A Look at Star Wars Rebels’ Thrawn as Writer Zahn Teases Plans for New Novel

Fans and viewers of Star Wars Rebels will be happy to know that Grand Admiral Thrawn, the brilliant tactician of Chiss descent, will be part of the third season of the show.

However, this is not the only project in the franchise that the character will appear, as he will also be the main character of a new novel by writer Timothy Zahn. In an interview featured on the official Star Wars website, Zahn shared some of his thoughts and plans for Thrawn in the Star Wars franchise.

Zahn shared that Thrawn's pull for readers was quite unexpected, thus making it an even more gratifying experience.

"Over the years, I've written a lot of books and stories that featured him, but with this book I'll be visiting a part of his life that I never before had a chance to explore. Part of the fun of writing him, of course, is that I get to play with tactics and strategies. Hopefully, he'll be pulling a few tricks on his opponents that the readers will enjoy."

Without diving into specifics, Zahn also hinted that the Thrawn novel will go through a good chunk of the Star Wars timeline. This means going through his first encounter with the Empire and ending where the third season of Star Wars Rebels takes off.

While the timeline does involve some parts of the Star Wars franchise, new readers won't have to fear getting into a more specified and focused character book like the Thrawn novel. Most of the references from the universe are more Easter eggs rather than key elements in the new novel.

For him, it's best to create a book where newcomers into the franchise won't feel alienated thanks to very blatant references and private jokes.

Thrawn's entry into the franchise and with a new novel to boot may be one of the key steps towards a more canon expanded universe approach to Star Wars.

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