Books Thrawn - New canon Star Wars book by Timothy Zahn (Spring 2017)

Yeah, I've got to be honest . . . I really don't see the point. Thrawn is a great, iconic character . . . but he's iconic because of the stories he was in. If he's not the guy who brought the New Republic to its knees, then is he really the same character? What's the point of having a knock-off version of the character hanging around in a different continuity? Shouldn't they be trying to do new things, create new iconic characters, than try to trade on some kind of lesser-versions-of-the-EU's-greatest-hits tour? It seems like it's just kind of being done for the sake of doing it. "Oh, you remember this thing you like? Well, here it is except it's not really it!" Let Thrawn rest in peace. Do your own thing. That's the thing that's probably kept me least interested jn the new EU. They threw everything out to get a blank slate . . . but they haven't shown any real interest in doing anything new with their blank slate. They erased everything so they could just write a lesser version of it all over again.

 

I suppose something similar could be said about Star Trek with Cumberbatch Khan as compared to Montalban Khan.

 

If Disney goes the route of the new Star Trek films, Disney Mara Jade will sacrifice herself to stop Thrawn. And Luke will scream, "THRAAAAAAAAAWN!!!!!!"

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I'm happy to see Zahn writing another Star Wars book, I missed his books, though I know many of them had flaws, but I like his writing.

I'm more disappointed that there's not really anywhere that Thrawn can fit in appropriately. The first Aftermath novel was already setting up for TFA, and Bloodlines is much closer to TFA and basically not much happened (galactic war-wise) post-Jakku until Hosnian Prime was destroyed. Yeah, there's pre-RotJ, but we've already got dozens of Generals and Admirals and Darth Vader (they've almost always got to throw Vader into almost any story), not to mention Palpatine too, so there's room for Thrawn, but he won't be able to stand out as much.

At least we know Zahn can write Thrawn well at least.

 

I'm super excited for this. I hope he remains a Rebels-era, possibly Empire-era and Aftermath-era character in TV, books and possibly comics. I wouldn't want to see him involved with the First Order. It just doesn't seem like his style.

 

Title of the second book in this latest Zahn SW novel trilogy:

Mara

 

This was very exciting news, I'm glad Thrawn is coming back into canon. I really didn't expect this. So next year we have a book by James Luceno, Timothy Zahn, and another by Chuck Wendig! This suggests a great year for Star Wars novels, even better than tis one, which was fantastic. All we are missing is one more book by Claudia Grey and then it would be perfect. I'm happy with how the NEU is handling world building. It has created an unified universe in terms of its own characters and making it feel like a living universe. Now to see them bring in and incorporate popular EU characters shows that they're really working to create an exciting universe. I'm excited to see how they handle Thrawn in canon.

They could easily incorporate this book into the OT era. Since in the NEU the war is shown to be a lot larger than the EU, there are a lot of places where Thrawn can fit very well. On terms of Post-RoTJ, I think there's also room for Thrawn. I need to finish Life Debt first, but I have some ideas. I won't discuss them here though, since it's not the appropriate place for spoilers.

 

I wonder if this book will give us insight into Csillan culture and history.

 

I can't stop smiling about this! It says something about how much weight of significance the character has. Double amazing is that they've brought Timothy Zahn in to write a new book.

I hope they take into consideration what will make Thrawn work best in the new narrative landscape of the current EU. In the old EU, he is described on the Heir to the Empire book cover as a "mysterious warlord" and some of his initial power derives from the mysteries of his origin, before we eventually learn about him and his culture. He came from the unknown regions, a realm of mystery. He fought against unknown dangers out there, and was the only one who could do it (it doesn't have to be the Vong: "There are hundreds of different threats out there that would freeze your blood if you knew about them..."). He worked in the original stories as a successor and contrast to the threat of the Emperor and Vader, with their mystical-political dominance; whereas Thrawn dominates through tactics, even to the point of harnessing mystic abilities as part of his tactical calculations. Also, from a personal standpoint, I prefer his place as a character who becomes prominent after Palpatine and Vader are gone, rallying the shattered Empire into unity.

The trick is getting the balance right with him as a threat. How to make him seem powerful, without leaving the protagonists reactive and on the defensive too much. Also, I would like to see the new EU maybe get more mileage out Thrawn, his reign in the old EU in retrospect seems to short. I mean: how long did Daala continue to cast her shadow over events of the old EU, as a living presence? Thrawn cast a shadow, but often that was from beyond the grave. I would be in favor of Thrawn as a warlord who we see in charge of the Hand of Thrawn splinter-empire, concurrent with the First Order but separate.

 

Make the Vong one of those threats in the UR that Thrawn is dealing with before getting called back for Rebels. Pity that TCW Vong arc wasn't done but maybe someday.

Zahn better have a Star Destroyer as the opening chapter.

 

OMG I just saw this. O.M.G.

 

Something tells me I should read the other two Thrawn books, seeing as I've only read the first.

 

"Why bother doing it?"

Because it's freaking awesome and they can.

 

The main thing that makes this worthwhile, at least potentially, is that it is, in a sense, little more than a continuation of the old EU. Rebels using Thrawn is no more weird or unoriginal than TIE Fighter using him back in the day in just such an "Imperial villain" role. Zahn writing a new Thrawn novel is no weirder than him writing Choices of One or whatever. If it's a knock-off or incestuous, then most of the old EU was incestuous.

I mean, yes, it's possible to try to have it both ways, and go "Hooray, this is NEW THRAWN who is so much better than the original and who has NEVER appeared in canon before!", but things don't necessarily have to go that way. Hopefully, Zahn goes in genuinely new directions here, and doesn't just create a new backstory and alternate career for Thrawn to replace the old one. If that's what we end up with, then that will be disappointing...but we'll just have to wait and see.

I think part of the reason people are excited about this it is because it is yet another indication that the New EU is not really so new after all, that it really is, in a very real way, a continuation of what went before; that even if Legends are not exactly official, they are also not just non-canon. It's kind of a weird situation. The New EU has never really been a blank slate, grand claims aside--it's just been a weird new phase of canon, one partly inaugurated already by the Clone Wars. That's how I think of it, anyway.

But, yes, if we do just get a lesser-Thrawn for the Brand New EU, that will be a shame. But if we get some good, new Thrawn stories? Sure, I'm down. It will come down, as always, to the stories, as you very rightly say.

 

Oh boy. My favorite Star Wars hater just showed up to the party.

edit:

 

Zeta. If God the Almighty himself showed up and said he was going to make Star Wars perfect for everyone you would still try to find a way not to like it.

 

I haven't yet read any of the new EU material (though I intend to read Aftermath soon).


But I'm pre-ordering this book.

 

I'm also hoping Zahn begins this new story shortly after --or even during --the events of ROTS.

Weaving Thrawn's backstory into the fabric of Palpatine's rise and the beginning of the imperial story would be *awesome.* Maybe start with Order 66. Or even before that.

It would also help explain how and why a non-human could gain the trust of Palpatine and the imperial brass despite their nonhuman prejudices. And it would free up plenty of space for sequel stories, Rebels plots, and even a future Anthology film. No reason to set it directly before the Rebels story and certainly no reason to set it after Rebels and during the OT period.

As excited as I am, I hope Zahn doesn't press Thrawn's story too far down the temporal road too quickly. Take it slow and flesh it out.

 

Where is this from?

 

But if Zahn goes in new directions, then why is this character named Thrawn? Why not just create a new character, then, instead of having it both ways -- creating a new character who isn't the same person as the Thrawn everyone knows and loves, but trying to trade off of that known-and-loved quality for investment this new character hasn't earned himself -- trading off a reputation, a fanbase, created by events and stories and characterization that this character doesn't have? And if he doesn't go in new directions, if he just drops the old Thrawn and his backstory into a new universe that doesn't have room for his original story, so the great culmination of his career is to fight Ezra and Kanan and analyze Sabine's graffiti or whatever, then it's just kind of . . . why? Great, now you've got Diet Thrawn for the sake of having him and, again, trading off fame this version of the character will never go on to. We've already had Thrawn. He's already been done. He had a fantastic run. In a new universe, why not create your own villain rather than appropriating an old one for a different role? Why not build up your own admiral who can actually be the Thrawn of the new canon by being a memorable, breakout villain? This whole business of bringing back an old character as a shadow of his former self just for the sake of making fanboys squee and say, "I know that guy! Except he doesn't get to do any of the things I know him for!" . . . I just don't get it. It's weak.

I've been saying this all along -- throwing out the EU obviously was not my preference, but it was a huge opportunity. An opportunity to do something completely new, to reimagine everything, to tell totally new stories and plan everything out ahead of time and make sure that all the best ideas get used. To tell stories that couldn't be told before. Something like Rogue One -- blow away all the old Death Star plans stories, and tell a new, kickass Death Star plans story that's totally its own original thing. Completely recontextualize the runup to ANH if you want. Blow our minds. Something like whatever the new Han origin story will be -- give him some totally new background. Give him a totally new mentor in Maz, or whatever. But the worst thing would be to just sort of settle for telling the same old sort of stories in the exact same universe. Let's just spend years putting everything back as close as we can to where it was before, unless a movie gets in the way, except now without all the context, or any of the stories that made where everything was important. It's like the old EU spent thirty years building this amazing LEGO diorama, just a huge sculpture. It was imperfect, but it was beautiful and amazing and everyone had plenty of time to appreciate it and we've still got the pictures of it. And then it all got taken apart overnight because the owner had to move, and in shipping it to the new house a bunch of pieces got lost and he had to buy new ones, different, incompatible ones, and in his new house the geometry of the room he's got to rebuild in is completely different. But he decides that he's going to try to rebuild the old diorama anyway, as close as possible, out of . . . I don't know, sentimentality, or stubbornness, or intellectual laziness, or whatever, instead of taking the opportunity to create an amazing new diorama, a really original design. To have two amazing dioramas instead of one amazing diorama and one sort of awkwardly jumbled copy of it, that maybe it's pretty amazing too, maybe it's even better in twenty years after it's approaching being as complete as the first one . . . but it's not really anything new. And I don't know. Correct me if I'm wrong, but looking at the decisions being made . . . I feel like that's pretty much what we're getting. The facsimile of the same old universe, without all the stories that we loved. And fine, more power to the people who are invested in the new thing and are loving seeing that thing with the name they know from the old thing. I'm glad they're happy. But I just feel kind of . . . disappointed and bored with the whole direction of it all.

 

This is going to be amazing. I don't know where it's all going, but it's obviously had a lot of thought and planning go into it. Zahn's first draft is done, scheduled so the info release could be timed together. It takes a good bit of time to write a book, and add on to that working out the deal with the writer, collaborating on new continuity with Rebels writers and such. I don't think either of these are going to be cheap or poorly done. They got the two best people to bring him back in to canon right, and that requires considerable effort. Those of us who are long time fans are about to be rewarded, I think....

 

Brilliant news. Love Zahn as a witer and Thrawn as a villian. This can't come soon enough

 

I don't hate Star Wars, I just no longer have any more interest in canon Star Wars. If this was an EU book, I would be all for it, but this unfortunately won't be the Thrawn that is one of my most favorite characters.

That's is pretty much what has already happened with the reaction to the new canon, especially TFA. Almost everyone is singing TFA's praises, while I am wondering whether I saw the same film everyone else did, because I saw pretty much the worst sequel to RotJ they could have possibly made that failed to achieve the two things I expected for the galaxy 30 years after Endor, a New Jedi Order and a functional New Republic. I am utterly astounded by the shear naivety of canon Mon Mothma in actually believing that over a quarter century of militarization could be put back in the box.