Since he was announced more than a year ago, the Star Wars fandom hasn’t been able to stop talking about Grand Admiral Thrawn. The shrewd tactician has been a fan-favorite villain since Timothy Zahn’s original book trilogy Heir to the Empire was published in 1991. Even though his debut appearance has been struck from the Star Wars cannon – not to fear, Thrawn has more novels under his belt, all canonized — his mythos was resurrected for Star Wars: Rebels. Returning as more dastardly and much more evil than his original run portrayed him, Thrawn went from bad guy to outright villain throughout the series.
The Star Wars franchise is more than familiar with unusually-colored aliens, but Thrawn is even more out there than most of his alien counterparts. The Chiss warrior comes from outer rim space, and hasn’t been home since he was exiled many years before Star Wars: Rebels takes place.
Thrawn’s exile to Empire space
Thrawn is a member of the Chiss, a species of alien rarely found within the Star Wars galaxy. Believed to be technologically inferior, the Chiss Ascendency was a self-contained solar system, shut off from the other civilizations. While reclusive, the Chiss were well aware of the impending threats around them, one of which they deemed more deadly than the Empire. The Ascendency disagreed on how to solve the encroaching problem; Thrawn believed his people should strike first, but the Chiss were reactive people, rather than antagonistic. Years before, their militaristic hubris pulled them into the unwinnable conflict between the Jedi and Sith, a conflict that decimated their spacefaring abilities and led to deep distrust of Force wielders.
Thrawn was chosen to infiltrate the Empire and determine whether they could be useful allies. While Thrawn was reprimanded for his anticipatory nature, he was never exiled from the Chiss, but it would be the spark of truth to make the foundation of his lie. Thrawn left his people, chose a planet in unsettled “Wild Space,” and waited for the Empire to arrive. When they did, he attacked a contingent of stormtroopers, stole aboard their ship, and when he was discovered, demanded to speak to their leader.
His unique appearance and status as an outsider led Imperial scouts to believe he would be invaluable while navigating the unknown recesses of space, even if his Chiss lineage was a point of xenophobic contention for many in Empire space. Thrawn was brought before Palpatine, where he spun his lie into a story, one in which he was the hero, preemptively attacking enemies for a people less than grateful for the rescue. Palpatine could see the value in Thrawn’s skill, and sent him to the Royal Imperial Academy, a training facility for the best of the best.
Finishing second in his class, Thrawn went on to serve as a Lieutenant in the Outer Rim, planets far from the central command in Coruscant. He was chosen for his ability to completely dismantle rebellions by analyzing his enemies, choosing to “obliterate” them rather than just defeat them. He had a great respect for the art, history, and culture of those he destroyed, and his interest made it much easier for him to strategize against them. His calculating and cold nature took him from cadet to Grand Admiral in just a few years. He gained the emperor’s favor by mapping the outer rim, but through it all, Thrawn never revealed the location of his home world.
Thrawn’s exile in Star Wars: Rebels
After being posted in the Outer Rim, Thrawn was constantly looming over Lothal, the homeworld of Ezra Bridger, and the location of a much-needed Imperial manufacturing plant. Despite his skill, Hera Syndulla’s rebel cell eluded and defeated Thrawn a number of times, but each loss taught him more about his opponents. By the end, he was able to discern which rebels were on a mission based on their movements, capture Hera, and almost brought Lothal to its knees. Despite his incredible intellect, Thrawn was never fully able to grasp the self-sacrificial nature of a true Jedi and it led to his second exile.
Thrawn’s exile from the Empire came not from his higher-ups, but from Ezra Bridger. Between Thrawn’s rapid ascension through the ranks and his Chiss lineage, there were plenty of soldiers and officers from the Core worlds who didn’t like him. Despite his stellar military reputation, he was unpopular with most of the Core, but his soldiers were loyal and well-trained. Thrawn’s cold and calculating nature combined with the loyalty of his men meant there was only one way to stop the Chiss Warrior.
Ezra’s decision to remove both himself and Thrawn from known space was the most successful exile the rebels could hope for – that is, until Sabine allowed for his return. Something tells us that Thrawn hasn’t learned anything more about self-sacrifice in the time he’s been in exile – at least not personally, we’re pretty sure his army has nothing left to give – but he’s had nothing but time to reflect on his encounters with the Ghost’s crew. There’s no doubt that Thrawn will cause some serious heartache in the near future, but we look forward to seeing just how that unquantifiable Jedi passion will thwart him this time.