From Hugh

On August 23rd, the newest Star Wars series, Ahsoka, officially kick off bringing in a lot of new and old characters into live action for the first time. One of these characters is the villainous Grand Admiral Thrawn who many have waited for years to see return to the spotlight in Star Wars media ever since his name dropped in The Mandalorian Season 2. Pretty much every Star Wars fan knows who Thrawn is but understandably there are also many other people who may not have a clue who he is or know why he’s such a great threat to the galaxy far far away. Find out now below!

Origin

When it comes to the Star War Universe things can get confusing when talking about the origins of certain characters as there have been different takes on all of them through films, shows, books and comics. But for this overview on Thrawn we will be strictly sticking to the information that is considered canon, which means we will not include anything from Legends or any extended universe material that has been deemed non-canon. Mitth'raw'nuruodo, better known by the name Thrawn, was a Chiss male who was born on his species world Csilla in the last decades of the Galactic Republic. His race controlled an area of space in the part of their galaxy known to those in the Republic as an Unknown Regions, dangerous and uncharted regions in the galaxy. During this time he'd risen through their Chiss military ranks to become a well respected officer within their Chiss controlled government of their Chiss Ascendancy. Thrawn was born a commoner like others in his family, but after joining the Chiss Defense Fleet Mitth'raw'nuruodo had been taken a merit adoptive in the Eighth Ruling Family within this Chiss society. Though the practice of military officers becoming merit adoptives in their ruling families, and taking on the colors of their adoptive family, was common, they usually ceased belonging to a family upon leaving this military. Mitth'raw'nuruodo, however, became the youngest Chiss to ever reach the rank of an Commander and had impressed the Eighth Ruling Family enough during his early career to be considered a trial born, with the possibility of becoming a permanent member of the family. His work within the Chiss Defense Fleet gave him the opportunity to learn to speak several languages used throughout unknown regions, such as a trade language Sy Bisti which was used by some in the wider galaxy, in addition to his own native language of Chiss.

At some point during his career as an officer within their Chiss Ascendancy, Thrawn was assigned the task of exploring the Outer Rim in the galaxy. The Chiss Ascendancy had discovered a mysterious threat in the Unknown Regions, and wished to know if the Galactic Republic would be a suitable ally against the evil destined to arrive. Eventually, Thrawn's travels led him to a Thrugii Asteroid Belt where he encountered a Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, who was there fighting a battle in a Clone Wars. Thrawn fought alongside Skywalker in this battle, finding himself impressed with the courage and cunning skills that Skywalker did display. Anakin also found himself impressed with Thrawn, speaking highly of him to the Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine when he returned to Coruscant. Though Thrawn had been impressed with the Jedi Skywalker, he was however unimpressed with the state in the government the Jedi served. Thrawn determined that this galactic Republic would be unfit for an alliance with their Chiss Ascendancy, citing that their democratic style of government created a bogged down system where everyone had voices yet nothing of importance was accomplished. After the rise of the Galactic Empire, Thrawn encountered a colony consisting of Neimoidian refugees, who warned him of the tyranny of the Galactic Empire and pleaded with Thrawn to bring the full force of their Chiss people to combat the Empire. Thrawn refused their request, and did return to their Chiss Ascendancy seeking counsel. Taking the dangerous threat against their race into consideration, Chiss Ascendancy ruled that the time had come to judge whether or not this Empire would be a suitable ally. Thrawn was assigned with the task of infiltrating the Galactic Empire in order to either make them a powerful ally of the Ascendancy or weaken them to the point where they could be made easy prey for this threat to attack instead of the Chiss Ascendancy. In order to carry out his assigned mission, Thrawn, with the help of the Ascendancy and Aristocra, selected a planet in wild space and set up a hut designed to look as though Thrawn had been living there for years.

Thrawn did then pretend to live in exile for several months and after several attempts in trying to establish contact, Thrawn finally managed to catch the attention of the naval forces in this Galactic Empire. He would end up meeting Palpatine again, who was now Emperor, being presented as a gift by the group that brought him there but Thrawn, however, offered himself as not a gift but a resource. He informed Palpatine that the Ascendancy had discovered a mysterious threat in the Unknown Regions, offering his information on the threat in exchange for the Empire's help. In hope of convincing Palpatine that he was to be trusted, Thrawn offered the name of Anakin Skywalker as someone who could vouch for him, believing Anakin to be a servant to the Emperor. The Emperor informed Thrawn that Anakin had died at the end of the Clone Wars, but also that Anakin had spoken highly of him before he had died. Accepting Thrawn's offer for information on the Unknown Regions, the Emperor offered him a role in the Imperial Navy. Thrawn accepted on the condition that he was allowed to keep Vanto as his translator. Wishing to discuss the threat in the Unknown Regions further, Palpatine guided Thrawn to the privacy of his throne room's interior garden. Thrawn was impressed by the artistry of the garden, believing it to be the indicative of power, subtlety, and depth of thought. Once within the garden, Thrawn and Palpatine discussed Palpatine's personal interest in the mystery the Unknown Regions held. Exiting the garden and returning to the main throne room, Thrawn was assigned three standard months of training at the Royal Imperial Academy with a translator named Vanto by his side.

Upon arriving at the Royal Imperial Academy, Thrawn and Vanto found their way to the office of Commandant Deenlark. Thrawn was met with hostility in Deenlark's office, Deenlark expressed his contempt for the alien Thrawn and the fact that he had arrived in Deenlark's office by command of the Emperor himself. As the meeting with Deenlark drew to a close, Thrawn was informed that instead of graduating as an ensign like Vanto, he would be graduating with the rank of Lieutenant. Thrawn was given his rank insignia plaque, and Deenlark secretly hoped that it would make Thrawn the target of bullying. On the way out of the office, Eli Vanto had informed Thrawn of Deenlark's intent, and Thrawn took the opportunity to learn more about the hierarchy within the academy. Ultimately, Thrawn decided not to wear his rank plaque until it proved convenient to him, masquerading as a normal cadet. From the start of their term at Royal Imperial, Thrawn and Vanto were plagued by bullying and harassment. Thrawn refused to give a response, however, hypothesizing that lack of response would embolden the bullies to cross the line and commit a punishable act of bullying. One night when walking back to their barracks, Thrawn pushed Vanto into the bushes as he was assailed by three cadets. Thrawn fought off the assailants, allowing them to land a few hits in order to assess their combat skills before, with the help of a distraction from Eli, injuring one of them and causing all three to scatter. After the assailants fled, Thrawn and Vanto returned to Deenlark's office to report the incident. When Deenlark protested that it would be impossible for him to punish the guilty cadets because of the influential parents, Thrawn suggested that rather than being punished the assailants should be transferred to the Skystrike Academy for pilot training. He explained that during the fight he had observed that all three had tremendous aptitude as pilots and that it would be a great waste of their potential if they weren't transferred to Skystrike Academy. Furthermore, Thrawn argued the punishment would be paranoia.

The assailants would live in fear that they would one day be punished and others would be frightened by the fact that their friends had disappeared so suddenly. Deenlark agreed to carry out his suggestion, and the matter was closed. Two standard months later, Thrawn graduated from the Royal Imperial Academy as a Lieutenant. On the day of his graduation, Thrawn received a second rank insignia plaque, Deenlark having forgotten that he gave Thrawn his plaque the day he arrived at the school. Thrawn held onto his spare plaque for later use if he ever needed it. After the ceremony of graduation and meeting Eli's parents, Thrawn and Eli reported to Deenlark's office for their first career assignments. Thrawn's naval commission was unexpected, yet he had used the new development to an advantage, then infiltrated the Empire Navy, posing as a loyalist to the Empire, but truly only doing it for his people and not the Emperor, who he knew was evil. With help from Vanto, Thrawn gained recognition for his unorthodox but effective military tactics, yet Admiralty came to despise the alien officer, trying to use every opportunity they could to have him discharged but after each court martial he'd come out unscathed. It was in this time he met governor Pryce, and the two of them used each other's own strengths to help the other rise to the higher echelons of the Empire.

Throughout his early career, he hunted the mysterious and brilliant operator Nightswan, who he later found out had been orchestrating many Rebellions across the galaxy. His skills of deduction allowed him to come to his conclusion that Anakin and Vader were the same person, and additionally by studying trade routes, supply lines, and resource transports, he was able to learn of a massive construction project. Thrawn proved his worth to the Emperor, as well as his ambition and military capabilities. Thrawn conducted numerous missions to defeat Smugglers, Spies, and pirates, earning many victories with his renegade tactics. Thrawn did receive several promotions as did his aide and translator, Eli Vanto, whom he instructed in combat, leadership, and also victory. Politics, on the other hand, was not a strong suit, and he worked with Arihnda Pryce, Governor of the Lothal Sector, as she could have been a key ally or his enemy. Much of his knowledge and ambition were put to a test once he reached the rank of Admiral. Thrawn's ingenuity and tactical prowess caught the attention of the Emperor that in secret was a Dark Lord of the Sith who believed that the source of his dark power came from beyond the galaxy and in the Unknown Regions, and he felt a dark presence call to him from beyond.

Because of the interest in an unknown space Sidious took an interest in his intel of traversing Unknown Regions, and because of a partnership Palpatine secretly aided his career. After Thrawn became a Admiral he was sent with the Imperial Fleet to put down an insurgency at the planet Batonn. During a siege, Admiral Thrawn went to confront his longtime enemy Nightswan in secret, and he then realized that his nemesis was, in fact, a pirate whom Thrawn had encountered many years earlier. Thrawn returned to his vessel to prepare for the battle after his meeting with Nightswan to try and enlist his services to the Chiss, which commenced not long after. Thrawn and the Empire then emerged the victors after explosives were ignited on the surface, destroying the entire rebel base and with it over half of the city's population that remained. In actuality, it was Governor Pryce who was responsible for igniting the explosives, as Thrawn generally tried to avoid the collateral damage.

The Emperor was also fascinated by Thrawn's culture, which hailed from the Unknown Regions of the galaxy, where he believed the source of the darkness originated. Due to this, and his prowess in tactical and physical combat, Thrawn often held Sidious's favor. Shortly before encountering the rebel cell in the Lothal sector, Thrawn ascended to an rank Grand Admiral. He received his promotion from the Emperor Palpatine himself then met Darth Vader after he'd defeated insurgents in Batonn sector. Battle on Batonn resulted in the elimination of all rebel activity in the sector, including the death of a nemesis Nightswan, but also the death of many civilians, the number of which surpassed the amount of rebel casualties which in the eyes of the Empire was a acceptable margin. A capable strategist who earned a reputation for his tactical prowess and ability to understand enemy's culture, art, and philosophy as keys to defeat them, Thrawn commanded the Navy's Seventh Fleet. Because of his success in utterly wiping out opponents Thrawn was not himself well known to this Rebellion at large, a fact which he would later use to the advantage during a Ryloth occupation.

In order to repel all rebels of Lothal, Imperial Governor Pryce requested to Grand Moff Tarkin, that Thrawn and his Fleet be assigned to assist with the Rebels. Arriving on Coruscant following the Battle of Batonn, Thrawn made his way once more to the emperor's throne room. In his throne room, Palpatine presented Thrawn with a new uniform, a white one with gold shoulder bars and a silver collar insignia along with a rank insignia plaque indicating this promotion to Grand Admiral. Before Admiral Thrawn would take the promotion from the emperor himself, however, Thrawn demanded to know about the Death Star I. Thrawn explained that his concerns with the Death Star I were twofold; he feared that Palpatine might use it against his Chiss Ascendancy and he believed that Sidious was diverting too many materials and resources that would be better served elsewhere into one military project. Palpatine assured Thrawn that he had no plans to use the Death Star on the Chiss, mentioning that he had noticed that Thrawn had left out locations of Chiss territories off his maps for the Unknown Regions. Additionally Sidious expressed complete confidence in this Death Star I's ability to suppress all opposition, making it worth the cost. This said, Palpatine offered this Grand Admiral's rank plaque again and this time, Thrawn accepted his rank plaque, the Dark Sith Lord Darth Vader then had entered this throne room and Thrawn greeted him and then exchanged formalities, oblivious to the fact that this was the same individual that he once fought alongside on the Thrugii Asteroid belt.

As he'd prepared to begin his campaign against the Rebels Phoenix Squadron, Thrawn decided it was finally time for he and Eli Vanto to part ways. Pleased with the progress Eli Vanto had made in the areas tactics, leadership, and strategy, Thrawn believed that Vanto would be the perfect candidate for the Chiss Ascendancy's Navy. Gifting Eli Vanto a journal, Thrawn directed Vanto to a set of coordinates in the Unknown Regions. These coordinates would bring Eli Vanto to Chiss officer Admiral Ar'alani and their Chiss' defensive Fleet, carrying with him greetings from Thrawn. Freshly promoted and having given Eli the job Thrawn believed that he deserved, Thrawn set off to Battle Phoenix Squadron and the Rebels at Lothal leading to the events of Star Wars Rebels. 

Powers & Weaknesses

Thrawn has no powers or connection to the force like most other major villains of the Star Wars Universe but Thrawn was a seasoned military commander and accomplished tactician who was known to be thorough and respected by his subordinates. While a master of military tactics, Thrawn was more than an adept commander. His use of knowledge and intelligence in conjunction with stunning tactics proved Thrawn to be one of the galaxy's most remarkable military commanders. As a Grand Admiral, Thrawn was familiar with the various rebel tactics including the Danaan formation. To prevent the rebels from escaping, he reinforced the center of the Seventh Fleet with Admiral Konstantine's interdictor cruiser. While this tactic prevented the rebels from escaping, it came undone when Konstantine ignored Thrawn's orders and decided to engage Commander Sato's flagship. Thrawn was willing to admit defeat. Rather than stand proud and fight a losing battle, Thrawn knew when it was time to retreat, although those instances were few and far between. 

What To Expect

The story of Ahsoka is set many years after the events of Star Wars Rebels where we last saw Thrawn be outsmarted and defeated by the Jedi Ezra Bridger before disappearing along with him to an unknown location. The Empire had fallen in Thrawn’s absence but remnants of it believed him to be alive and that his inevitable return as the dubbed “Heir to the Empire” would bring the Empire back from the ashes and take back the Galaxy. Ahsoka, having heard rumors of Thrawn’s survival, has been hunting him in order to put a stop to him once and for all knowing just how dangerous and influential of an enemy he is. What his exact plans are as well as his role in the series is largely being kept under wraps but based on what was recently established in The Mandalorian Season 3 something big is coming and Thrawn is at the center of all of it.

Ahsoka premieres with two episodes on Wednesday, August 23rd, 2023 on Disney+.

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