Daniels
Anthony Daniels ( ; born 21 February 1946) is an English actor and mime artist, best known for playing in 10 ''Star Wars'' films. He is the only actor to have either appeared in or been involved with all theatrical films in the series, and h ...
, who portrayed
C-3PO
C-3PO () or See-Threepio is a humanoid robot character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise who appears in the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy and the sequel trilogy. Built by Anakin Skywalker, was designed as a protocol droid intended to as ...
in every ''Star Wars'' film, narrates ''Dark Force Rising'' and ''The Last Command''. Lucasfilm and
Varèse Sarabande Records producer Robert Townson discussed the creation of a score to promote the trilogy. All three books were adapted as comic books by
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
between 1995 and 1998. The series was divided into six issues per book, written by
Mike Baron
Mike Baron (born July 1, 1949) is an American comic book writer. He is the creator of ''Badger'' and the co-creator of ''Nexus'' with Steve Rude.
Biography
Mike Baron entered the comics industry with an illustrated text piece in ''Weird Trips Ma ...
, who says, "I didn't invent any language. All the language is Zahn's." The first volume was illustrated by French artists Olivier Vatine and Fred Blanchard, the second by
Terry Dodson
Terry Dodson is an American comic book artist and penciller. He is best known for his work on titles such as ''Harley Quinn'', ''Trouble (comics), Trouble, Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil that Men Do'', ''Marvel Knights Spiderman, Marvel Knights: S ...
and
Kevin Nowlan
Kevin Nowlan (born 1958) is an American comics artist who works as a penciler, inker, colorist, and letterer. He has been called "one of the few artists who can be called 'artists's artist'", a master of the various disciplines of comic producti ...
, and the third by
Edvin Biuković
Edvin Biuković (22 June 1969 – 5 December 1999) was a Croatian comics artist.
Biography
Biuković made his debut in 1987 with the strip ''Dokaz'' published in the third issue of Croatian magazine ''Patak''. He spent several more years wo ...
and
Eric Shanower
Eric James Shanower (born October 23, 1963) is an American cartoonist, best known for his Oz novels and comics, and for the ongoing retelling of the Trojan War as '' Age of Bronze''.
Early life
Eric Shanower was born on October 23, 1963. Upon hi ...
.
The entire trilogy was collected in 2009 as a single
graphic novel
A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
.
In 2011 a 20-year anniversary edition of the book was published, which included an introduction and annotations by Timothy Zahn, commentary by Lucasfilm and Del Rey books, and a new novella centred around the character of Thrawn.
Each novel in the trilogy had its own
''Star Wars'' role-playing game sourcebook created for it by
West End Games
West End Games (WEG) was a company that made Board game, board, Role-playing game, role-playing, and wargaming, war games. It was founded by Daniel Scott Palter in 1974 in New York City, but later moved to Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Its product line ...
. When the rules for the ''Star Wars'' RPG changed the three volumes were collected into one book for the entire ''Thrawn'' trilogy which also served as a second edition to the original three sourcebooks. According to Zahn, the writing of the trilogy was coordinated with preexisting West End Games materials (at the behest of Lucasfilm), and that "They filled in a bunch of gaps I hadn't got around to filling in."
Reception
''Heir to the Empire'' reached #1 on the
''New York Times'' Best Seller list,
and the trilogy sold a combined total of 15 million copies.
The trilogy has been called "influential, much-loved, and ground breaking".
In August 2011, the series was voted into
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
's top 100 science-fiction and fantasy books (coming in at place 88), as voted on by over 60,000 participants. Writing for
Tor.com
''Tor.com'' is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine published by Tor Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers. The magazine publishes articles, reviews, original short fiction, re-reads and commentary on speculative fiction.
From 20 ...
, Ryan Britt stated that the ''Heir to the Empire'' was closer to traditional science fiction rather than the epic space fantasy Star Wars was known for; he also compliments the character of Mara Jade for improving the perception of female characters in the franchise and not adhering to "
damsel in distress
The damsel in distress is a recurring narrative device in which one or more men must rescue a woman who has either been kidnapped or placed in general peril. Kinship, love, or lust (or a combination of those) gives the male protagonist the motiv ...
" stereotypes. Zahn's use of supplementary material from ''Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game'' has been credited for creating a sense of unity between different publications, allowing for a more believable shared universe.
Some reviews have been more critical, with prolific fansite author Jonathan Hicks saying that the Force is trivialised and that there were too many references to the original movies, in a 2000 review republished by starwars.com.
The trilogy allowed Lucasfilm to expand their non-film media into the mainstream, as opposed to the more niche comic book and roleplaying game markets they were previously focusing on.
The success of the series prompted Lucasfilm to immediately commission more books to continue the Star Wars story.
Legacy
The ''Thrawn'' trilogy is widely credited with revitalizing the ''Star Wars'' franchise,
although Zahn himself was skeptical of this.
In ''The Secret History of Star Wars'', Michael Kaminski suggests that this renewed interest was a factor in
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...
' decision to create the
Star Wars prequel trilogy
The ''Star Wars'' prequel trilogy, colloquially referred to as the prequels, is a series of epic space-opera films written and directed by George Lucas. It was produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The trilogy was re ...
.
The trilogy's success has been cited as beginning the
Star Wars Expanded Universe
'' Star Wars'' has been expanded to media other than the original films. This spin-off material is licensed and moderated by Lucasfilm, though during his involvement with the franchise ''Star Wars'' creator George Lucas reserved the right to ...
.
Zahn would go on to write a pair of sequel books, in the ''
Hand of Thrawn'' duology (''Specter of the Past'' (1997) and ''Vision of the Future'' (1998)), expanding on the background of the Thrawn character. He would later develop Thrawn's legacy further by writing
Survivor's Quest (2004), and subsequently the prequel novel
Outbound Flight
Grand Admiral Thrawn (full name: Mitth'raw'nuruodo) is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise. He is notable for appearing as the eponymous character in the ''Thrawn'' trilogy of novels (1991–1993) by Timothy Zahn. Thrawn is an ...
(2006).
Although Lucas did not consider the Expanded Universe to be
canonical
The adjective canonical is applied in many contexts to mean "according to the canon" the standard, rule or primary source that is accepted as authoritative for the body of knowledge or literature in that context. In mathematics, "canonical example ...
, he adopted the name
Coruscant
Coruscant () is an ecumenopolis planet in the fictional ''Star Wars'' universe. Its first appearance was onscreen in the 1997 Special Edition of ''Return of the Jedi'', but was first depicted and mentioned by name in Timothy Zahn's 1991 novel '' ...
for the galactic capital in the prequel trilogy, which was created by Zahn in the ''Thrawn'' Trilogy.
Additionally, the character of Thrawn would later be officially canonised by Lucasfilm as he was introduced into ''
Star Wars: Rebels''.
While the ''Thrawn'' Trilogy would
be rendered non-canon following the Disney acquisition of the Star Wars franchise, Zahn would later return to write an alternate trilogy surrounding the Thrawn character, in ''
Star Wars: Thrawn'' (2017), ''
Thrawn: Alliances'' (2018), and ''
Thrawn: Treason'' (2019),
and would later create a prequel trilogy about the character in the
''Ascendency'' trilogy.
References
Notes
{{Star Wars Legends novels
Thrawn
Books based on Star Wars
Novels by Timothy Zahn
American science fiction novels
Science fiction novel trilogies
1990s science fiction novels