Star Warshas just dropped a massive hint thatGrand Admiral Thrawnis about to betray the Empire. The only alien ever to ascend to the rank of Grand Admiral in the Empire, Thrawn has been set up as the main villain ofThe Mandalorianera. Theend ofAhsokasaw Thrawn return to the mainStar Warsgalaxy, where he’s expected to take control of the Imperial Remnant. But is Thrawn really loyal to the Empire? There’s evidence in canon that he has his own agenda, and this has just been supported in a surprising way.
The newStar Wars Encyclopediacontains an entry on Eli Vanto, one of Thrawn’s key agents, and his affiliation is interesting. An Imperial who worked closely with Thrawn, Vanto became essential to Thrawn’s plans, and the Grand Admiral ultimately sent him to the Chiss Ascendancy as his agent. According to the encyclopedia entry, Vanto’s “affiliation” remains with Thrawn. Here’s what it says:
Notice thattheStar Wars Encyclopediatreats Thrawn as a separate party, loyal to neither the Empire nor the Chiss Ascendancy. Amusingly, no other character has this affiliation, suggesting that Thrawn is dealing with Imperial and Chiss loyalists most of the time.
What Grand Admiral Thrawn’s Agenda Means For Star Wars
What is Thrawn’s true loyalty?
There’s a sense in which Thrawn’s questionable loyalty shouldn’t come as a surprise. While it’s trueStar Wars RebelsandAhsokaseemed to portray him as an Imperial loyalist, Timothy Zahn’s canon novels have shed a deeper light on his true motives. Thrawn believes there are powerful, dangerous forces in theUnknown Regions, and that a strong Empire is the best defense against them. That’s the key to his slogan: “Long live the Empire,” not “Long live the Emperor.“He is loyal to a philosophy, not to a power structure.
This means Thrawn’s alliances are always going to be temporary things, because nobody else shares his motives. He will happily take charge of the remaining Imperial military, but theImperial Shadow Councilwould be wise to watch him carefully. The Grand Admiral does not share their agenda, and he could easily undermine their longer-term strategy. That’s particularly true given the Shadow Council is working on Project Necromancer, attempting to resurrect Palpatine, to whom Thrawn has no loyalty.
Our Take On Grand Admiral Thrawn’s Story
A story with phenomenal potential
It’s easy to see the phenomenal potential here.Grand Admiral Thrawnis clearly vital toStar Wars' future; he’s generally expected to be the principal antagonist inThe Mandalorian & Grogu, with his story culminating in Dave Filoni’s mysterious movie. Even more excitingly, though,Star Warscould then build on this by revealing some of the extragalactic forces Thrawn was so fearful of. Thrawn’s true motives set up so many thrilling potential stories for the franchise.
Grand Admiral Thrawn
The only alien to ever ascend to the rank of Grand Admiral, Thrawn is a strategic genius who hails from an isolationist race known as the Chiss. Thrawn’s motives are enigmatic, but his tactical brilliance made him a vital asset for the Empire. Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger successfully defeated Thrawn during the Battle of Lothal, resulting in Thrawn’s exile to the distant planet Peridea in another galaxy, but the Grand Admiral has now returned.
