Grand Admiral Thrawn

[Viru Lentus]

So Grand Admiral Thrawn. Some hate him, many love him. However after reading/listening to Outbound Flight, The Thrawn Trilogy, and the Hand of Thrawn Duology, my love for Thrawn has been rekindled. I remember reading the Thrawn Trilogy as a child and seeing Thrawn as nothing but a villain, evil as a child usually would. However Now that I'm more mature and examined Thrawn and his relationships I've come to see him as something more. He is not that simple villain I thought of as a child, not some overbearing evil. He simply wanted what he thought would be best for the galaxy, and would the galaxy really be worse beneath Thrawn's rule? I mean he was a genius and at a time almost seemed kind. Even his way of operating was a complete parallel to Vader's. However after looking through discussions on other sites and such everyone else seems staunch in their views that Thrawn is evil in one way or another.

So in other words what do you like or hate about Thrawn? Do you think he is a villain? A misunderstood hero? I'm just curious to here what others have to say.

(On a sidenote Marc Thompson is a great narrator for the audiobooks. I suggest everyone listen to them if they get the chance.)

 

[Darth Prazutis]

Thrawn was a true soldier, a man whose loyalty to the Empire and tact was legendary. If Darth Sidious not have sabotaged his plans he would have restored the Empire to dominance for sure.

 

[Z'Zharen]

I heard Thrawn might make an appearance in season 3 of star wars rebels.

 

[Vulpesen]

Thrawn was evil... He was a badguy, that much is simple for me since Star Wars was created with the intention of showcasing the classic struggle of good and evil.

THAT BEING SAID.

Thrawn, despite not using the force has still become one of my favorite villains of all time. Every time I speak to people about star wars, he comes up. Tactical genius that was only brought down by something he couldn't have even guessed. Thrawn was the pinnacle of manipulation, even capable of using an insane jedi clone. I can only imagine that if he had the force to aid him, he'd be one of the most fearsome sith lords in galactic history.

 

[Cyrus Tregessar]

Its always worth mentioning that the Thrawn series basically created the EU.

Thats the mark of a compelling villain, i should imagine. After the general incompotence displayed by the bad guys in Ep 7 he's a visceral reminder of why the Empire was feared and the prowess available to them.

The original movies present three major fgures to represent the Empire; Vader, Tarkin, and the Emperor. Each represents a different sort of ideology towards power and control. Thrawn is a 4th, and a damned scary effective one at that.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

(On a sidenote Marc Thompson is a great narrator for the audiobooks. I suggest everyone listen to them if they get the chance.)

This times a thousand.

I like Thrawn. He's not a stereotypical villain. he's a soldier fighting for an Imperialist regime, so he is the bad guy, but he's not a villain in the traditional sense.

I see him as more of a German general from WWII (one who didn't indulge in mass murder of civilians) and who was on the wrong side.

 

[Krayzen Dratos]

One of the reasons why I like Thrawn was that he presented a threat to the Republic, not because he was a powerful Sith Lord like Malgus or Vitiate, or a Dark Jedi, like Count Dooku's first' apprentice(although I don't think she was a threat to the Republic), but because he was effective. Even though I primarily play force sensitives, I would still say that Thrawn is one of the favorite SW characters, and he is the primary reason why I got interested in fleeting.

 

[Krayzen Dratos]

I heard Thrawn might make an appearance in season 3 of star wars rebels.

I hope this is true. It would certainly be awesome to see this happen.

 

[Caius Flavian]

Thrawn not only was the formidable villain that helped propel SW Legends expand universe forward, but he also brought about one of the most prominent xenos species of the Chiss that now is featured heavily in lore and with their inclusion in SWTOR there will be this pressure for the new Canon to include them in future productions.

This times a thousand.

I like Thrawn. He's not a stereotypical villain. he's a soldier fighting for an Imperialist regime, so he is the bad guy, but he's not a villain in the traditional sense.

I see him as more of a German general from WWII (one who didn't indulge in mass murder of civilians) and who was on the wrong side.

This times a million!

Thrawn was the Erwin Rommel for the Star Wars EU a loyal and devout soldier whose pragmatism and strategic thinking made for a formidable foe.

Yes he was depicted as the antagonist but I don't think he was necessarily on the wrong side.
I would argue that had Palpatine not returned and interfered the Galactic Empire under a victorious Thrawn would have been a different state and government.

It would likely still be a military junta at the galactic level made up of individual dictatorships (Moffs and their sectors) but I feel that COMPNOR would have given way to a slightly more progressive and inclusive Imperial government of different species.
It likely would have taken time but with an Alien having won the Empire would have had a radical impact on the New Order.
But of course we could speculate all day as to what it would have been like.

I honestly grew up on the Thrawn trilogy.
After watching the original three movies these books inspire my writing about the Empire.

 

[Greifen Ren]

Wait, some hate him? I always thought Thrawn was one of the most beloved EU characters.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Greifen Ren"]
Some people complain about everything.

I really do wish he gets into rebels so he becomes 'Canon'. He deserves to make the cross from Legends to New Canon.

 

[Ryan]

 

[Blank Slate #4]

[member="Greifen Ren"]

There are people out there who also hate Kreia simply because they believe she is a Sith and all Sith are bad. Never underestimate the inability of a man to see past the simplest connotations of White and Black, it's what gave us Georgie after all. As for Thrawn, much as I dislike Rebels I do wish he would make an appearance on it just to cement the fact he belongs to the canon setting, much like Valiens mentioned.

 

[Taa Nul]

[member="Viru Lentus"]

Word has it Thrawn'll be making his entry into canon in the next season of Rebels, from what I've heard in rumors and all that.

 

[Z'Zharen]

[member="Count Morcus"]

Heard that from Collider Jedi Council?

 

[Darth Prazutis]

Theres this unnamed Imperial Fleet Admiral mentioned in the canon of Force Awakens who is highly suspected to be an incarnation of Thrawn. He orchestrated the entire Battle of Akiva as a test for one Admiral Rae Sloane to see if she was one of the "Best and Brightest". He is shown to be intelligent, calculating, and manipulative as well as being a big fan of classical music. Check him out here I really hope this turns out to be Thrawn.