Page 57 - Star Wars Insider #182
P. 57

01    The master tactician
                                                                                                    plots his next move in
                                                                                                    the battle against the
                                                                                                    rebels.
                                                                                                  02    Grand Admiral Thrawn,
                                                                                                    voiced in Star Wars
                                                                                                    Rebels by Lars
                                                                                                    Mikkelsen.
                                                                                                  03    On Atollon, Thrawn
                                                                                                    hesitates before
                                                                                                    shooting the Bendu.
                                                                                                  04    Art-appreciator
                                                                                                    Thrawn recognizes
                                                                                                    the importance of
                                                                                                    Hera’s Kalikori, in
                                                                                                    “Hera’s Heroes.”
                   02
                                                                              tied to Phoenix Squadron’s attack on the Mining
                                                                              Guild. When Thrawn realizes Hondo’s cellmate
                                                    THE THRAWN                has a connection to Reklam Station, Pryce,
                                                                              Konstantine, and Kallus take a Star Destroyer
                                                    SAGA                      to defend the facility, where Y-wings are being
                                                    CONTINUES                 recycled by the Empire, against a probable
                                                                              incursion. When Pryce informs Thrawn that
                                                    Grand Admiral Thrawn’s
                                                    background and rise through   events have unfolded as he had expected, and
                                                    the Imperial ranks was further   that three rebel cruisers had come to the rescue
                                                    explored by the character’s   of Phoenix Squadron, the Chiss admiral surprises
                                                    creator, Timothy Zahn, in   his fellow Imperials by ordering they be allowed
                                                    his 2017 novel Thrawn. The
                                                    story takes readers back to   to escape. In his mind, the loss of a few obsolete
                                                    the origins of the character,   Y-wings isn’t a defeat, but rather an opportunity
                                                    tracing Thrawn’s journey from   to gain knowledge about his opponent, to be
                                                    exiled member of the Chiss
                                                    Ascendency to becoming one   exploited later. His goal isn’t to capture one rebel
                                                    of Emperor Palpatine’s most   cell that day, but rather to defeat a larger menace
                                                    indispensable servants, facing   at a later date.
                                                    both military and political   The methodical way in which Thrawn
                                                    battles along the way.
                                                      The tale has been adapted   analyzes his enemies mirrors his iteration in
                                                    by Marvel Comics as a six-issue   Zahn’s 1990s novels. Everything he does—his
                                                    mini-series, beginning back in   values, methods, and biases—are well considered
                                                    February 2018, with the fi nal   and coolly alien, providing twists that the
                                                    installment in comic stores now.
                                                    A trade paperback collecting   audience isn’t expecting, such as Thrawn
                                                    the series will be published in   allowing a small loss in the hopes of a larger and
                                                    September this year.      more decisive win in the future. In some ways,
                                                      Timothy Zahn’s follow-up   Thrawn’s “long game” approach is similar to
                                                    novel, Thrawn: Alliances, fi nds
                                                    Thrawn paired with Darth Vader   Palpatine’s in the prequel trilogy, which makes
                                                    on a mission to thwart a new   it believable that he could rise above his peers in
                                                    threat against the Empire’s   the chain of command.
                                                    dominance, set during the
                                                    period of Star Wars Rebels. The
                                                    hardback novel from Del Rey is   The Art of Observation
                                                    released on July 24, 2018.  Though Darth Vader made a big impression
                                                                              during the second season of Rebels, the show’s
                                                                              creative team did not consider making him



                                                                                                   STAR WARS INSIDER / 57




                                                                                                               13/06/2018   12:09
          SWI182_054-059_FEAT_Thrawn-LFLApproved.indd   57                                                     13/06/2018   12:09
          SWI182_054-059_FEAT_Thrawn-LFLApproved.indd   57
   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62