Star Wars fandom is being divided yet again, this time because of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Created by legendary Star Wars author Timothy Zahn back in 1991, Grand Admiral Thrawn was easily one of the most compelling characters in the old Expanded Universe. An exile from his own people, the Chiss, Thrawn – whose full name, “Mitth’raw’nuruodo,” is unpronounceable by humans – ascended through the rans of the Empire by virtue of his military and tactical genius. He was the only alien to achieve such a high position in the Imperial military.
The Expanded Universe was branded non-canon (or “Legends” after Disney acquired Lucasfilm back in 2012, but the House of Mouse wasted no time incorporating some of the most popular characters and concepts into their new canon. Grand Admiral Thrawn became a major villain in the Star Wars Rebels animated series, and Zahn himself has returned to tell his true origin story in a series of canon novels. All evidence indicates Thrawn is absolutely essential for the future of Star Wars, because he’s been set up as a returning villain in The Mandalorian era, five years after the events of Return of the Jedi.
Is Grand Admiral Thrawn A Villain? It’s Complicated
Surprisingly, Grand Admiral Thrawn’s return is generating a remarkable amount of division in the Star Wars fanbase. There’s intense debate over whether he should be considered a villain at all, and in fact some are arguing he should be an ally of the New Republic – not an enemy at all. The core issue is that Thrawn’s portrayal changed over time; he was certainly a villain in Zahn’s original Thrawn trilogy, published back in 1991, but over the years he morphed into a much more sympathetic figure. Zahn revealed Thrawn’s motives were rather more complex than most Imperials; he was aware of an impending extragalactic invasion by a race known as the Yuuzhan Vong, and believed the military might of the Empire was essential to defeating them.
Zahn has continued this portrayal in the Disney era, tweaking Thrawn’s backstory to fit the new lore. The celebrated author has introduced a new race from the Unknown Regions, the Grysk, who posed a threat both to the Chiss and the Empire. This was a smart move on Zahn’s part; the Grysk serve as a replacement for the Yuuzhan Vong, giving the Disney era version of Thrawn the exact same motives. Complicating the issue, though, Star Wars: Rebels‘ version of Thrawn was played as a straight villain, stripped of the layers of nuance and complexity Zahn had added. This led many fans of Thrawn to argue he was written out-of-character – and, they fear, that trend will continue in live-action when he returns in The Mandalorian era.
Why Thrawn’s Motives Still Make Him A Villain
The original Thrawn trilogy seemed to simply assume Thrawn was a villain; he was, after all, the heir to the Empire. While it is true Zahn has added a much greater degree of complexity to the Grand Admiral, there is one specific detail he has not changed; Thrawn’s perception of what strength actually looks like. The key point is that Grand Admiral Thrawn prefers an Empire to a Republic. He is disinterested in politics, viewing democracies as weak and divided, and defaults to a rigid, fascistic structure of government. This was best demonstrated in Legends, where Thrawn secretly set up another faction in the Unknown Regions. It is telling that this group was called the “Empire of the Hand” – not a Republic. This is significant in terms of the overall thematic approach taken by Star Wars, where the champions of democracy are the heroes.
Thrawn’s villainy is subtly reinforced by the Disney era canon, which has clearly established it was impossible to rise through the ranks of Palpatine’s Empire without being corrupted. This was no accident; Palpatine understood that the line between light and dark runs through the heart of every individual being, and he deliberately created systems that would force every member of his regime – however prominent, however lowly – to make moral compromises that aligned them with the dark side. He understood the balance of the Force; “The choice between dark and light is often subtle and not limited to the Jedi and Sith,” Lucasfilm’s Dave Filoni explained in one interview. “Everyone struggles with the balance between light and dark.” Palpatine ensured every person caught up in his system would find themselves oriented towards the darkness, and – as master of the dark side – he benefited from that. This argument is best seen in Alexander Freed’s Alphabet Squadron trilogy, which makes a compelling case. Given Thrawn ascended to the position of Grand Admiral, he would be no exception.
Ultimately, then, it really does seem that Grand Admiral Thrawn is indeed a villain in Star Wars. He’s just a different kind of villain; no cackling maniac, but rather a cold and rational being of logic, who has his own reasons and justifications for his behavior. He is tremendously compelling – but that doesn’t make him a hero, or even an antihero.
