Timothy Zahn, the author who's famous for his prolific collection of Star Wars books and the creator of the villainous Grand Admiral Thrawn, recently sat down with content creators at Dragon Con 2023 to discuss his Star Wars books, Thrawn, and the Ahsoka series that's now streaming on Disney+. When the 72-year-old writer was asked about his excitement around Thrawn debuting in live-action in Ahsoka from Star Wars Rebels, Zahn shared his excitement for the iconic villain to show up.
“Very excited, especially when it’s under Dave Filoni's tutelage," the author said via the geekywaffle "He’d shown back in Rebels that he understands Thrawn, understands how to write for him, understands how you defeat him. You give him something he can’t control or something he doesn’t know. I would always be nervous about whether the writers bringing him in would understand him enough to write properly. Filoni seems to have got it. So, I’m looking forward to see what he is doing. I know a little bit of some of the new characters, some of the new dynamic. It’s going to be interesting to see.”
Zahn was also asked if, once Ahsoka is done, he would write another Thrawn novel to fill in the nine-year time gap between Star Wars: Rebels and Ahsoka. He responded:
“I would like to do that. It’s a big nine-year gap that I’m aching to write novels in. So far, I’ve not been approached. So far, not been offered that, and I don’t know how much Dave wants to fill in of that on his own. On the other hand, no matter how tightly he fills in that nine years, I know I can find good stories to tell in that. So, whether he’s just got vague ideas, whether he’s got a month-by-month sort of thing, I will still be able to do good stories in that once they let me. Yeah, but I am just chomping at the bit to get that.”
You can watch the full interview with Timothy Zahn here:
Who is Grand Admiral Thrawn?
Thrawn first appeared in Zahn's 1991 novel Heir of the Empire, the first book of the Thrawn Trilogy. He's a member of the alien Chiss species, the Grand Admiral in the Imperial Navy, and is described to be "the most brilliant of the Emperor's minions". He has climbed up in ranks thanks to his "tactical brilliance and cunning", and has been considered as "one of the most threatening antagonists" in the Star Wars universe.
Back in 2017, Zahn explained how Thrawn's command style is considerably different from that of Darth Vader and other typical Imperial commanders while speaking with USA Today:
"Most of the Imperial leaders we see in the movies rule through a combination of fear and manipulation. I wanted to create something different: a commander who could lead through loyalty. The result was Thrawn, a tactical genius whose troops follow him willingly, and who will fight for him whether or not he's watching over their shoulders.
Thrawn made his transition from the pages to the screen Star Wars: Rebels Season 3.
Who plays Thrawn in Ahsoka?
In Ashoka, the titular heroine (played by Rosario Dawson) is on the hunt for Grand Admiral Thrawn and Ezra (Eman Esfandi) to stop the Empire from rising back to power. Danish actor Lars Mikkelsen, who played Thrawn in Star Wars: Rebels, reprises his role to portray the villain in live-action.
The first six episodes of Ahsoka are now streaming on Disney+. There are two episodes left for the show's first season.
