This is just amazing. He got Eli out of the Empire and unknowingly saved him from corrupting like him. And Eli actually becomes more like Thrawn, helping the Ascendancy. Plus it's such a tragic, yet artistic way to go out. This happening seems....with low plausibility, but I love it.
I believe that Thrawn knew that the empire was corrupting him but took Eli out of the equation for now by wanting him to help the ascendancy more, and Eli would realize that when he would see how corrupted thrawn has become eventually, with palpatine especially. (But even the empire as well). And that would be the reason why Eli could not kill thrawn because thrawn "saved" him.
Other than Eli being a capable officer. I think Thrawn knew Eli would ultimetly defect had he stayed with the empire. Which is why he sent him to the Chiss Ascendency.
This is awesome. I struggle with Thrawn's portrayal in Rebels, too. Having a tragic arc similar to Anakin's (good man corrupted by Sith Lord), would be perfect. Especially since Anakin/Thrawn had a book together.
Eli is such an absolute chad, and with him learning so much from Thrawn, if he betrayed him and turned sides to be with the NR or so, he'd be very formidable.
YOU DARE SUGGEST THIS!?!?!? I've just completed rebels and the first thrawn book. I'm halfway through Alliances. I hope Eli makes his way into live action and i get to see both Thrawn and Eli's dynamic because it's sooo damn good. I hope Ahsoka + Ezra team up with Thrawn and Eli and the Chiss and take on the Grysk. I just hope they don't make Thrawn to be a ALL OUT villian. (As far as I've read) Thrawn is doing this for his people. If he only explains this to Ezra i think he'd be understanding but idk i just hope whoever writes thrawn doesn't BUTCHER his character.
THIS! It makes the most sense given the books we have of Thrawn, and I won't say anything so you can finish the books, but you get it! THANK YOU! I feel like I am losing my mind sometimes when fans just want Thrawns story to just repeat, beat for beat, the old Thrawn books.
@@jeredcahill7655 Exactly, half these people haven't read the new canon and are basing their theories on Heir to the Empire which won't be recreated, they will draw on Zahn's new material. Thrawn's attention will be on the Grysk as their invasion is imminent by the time of Rebels.
@@jordanfitzgerald7886 See, I don't know. Zahn mentioned in an interview he was not approached for story decisions or explanations by Dave Filoni for Rebels. He said he did approve of how he was portrayed, but since they didn't ask Zahn for his ideas for Rebels, I think they won't do so for the Live Action Thrawn. I think they will never mention the Gryskks and they'll make Thrawn an Empire villain (This doesn't make sense if you've read the last book of the first Thrawn trilogy) Dave Filloni and Jon Favreau have already disregared Comics and novels, this might not be different...
No way. Eli served the Empire just as much as Thrawn did. Eli always knew what he was capable of out of loyalty, at the same time, he remained loyal to Thrawn. Now Eli serves the Chiss. Why would he interfere with the New Republic and kill his mentor? However, I would really like to see him in Ahsoka. Eli deserves a separate book trilogy.
A day or two ago i was rereading the Thrawn 2017 novel and realized how much sense it made when I read the final part of a conversation between Thrawn and Faro concerning wookie slaves. It goes like this: "However these being were pressed into service, they are now imperial assets. They will be treated as such." "Understood, Commodore." Thrawn would have acted conpletely different if he were placed in the same situation when he was in the Ascendancy o even earlier in the novel. I never noticed it until watching this video, because his arc is so subtle.
Thrawn's whole character is all about protecting the Chiss Ascendancy. He's more chill in the Chiss books and villainous in the Empire because what's a threat to the Empire is a threat to the Chiss. He will not tolerate any threats to the Chiss.
I onyl recently started reading the Thrawn Books. I immidiately fell in love with them, and especially with Thrawn's and Eli's relationship. Hopefully Disney will do something good with them.
Depending on how he is portrayed, I could see it being Gilad Pelleaon as well, but Eli makes way more sense for canon, and Pelleaon always seemed to have a kind of admiration of Thrown unlike Eli.
I always got the sense that Eli ended up admiring Thrawn just as much as Pelleaon, maybe more so since they were as close to friends as Thrawn gets lol
@@ryancarrell3186 Pellaeon becomes the head of the Imperial Remnant after Thrawn's death. Eli returns to the known galaxy and to the Empire. Pellaeon learns that their attaché to the Chiss has returned and greets him, asking who his CO was. Eli tells him it was Thrawn. They get wasted reminiscing, making fun of, and respecting Thrawn.
I absolutely love this Eli was one of the few individuals in the entire Galaxy whom Thrawn considered to be his friend, He was the watson to his sherlock holmes To have his life ended by him would be incredibly beautiful and tragic.
Thank you for seeing this POV, Thrawns corruption is so subtle but it's riddled through the novels and I think brilliant. I'm glad more and more are starting to see.
I don't see Thrawn as inconsitant, I definitely disagree with that but I can definitely get behind the idea that joining the Empire turned him into a ruthless individual. I prefer him as a villain anyway and Timothy Zahn did praise Rebels's handling of the character so I definitely think that's what he's going for. It's very similar to Dooku, in the way that both joined Palpatine for noble and selfless reasons but that alliance corrupted both the Count and the Grand Admiral. That's a great arc for Thrawn IMO. I don't feel Thrawn necessarily has to die but given the history of his Legends character, I kind of feel like they won't go the route of having a loyal lieutenant turn on him because that's what people might expect. When Rukh turned up in Rebels, people suspected he was going to kill Thrawn again like in Legends and well, look how that that turned out so I think Thrawn's canon death, if it comes to that, will be under different circumstances though the idea is one that I think is very cool. But it does also depend on if Thrawn is the threat posed in the liveaction shows and if he's even going to appear. While I'm on board and agree that might be what they're building towards, it has not been confirmed yet, it's only speculation, leaks and rumors so far and I think people are starting to get tunnel vision and clouded regarding what's definitely been confirmed and what's just rumored. It also feels like a bit of a stretch that Thrawn would be in a position to be a threat to me given how we last saw him, restrained and helpless by Ezra and the purgill. It's possible but I'm just playing things cautious personally and not going to get my hopes and expectations too high for now
It would be horrible. There's far more potential to Thrawn and the Unknown regions than repeating a story that's been done already. Zahn wouldn't like either, given the new canon direction Thrawn is taking.
I’m still expecting a Joruus C’baoth counterpart in the canon storyline, I think the perfect way to tie in the Madalorian into the crossover would be to have Grogu be the Target rather then Leia’s kids, which forces Din to reluctantly join the Alliance. With how much Disney loves surprise comebacks I would not at all be Shocked if an old, one handed and lightning scarred Mace Windu took on that role, trying to restore the Jedi order to what it was, it would make sense for him not to trust Luke with the task, not just because for Anakin, but because of his much more liberal and emotional understanding of the force.
I see your point about the shift but I also feel in the books it shows He has to keep on the empire’s good side, to keep support. This definitely has meaning as we have seen people shift from decent people to move support more authoritarian rules around the world. My problem is to books paint Thrawn as a do anything for the his home. What does attacking the new republic gain? He could just as easily use Eli to get new Republic to help in unknown regions. I hope it is a redemption arch with him shifting back to the bad ass in the Timothy books. I am sure we will get a better idea based of the next book.
Yeah, the whole thing about him not telling the rebels or the New Republic about the Yuuzahn Vong/Grysks has been a plothole ever since Spector of the Past explained his motivations. Thrawn always has his reasons, and I think we might finally find out why in Ahsoka.
It would be an awesome idea, actually. As long as they provide a good reason for Eli Vanto to do it and show that Thrawn genuinely doesn't expect it it can be performed well that can recreate the death scene for the Thrawn Trilogy.
It would be horrible. There's far more potential to Thrawn and the Unknown regions than repeating a story that's been done already. Zahn wouldn't like either, given the new canon direction Thrawn is taking.
Timothy Zahns thrawn is the best version. One of my fav Star Wars characters sense I was 11 years old. Was happy he was in rebels. Looking forward to live action appearance
I can't recall which, whether at the end in Alliance or Treason, Eli mentions being disturbed at news of the use of the Empire's super weapon. He wonders about his mentor whom he held in esteem and from whom he received that personal journal. Throughout the new trilogies, there are such moments that take up maybe a couple of sentences, but they are important, like Thrawn's comment about friendship, that "true friendship is so exceedingly rare" and that "a friend need not be kept either in sight or in reach" but "must be allowed the freedom to follow [their] own path." Further, "knowing a friend still graces the universe with his skills, and his viewpoints and presence" is "a comfort." Additionally, Thrawn says "... if one is remembered by a friend, one is never truly gone." In Alliances, Eli is miffed (pun intended) Thrawn niether speaks nor really acknowledges him to any significant extent, so there is friendship enough to be hurt. By Treason, it's clear both Ar'alani and Vanto see Thrawn as being in "too deep." While I believe both could either stand with Thrawn and/or be driven to stand against him, I believe Eli still wouldn't be able to kill Thrawn, though I can see both dying in some ultimate collission course between the new Order, the Imperial Remnant, the New Republic, and Thrawn's Empire of the Hand. I can't see Thrawn thinking that Palpatine's Contingency was anything but insanity and would not participate, if he can prevent it. We may have seen this in the sequel ending-yes with Katana, 7th Fleet et al. In which case what is to come will be spectacular, and I'm holding out for his being a tragic hero. One can hope.
Honestly I don’t see this happening. A large part of the reason Thrawn was killed the way he was (by Zahn’s own admission) was because he was written almost TOO smart - he didn’t have any exploitable flaws the rebels could use). Canon Thrawn is written with more nuance, and so there are other avenues of attack. Another element is Thrawn’s popularity - a common opinion back in the day was that it was a shame that Thrawn had to die, but when he was killed there was not yet this cult following. All and all for reasons both within universe and without killing Thrawn seems like a generally bad move. He’s also doubtlessly spent a lot of time with Ezra, perhaps even working with him to survive whatever mess they ended up with. He is practical after all, and despite being an enemy moments ago would be perceived as a potential asset. I look forward to seeing the return of Thrawn in live action but I don’t think he’ll be the villain everyone expects him to be, not anymore.
@@Shermos there’s also the fact that we assume that Thrawn wasn’t just putting up and act for Palpatine. After Endor he may just return to how he was because he no longer has to play games.
I actually always kind of thought of Thrawn in this way, both in legends and canon. He's just too damn sophisticated and erudite to be a one-dimensional "bad guy" even when he's doing objectively bad things. I always felt like Thrawn was a man of honor and standards, but whose exposure to the fascist outlook of the Empire ultimately redirected his intelligence toward evil ends.
I’m thinking his faction (which we saw a bit of on Corvus) won’t be the Empire at all, but a new group. As to their goals, who knows, but I’d love to see him have an army that isn’t made up of stormtroopers and stuff.
This can be explained by reading the first Thrawn book. MINOR SPOILERS Thrawn is seeking power to help the Chiss. Makes sense for him to want to rule what's left of the empire and order them to fight the Grysk. The sequels have 2 main governing bodies that we know of, the first order and the new republic. Thawn not being in any of them means he either failed and died, he still can't find a way home, or he found someone else/a different way to beat the Grysks and is currently engaging them or have already beat them.
He wouldn't help them in new canon that's the thing, Palpatine was going to execute Thrawn by the end of Rebels. He was pissed at him for his lack of loyalty and Thrawn kept sending the Chimera to fight Grysk incursions to help his own people. The last thing Thrawn would want is Palpatine back.
My favorite justification for the dissonance in Thrawn’s character is that it’s character decay and he only really goes off the rails after the loss of Eli. There’s some really great moments in the Thrawn trilogy that hint at this. Karyn Faro tells Eli that Thrawn’s lucky he was there to keep him same. In Alliances and Treason, multiple people discuss the shift in Thrawn and his tactics after Eli left. Thrawn refuses to speak about Eli to anyone after he leaves. Considering that they were pretty much all the other one had for at least a decade, I wouldn’t say it’s exactly a stretch to claim that losing Eli had a significant impact on Thrawn. They really depend on each other in the book. Though I’m reluctant to call them codependent exactly, there are multiple moments where Thrawn relies on Eli, or Eli depends on Thrawn to get them out of something. The Horatio Figg and Imperial Academy situations come to mind. Even though he chose to send Eli away, I don’t believe that was his plan until the Nightswan situation blew up in his face (literally) and he realized how ruthless the empire could really be. In any case, I think it’s entirely possible that Thrawn didn’t realize how important Eli was to him until he was gone, and he was left trying to figure out how to succeed without his right-hand man and best friend. Interestingly, all of Thrawn’s most dramatic behavior occurs after he’s lost Eli for a second time. I think the combination of losing him and Ar’alni again, along with the stress about his project and Ronan, really pushed him over the edge into full-on homicidal maniac territory. I think Thrawns descent into evil is truly interesting, but often the significance of his relationship with Eli (whatever you believe it to be 😉) is undercut or omitted in it’s entirety, much to the detriment of the analysis. I also thing that if Thrawn went too far, Eli would and SHOULD be the one to take him out. I mean, this is the man who saw him rise to power, who was instrumental to his success. We’ve seen before that Eli is uncomfortable with some of the Empire’s more unethical practices (the Wookie situation) so it’s not unreasonable to think he would feel obligated to put a stop to it if it got to bad. Especially of the man going to far was one he feels responsible for. This is not me saying I want Thrawn to die, or I want Eli to kill him, I just think it could be a cool full-circle, character development moment for them both.
It's very confusing for me that everybody talks about him turning evil or being corrupted by the emperor. Because there is no real evidence to support that. He made it very clear that he sees non Chiss as assets first and as people second. He also was never above killing people. He misses Eli,but mainly his special abilities and his support and insight into political matters. About the empire, he never saw it as good or just. He always saw it as what it was evil but powerful. The reason why he wants to rebuild the empire after his return is not because he was corrupted but because the new republic was weak, same as the old one. He needs a strong empire to deal with threats to the Ascendancy, it is a evil but a nessecary.
This is exactly how I've been viewing Thrawn since the very beginning of his cannon debut in Rebels and the new cannon books. He's a good man turned evil by the Empire and emperor over time. Broad story is all about how a good and noble person can be so corrupted by the Empire.
We still don't know if he really bombarded a city full of civillians as depicted in Rebels. Remember how he was first introduced there - as a man who got the rank of Grand Admiral by massacring civilians on Batton. And then we learned from the book it was a bit different story. It's still possible he was just bluffing and targetting empty buildings or something. 🙂
Maybe Eli could save Thrawn from himself instead? Show him the error of his ways and he leave the Empire to return to his people? ... Pretty please? I don't want my favs dying. Plus I've had this idea of Ezra actually helping the Chiss Skywalkers retain their abilities but only if Thrawn turns his back on the Empire.
No it will be about why they came up with the plan to have Thrawn join the empire. Which is pretty obvious that It is mostly to deal with the anti Thrawn people.
@@mightheal Well, yeah. The unfo so far is clear. But I wonder if it will show Thrawn begin the transition to evil. He didn't seem malicious that much in the first Canon trilogy. Ruthless for sure, but not quite like he was in Rebels. I'd like to see that transition explained.
@@kevinbrown4420 That book is not going to tread into that first trilogy so no you won't see any of his time as a Imperial. That first trilogy was really a Cole's notes version of his career. Zhan really didn't show Thrawn do enough to deserve his promotion to Grand Admiral.
@@mightheal You don't think so? I don't know. I felt like it wasn't bad. But it did jump over a bunch of ranks in the first one. Have they gone into detail about other grand admirals? I would be interested in that. The first ascendancy book dipped a toe into the thrawn alliances book though. I'd like to hear more about Thrawns rise to GA and his transition to the evil guy we got in Rebels. I liked the new Canon books for the portrayal of him as less evil than he was in the original trilogy from the 90s.
@@kevinbrown4420 Yeah the second book pretty much cemented that the third book will end with the proposal of the imperial plan or Thrawn's perspective of the Imperial first contact. I was hoping the third book would cover Thrawn's time with Ezra but they won't make that big of a time jump. As far as I know Thrawn is the only Grand Admiral.
I think that Thrawn doesn't have to be or ever have been a good person. Nobile, sure. Devoted to protecting his people, yeah. But neither of those things means he's a good person, he's manipulative, and constantly planning, analyzing and trying to find exploitable weakness in everyone around him, friend or foe. He makes his choices, does what he has to do, and once he's in a position where the only real threat to him is Palpatine, he's free to show more of who he really is, someone that wants to defeat his opponent by outsmarting them. Thrawn is the best example in Star Wars of the guy you want as an ally but it's very clear that that will only last as long as your goals and his align. The best you can hope for is that your goals simply diverge and you part ways amicably, but if your goals begin to conflict with his, know that he will turn on you and use everything he's learned by working with you and studying you against you. It's perfectly fine to have characters that don't have any good in them; you can still enjoy them as a character, but we need more than Palpatine and Tarkin as figures for whom there is nothing redeemable. It's similar to Zorg in The Fifth Element - he's utterly terrible, but he is simply delightful as a villain.
What about the stage: Thrawn in the books is inside the Empire. A story told from the Empire’s point of view, so he is a hero. While Rebels provides the other side of the coin. There is no a contradiction. Excellent points in your plot and character evolution
I kind of like the idea of Ezra and Thrawn turning their attention the threats the unknown region. Thrawn is no more evil than Kallus. I also don't understand why Thrawn would return to start over the Empire in the current canon.
If that will be true it WILL HURT since unlike Rukh who kinda was there in Heir To The Empire, Eli Vanto was a person who helped Thrawn communicate with Empirials and was with him from day one and throughout his rise to prominence
I fear that they will exclude Timothy Zhan from Thraw's live action depiction. His portrayal of Thrawn is far more complex. And I dislike the idea of Thrawn dying at all with the threat of Grysk and more out there in the galaxy. I hate the idea of Eli killing him even more. What I want is to see Thrawn and Ezra forced to work together to survive, forced to see each other not as enemies but as people. Think what kind of conflict that could create? With Ahsoka? With Sabine, especially?
Zahn even stated he wants them to work together, and regretted killing off Thrawn so early as he wanted pitch his character against the Yuuzhan vong. That's why Zahn is building up the Grysk as a threat as he regretted that opportunity.
@@jordanfitzgerald7886 Zahn even created a second clone of Thrawn in Legends but he could never tell anything about him because Disney bought Lucasfilm (It's in the book Survivors Quest, he even planned writing another book about that new clone)
Personally, I’d rather have him return to the Ascendancy so Timothy Zahn can cap off his story with one more trilogy showing an all out war with the Gryssk where Thrawn sacrifices himself to save the Chiss. I know that’s not what we’re getting but one can dream.
I hope we get to see more of eli soon. He is one of my favorites. I really like how thrawn recognizes the talent around him and molds them to his needs.
This honestly gave me some closure. I've been upset at how they, in my mind up until now, did Thrawn dirty in Rebels by painting him as a blood thirsty maniac. But I think you're right, he's a good guy gone bad by the corruption of Palpatine.
_"The Crystal is the Heart of the Blade,"_ _"The Heart is the Crystal of the Jedi,"_ _"The Jedi is the Crystal of the Force,"_ _"The Force is the Blade of the Heart."_ _"All are intertwined; The Crystal, the Blade, the Jedi. You are One."_ ---Jedi Master Luminara Unduli, to her Padawan Barriss Offee, while completing construction of her lightsaber inside the Sacred Jedi Temple on Ilum.
In the first book, Thrawn mentioned he went to the Empire to either gain an ally to fight the enemy threatening the Chiss or to turn that enemy's attention to the weaker Known Galaxy. He might not be bringing back the Empire, but maybe he would make it look like he was and then he could turn and go back to the Ascendancy. Eli would probably stop him in order to save the Galaxy. Then it's set up for a story about fighting the Gryssk or whoever.
I want this to happen IF Timothy Zhan is ok with it. This will probably be Thrawn's last major story (except for perhaps some tie in books or something like that) and I think the creator needs to be involved even if it's just an agreement. But the emotional relationship might even be far better than it was in Legends even though I always considered the "But it was so artistically done..." ending perfect.
Zahn said this… two trilogies are planned subject to LucasFilm approval. 1) Thrawn and Ezra - the 9 years between the end of Rebels and the start of Ahsoka. 2) the donut trilogy - the Thrawn trilogy without Thrawn. The Eli Vanto trilogy - Eli in the Chiss Ascendancy. No Empire - no Sith - No rebels - bring on the Grysk!!!
I wouldn't say wrongly, to me he was just portrayed differently. All of the core characteristics of Thrawn were still there but the books show us more of him (which is to be expected, there aren't many opportunities to understand Thrawns internal dialogue within Rebels because the show focuses on our protagonists more.)
The major rift in between rebels portrayal and book portrayal (both legends and canon) is that he seems far more evil for the sake of being evil in rebels. In the books, he goes out of his way to protect innocents, even risking court martial (or the Star Wars equivalent of it) on multiple occasions.
@@jasperknutson5198 Kinda. In rebels he seems atleast somewhat sympathetic towards destroying lothal when talking to Ezra, like it's a decision out of his hands. But he does come across as just evil for evils sake (the scene in season 3 when he straight up blows up one of the factory workers with their own faulty speederbike/ bombing lothal too stands out). It has it's moments of "oh maybe Thrawn is just following orders" in regards to his intentions but it's never really drawn on further than that.
I don't remember much about old canon Thrawn, but he felt like a much more distant figure. Rebels he's a straight bad guy. In new canon Thrawn books, I refer to him as my slightly autistic blue alien boi who accidentally went on a date once
Iirc correctly, in Rebels they mentioned one of his famous mission being one where it resulted in a mostly civilian deaths. That right there is more than enough to create a rift in their depictions. Thrawn may not have been a bleeding heart, but the idea of him considering unnecessary collateral as anything but unacceptable is plain weird if you're familiar with the Legends depiction.
That would be amazing. This is basically house I looked at the duality of Thrawn a character all along. Besides being a raging narcissist, which will always lash out when being truly challenged and things don’t go their way, we’ve seen how the empire can corrupt people even if they are acting against their own will. After a decade of service to the emperor and then the forced detour from Ezra I can only imagine what his plans would look like when coming back to the Galaxy at large and finding the empire in shambles.
If they are making Thrawn the Thalon event in Star Wars it has to be someone more well known that kills in him in the end for the audience to root for the story. Someone like Luke or Ashoka, Ezra or Sabine. That or Eli Vantos character has to be made much more well known outside Legends and books. Johan.
I think you should consider that most of the "villian" things thrawn got pinned on him by price. I think the reason he comes across as evil in rebels is because that it's from the perception of the rebels. I think Thrawn is going to end up being the rallying point of the galaxy against the grisk. If he dies, is going to be in glory saving the galaxy
I don't think Thrawn ever changed just his surroundings did. Even in the books, Thrawn's mid-commander is willing to bombard sunrise to protect their own, Thrawn is willing to use the superweapon and is willing to do anything to achieve the big picture. The Chiss forces had rules of engagements that held him back the empire did not and the titles of the book are literally called 'greater good' and 'lesser evil'. Which coincidently is the same speech that his voice actor gave on the Witcher. He cares about people in so far as they are a resource for the betterment of all especially when they volunteer their services. He is in effect the ultimate realist, John Merscheimers dream student of International Relations, after all, who deserves what is irrelevant, what matters is who has the power and the Grysks could very well be the next Yuzong Vhong that the galaxy needs to be prepared for, also Timmothy Zahn actually said that he would not have wanted Thrawn to have died if he had known that the Yuzong Vhong was coming. So really he is an ant-hero, which is tougher to defeat because they can combat the heroes on a moral level.
I love this idea, but I think that thrawn is just too intelligent to be slowly corrupted. I do, however, like the idea of instead of eli killing him, eli snaps thrawn out of it and he leaves/ exiles himself or surrenders
I hate this idea. I love the more noble Thrawn and can’t stand his appearance in rebels. You also got wrong that we see Zhan’s Thrawn, with Vanto, in the third book in the more recent trilogy at the same time as rebels.
The implication at the end of one of the cannon Thrawn books was that Thrawn was dead and that he left his personal journals to Eli, but if light saber colors can change so can that.
I hope that Thrawn is presented as a tragic figure in the shows; would be great for him to die in vain trying to warn Mando or Luke about a nightmarish fleet of impossibly large Star destroyers in the unknown regions on a world called Exegol…
Very, very interesting theroy. But Vanto is a book character, and I think it would be an audiovisual character who will do it. My bet for live action Eli Banto, aka Ezra Bridger. Eli Vanto's journey probably will end in a third Zahn's trilogy parallel to Thrawn's final rise and fall
I feel like its gonna be Ezra who might join Thrawn to take down the Grysk/Vong/whatever big baddie out there but then turns on him when Thrawn goes back to fighting the Republic/Rebels. Actually I think the chiss Ascendency turning on Thrawn if he tries to warn the galaxy would be fitting too
I know many people don't agree with the Rebels Thrawn, that's he ruthless and unbelievably logical. But each time he has made a military decision, he never endangers his own people, and tbh to me, he makes the correct choices. Like there was one bit the in Thrawn book, where a Rebel Commander bypassed his cruisers cause it would not of been honourable to destroy defenceless ships, and Thrawn exploited this by making the cruisers essentially aircraft carriers for tie fighters and destroyed the Rebel fleet, it may of been a back handed move, but it ensured victory at the end of the battle with minimal imperial casualties.
Rukh got shocked to death then the station his body was on blew up. I know Palpatine has returned under similar circumstances but I don't see Rukh coming back.
given that the imperial remnant becomes the first order whilst in the unknown regions, if this happens, i think ar’alain may begin to see thrawn as a threat to the ascendancy. her need to protect her people may supersede her friendship with thrawn in this scenario.
As a thrawn mega fan and a mega fan of timothy zahn's vision for thrawn I would hate that outcome... I know Disney will force thrawn into a cartoon villain role but it doesn't have to be like that. Thrawn is a pragmatic but lawful and merciful person. He is noble in his own right and does value innocent lives. It would make more sense to have thrawn end up convincing ezra Bridger to help him in defending the galaxy from the horrors of the unknown regions than for him to devolve into some malicious mustache twirling villain.
Sounds awful, first time i'm against your theories. I'd hate for them to retread Heir to the Empire. Canon Thrawn to me as someone who read the og Zahn books when they came out much prefers the potential of the new canon Thrawn aka finally addressing the Grysk threat, greater evils, even Zahn likes to think Ezra and Thrawn are working together against a great threat. I think folks have to move on and realize the og stuff is unlikely to fully be adapted. But the new stuff from Zahn is superior.
that maybe an end but i honestly think they are going to team thrawn and new republic to stop the grissk. the grissk have been a major player in the books just lurking in the background. i feel they want to set up a plot like the yuuzhan vong war with the grissk instead.
One question I have is: why does Thrawn care that the empire fell? If his only goal is to ally himself with the strongest power in the known galaxy then why does he not flip to the new republic when he sees that they have taken over when he gets back?
Because he is a man of honor.He swore an oath to serve the Empire and Palpatine, and therefore he is obliged to do everything in his power for the good of the Empire.
A very thought-provoking idea. But, ultimately, I think it would a Disney Eli killing a Legends Thrawn. I think the new Thrawn is more sympathetic (in the books, at least). The Thrawn of Rebels is good, but I think Filoni didn't really take enough time to comprehend the character.
Thrawn doesn't often die, but when he does, it's so artistically done.
Ba dum dum PSSSH
Dos Equis!
Does he knew how his game of chess actually works?
@@jlw35cudvm Stay Imperial my friend.
This is just amazing. He got Eli out of the Empire and unknowingly saved him from corrupting like him. And Eli actually becomes more like Thrawn, helping the Ascendancy. Plus it's such a tragic, yet artistic way to go out. This happening seems....with low plausibility, but I love it.
I believe that Thrawn knew that the empire was corrupting him but took Eli out of the equation for now by wanting him to help the ascendancy more, and Eli would realize that when he would see how corrupted thrawn has become eventually, with palpatine especially. (But even the empire as well). And that would be the reason why Eli could not kill thrawn because thrawn "saved" him.
Eli would realize the extremity of Thrawns actions, and the goodwill of his own
Other than Eli being a capable officer. I think Thrawn knew Eli would ultimetly defect had he stayed with the empire. Which is why he sent him to the Chiss Ascendency.
This is awesome. I struggle with Thrawn's portrayal in Rebels, too. Having a tragic arc similar to Anakin's (good man corrupted by Sith Lord), would be perfect. Especially since Anakin/Thrawn had a book together.
He doesn't have to die the same way he did in Legends, but that would be very cool. Like poetry, it'd rhyme. Like Art.
Eli is such an absolute chad, and with him learning so much from Thrawn, if he betrayed him and turned sides to be with the NR or so, he'd be very formidable.
Thanks for the shout out Alex. You didn't have to do that.
YOU DARE SUGGEST THIS!?!?!?
I've just completed rebels and the first thrawn book. I'm halfway through Alliances.
I hope Eli makes his way into live action and i get to see both Thrawn and Eli's dynamic because it's sooo damn good.
I hope Ahsoka + Ezra team up with Thrawn and Eli and the Chiss and take on the Grysk. I just hope they don't make Thrawn to be a ALL OUT villian. (As far as I've read) Thrawn is doing this for his people. If he only explains this to Ezra i think he'd be understanding but idk i just hope whoever writes thrawn doesn't BUTCHER his character.
YAS
THIS! It makes the most sense given the books we have of Thrawn, and I won't say anything so you can finish the books, but you get it! THANK YOU!
I feel like I am losing my mind sometimes when fans just want Thrawns story to just repeat, beat for beat, the old Thrawn books.
@@jeredcahill7655 Same tbh lol
@@jeredcahill7655 Exactly, half these people haven't read the new canon and are basing their theories on Heir to the Empire which won't be recreated, they will draw on Zahn's new material. Thrawn's attention will be on the Grysk as their invasion is imminent by the time of Rebels.
@@jordanfitzgerald7886 See, I don't know. Zahn mentioned in an interview he was not approached for story decisions or explanations by Dave Filoni for Rebels. He said he did approve of how he was portrayed, but since they didn't ask Zahn for his ideas for Rebels, I think they won't do so for the Live Action Thrawn. I think they will never mention the Gryskks and they'll make Thrawn an Empire villain (This doesn't make sense if you've read the last book of the first Thrawn trilogy) Dave Filloni and Jon Favreau have already disregared Comics and novels, this might not be different...
No way.
Eli served the Empire just as much as Thrawn did. Eli always knew what he was capable of out of loyalty, at the same time, he remained loyal to Thrawn. Now Eli serves the Chiss. Why would he interfere with the New Republic and kill his mentor? However, I would really like to see him in Ahsoka.
Eli deserves a separate book trilogy.
A day or two ago i was rereading the Thrawn 2017 novel and realized how much sense it made when I read the final part of a conversation between Thrawn and Faro concerning wookie slaves. It goes like this:
"However these being were pressed into service, they are now imperial assets. They will be treated as such."
"Understood, Commodore."
Thrawn would have acted conpletely different if he were placed in the same situation when he was in the Ascendancy o even earlier in the novel. I never noticed it until watching this video, because his arc is so subtle.
Thrawn's whole character is all about protecting the Chiss Ascendancy. He's more chill in the Chiss books and villainous in the Empire because what's a threat to the Empire is a threat to the Chiss. He will not tolerate any threats to the Chiss.
Thrawn is my HANDS DOWN favorite Star Wars character, and this analysis is FANTASTIC. Great job!!!!!
I onyl recently started reading the Thrawn Books. I immidiately fell in love with them, and especially with Thrawn's and Eli's relationship. Hopefully Disney will do something good with them.
I saw the title and i was like vader saying noooooo
just reading this thumbnail broke my heart eli looks up to thrawn i just cant see that happening
Depending on how he is portrayed, I could see it being Gilad Pelleaon as well, but Eli makes way more sense for canon, and Pelleaon always seemed to have a kind of admiration of Thrown unlike Eli.
I always got the sense that Eli ended up admiring Thrawn just as much as Pelleaon, maybe more so since they were as close to friends as Thrawn gets lol
@@ryancarrell3186 Pellaeon becomes the head of the Imperial Remnant after Thrawn's death.
Eli returns to the known galaxy and to the Empire.
Pellaeon learns that their attaché to the Chiss has returned and greets him, asking who his CO was.
Eli tells him it was Thrawn.
They get wasted reminiscing, making fun of, and respecting Thrawn.
I absolutely love this
Eli was one of the few individuals in the entire Galaxy whom Thrawn considered to be his friend, He was the watson to his sherlock holmes
To have his life ended by him would be incredibly beautiful and tragic.
It would suck. I'm tired of fans wanting to retreat stories already done. Even Zahn stated he wants bigger things than a retreat for canon thrawn.
Thrawn: Breaking Blue
I like it, seeing the downfall of his noble intentions as he gets consumed by the Empire.
They even got their very own Gus Fring
This is Breaking Bad in Star Wars. Eli is Skyler and in the end Thrawn will say 'I did it for me. I liked it. I was good at it. And I was alive.'
Thank you for seeing this POV, Thrawns corruption is so subtle but it's riddled through the novels and I think brilliant. I'm glad more and more are starting to see.
I don't see Thrawn as inconsitant, I definitely disagree with that but I can definitely get behind the idea that joining the Empire turned him into a ruthless individual. I prefer him as a villain anyway and Timothy Zahn did praise Rebels's handling of the character so I definitely think that's what he's going for. It's very similar to Dooku, in the way that both joined Palpatine for noble and selfless reasons but that alliance corrupted both the Count and the Grand Admiral. That's a great arc for Thrawn IMO.
I don't feel Thrawn necessarily has to die but given the history of his Legends character, I kind of feel like they won't go the route of having a loyal lieutenant turn on him because that's what people might expect. When Rukh turned up in Rebels, people suspected he was going to kill Thrawn again like in Legends and well, look how that that turned out so I think Thrawn's canon death, if it comes to that, will be under different circumstances though the idea is one that I think is very cool. But it does also depend on if Thrawn is the threat posed in the liveaction shows and if he's even going to appear. While I'm on board and agree that might be what they're building towards, it has not been confirmed yet, it's only speculation, leaks and rumors so far and I think people are starting to get tunnel vision and clouded regarding what's definitely been confirmed and what's just rumored. It also feels like a bit of a stretch that Thrawn would be in a position to be a threat to me given how we last saw him, restrained and helpless by Ezra and the purgill. It's possible but I'm just playing things cautious personally and not going to get my hopes and expectations too high for now
It has been confirmed that Lars Mikkelson has been cast as live action thrawn
That would be... so artistically done.
It would be horrible. There's far more potential to Thrawn and the Unknown regions than repeating a story that's been done already. Zahn wouldn't like either, given the new canon direction Thrawn is taking.
Vanth and Vanto.
Sounds Van-tastic!! 👍
I’m still expecting a Joruus C’baoth counterpart in the canon storyline, I think the perfect way to tie in the Madalorian into the crossover would be to have Grogu be the Target rather then Leia’s kids, which forces Din to reluctantly join the Alliance.
With how much Disney loves surprise comebacks I would not at all be Shocked if an old, one handed and lightning scarred Mace Windu took on that role, trying to restore the Jedi order to what it was, it would make sense for him not to trust Luke with the task, not just because for Anakin, but because of his much more liberal and emotional understanding of the force.
I see your point about the shift but I also feel in the books it shows He has to keep on the empire’s good side, to keep support. This definitely has meaning as we have seen people shift from decent people to move support more authoritarian rules around the world.
My problem is to books paint Thrawn as a do anything for the his home. What does attacking the new republic gain? He could just as easily use Eli to get new Republic to help in unknown regions.
I hope it is a redemption arch with him shifting back to the bad ass in the Timothy books. I am sure we will get a better idea based of the next book.
Yeah, the whole thing about him not telling the rebels or the New Republic about the Yuuzahn Vong/Grysks has been a plothole ever since Spector of the Past explained his motivations. Thrawn always has his reasons, and I think we might finally find out why in Ahsoka.
It would be an awesome idea, actually. As long as they provide a good reason for Eli Vanto to do it and show that Thrawn genuinely doesn't expect it it can be performed well that can recreate the death scene for the Thrawn Trilogy.
It would be horrible. There's far more potential to Thrawn and the Unknown regions than repeating a story that's been done already. Zahn wouldn't like either, given the new canon direction Thrawn is taking.
"But...-he wispered-...it was so artistically done"
Timothy Zahns thrawn is the best version. One of my fav Star Wars characters sense I was 11 years old. Was happy he was in rebels. Looking forward to live action appearance
I can't recall which, whether at the end in Alliance or Treason, Eli mentions being disturbed at news of the use of the Empire's super weapon. He wonders about his mentor whom he held in esteem and from whom he received that personal journal. Throughout the new trilogies, there are such moments that take up maybe a couple of sentences, but they are important, like Thrawn's comment about friendship, that "true friendship is so exceedingly rare" and that "a friend need not be kept either in sight or in reach" but "must be allowed the freedom to follow [their] own path." Further, "knowing a friend still graces the universe with his skills, and his viewpoints and presence" is "a comfort." Additionally, Thrawn says "... if one is remembered by a friend, one is never truly gone."
In Alliances, Eli is miffed (pun intended) Thrawn niether speaks nor really acknowledges him to any significant extent, so there is friendship enough to be hurt. By Treason, it's clear both Ar'alani and Vanto see Thrawn as being in "too deep." While I believe both could either stand with Thrawn and/or be driven to stand against him, I believe Eli still wouldn't be able to kill Thrawn, though I can see both dying in some ultimate collission course between the new Order, the Imperial Remnant, the New Republic, and Thrawn's Empire of the Hand. I can't see Thrawn thinking that Palpatine's Contingency was anything but insanity and would not participate, if he can prevent it. We may have seen this in the sequel ending-yes with Katana, 7th Fleet et al. In which case what is to come will be spectacular, and I'm holding out for his being a tragic hero. One can hope.
Honestly I don’t see this happening. A large part of the reason Thrawn was killed the way he was (by Zahn’s own admission) was because he was written almost TOO smart - he didn’t have any exploitable flaws the rebels could use). Canon Thrawn is written with more nuance, and so there are other avenues of attack. Another element is Thrawn’s popularity - a common opinion back in the day was that it was a shame that Thrawn had to die, but when he was killed there was not yet this cult following. All and all for reasons both within universe and without killing Thrawn seems like a generally bad move. He’s also doubtlessly spent a lot of time with Ezra, perhaps even working with him to survive whatever mess they ended up with. He is practical after all, and despite being an enemy moments ago would be perceived as a potential asset. I look forward to seeing the return of Thrawn in live action but I don’t think he’ll be the villain everyone expects him to be, not anymore.
This is a good point, and if the emperor could corrupt Thrawn, why couldn't Ezra have a positive effect on him?
@@Shermos there’s also the fact that we assume that Thrawn wasn’t just putting up and act for Palpatine. After Endor he may just return to how he was because he no longer has to play games.
@@liamcarden6779 also it could have been thrawns plan to be send to space with the wales
@@Shermos What if Thrawn Corrupted Ezra the same way Palpatine corrupted him?
I would absolutely sob for days on end if Eli Kills Thrawn
That would be heartbreaking but so well done.
I actually always kind of thought of Thrawn in this way, both in legends and canon. He's just too damn sophisticated and erudite to be a one-dimensional "bad guy" even when he's doing objectively bad things. I always felt like Thrawn was a man of honor and standards, but whose exposure to the fascist outlook of the Empire ultimately redirected his intelligence toward evil ends.
The problem I have with rebels is the fact that they say he is smart but don’t show it to the same level of the books
I’m wondering why Thrawn would want to help the fallen empire unless he knew about the first order?
I’m thinking his faction (which we saw a bit of on Corvus) won’t be the Empire at all, but a new group. As to their goals, who knows, but I’d love to see him have an army that isn’t made up of stormtroopers and stuff.
@@jessetaran7116 Maybe it'll just be called "The Seventh Fleet", since the symbol does appear in Chapter 13 of the Mandalorian.
@@SWFT_edits Oh good idea!
This can be explained by reading the first Thrawn book.
MINOR SPOILERS
Thrawn is seeking power to help the Chiss. Makes sense for him to want to rule what's left of the empire and order them to fight the Grysk. The sequels have 2 main governing bodies that we know of, the first order and the new republic. Thawn not being in any of them means he either failed and died, he still can't find a way home, or he found someone else/a different way to beat the Grysks and is currently engaging them or have already beat them.
He wouldn't help them in new canon that's the thing, Palpatine was going to execute Thrawn by the end of Rebels. He was pissed at him for his lack of loyalty and Thrawn kept sending the Chimera to fight Grysk incursions to help his own people. The last thing Thrawn would want is Palpatine back.
I guess you could say that these were the choices Thrawn had to make for "The Greater Good" 😏
The Greater Good
The Greater Good.
you could say it was the lesser evil
What do you implying
@@michaelarsaadyatma books
This idea is incredible. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
I think the time between ot and sequel
Will become our most favourite
Exceeding Clone wars era
My favorite justification for the dissonance in Thrawn’s character is that it’s character decay and he only really goes off the rails after the loss of Eli. There’s some really great moments in the Thrawn trilogy that hint at this. Karyn Faro tells Eli that Thrawn’s lucky he was there to keep him same. In Alliances and Treason, multiple people discuss the shift in Thrawn and his tactics after Eli left. Thrawn refuses to speak about Eli to anyone after he leaves.
Considering that they were pretty much all the other one had for at least a decade, I wouldn’t say it’s exactly a stretch to claim that losing Eli had a significant impact on Thrawn.
They really depend on each other in the book. Though I’m reluctant to call them codependent exactly, there are multiple moments where Thrawn relies on Eli, or Eli depends on Thrawn to get them out of something. The Horatio Figg and Imperial Academy situations come to mind.
Even though he chose to send Eli away, I don’t believe that was his plan until the Nightswan situation blew up in his face (literally) and he realized how ruthless the empire could really be. In any case, I think it’s entirely possible that Thrawn didn’t realize how important Eli was to him until he was gone, and he was left trying to figure out how to succeed without his right-hand man and best friend.
Interestingly, all of Thrawn’s most dramatic behavior occurs after he’s lost Eli for a second time. I think the combination of losing him and Ar’alni again, along with the stress about his project and Ronan, really pushed him over the edge into full-on homicidal maniac territory.
I think Thrawns descent into evil is truly interesting, but often the significance of his relationship with Eli (whatever you believe it to be 😉) is undercut or omitted in it’s entirety, much to the detriment of the analysis.
I also thing that if Thrawn went too far, Eli would and SHOULD be the one to take him out. I mean, this is the man who saw him rise to power, who was instrumental to his success. We’ve seen before that Eli is uncomfortable with some of the Empire’s more unethical practices (the Wookie situation) so it’s not unreasonable to think he would feel obligated to put a stop to it if it got to bad. Especially of the man going to far was one he feels responsible for.
This is not me saying I want Thrawn to die, or I want Eli to kill him, I just think it could be a cool full-circle, character development moment for them both.
It's very confusing for me that everybody talks about him turning evil or being corrupted by the emperor. Because there is no real evidence to support that. He made it very clear that he sees non Chiss as assets first and as people second. He also was never above killing people.
He misses Eli,but mainly his special abilities and his support and insight into political matters.
About the empire, he never saw it as good or just. He always saw it as what it was evil but powerful. The reason why he wants to rebuild the empire after his return is not because he was corrupted but because the new republic was weak, same as the old one. He needs a strong empire to deal with threats to the Ascendancy, it is a evil but a nessecary.
This is exactly how I've been viewing Thrawn since the very beginning of his cannon debut in Rebels and the new cannon books. He's a good man turned evil by the Empire and emperor over time. Broad story is all about how a good and noble person can be so corrupted by the Empire.
"My father's shipping company sends their regards."
Eli Vanto killing Thrawn? Don't. Make. Me. Hate. You.
We still don't know if he really bombarded a city full of civillians as depicted in Rebels. Remember how he was first introduced there - as a man who got the rank of Grand Admiral by massacring civilians on Batton. And then we learned from the book it was a bit different story. It's still possible he was just bluffing and targetting empty buildings or something. 🙂
Interesting idea, but nope vanto is in chiss ascendency now and he was trusted friend of thrawn(he trusted him too as a friend and partner)
Facts.
Maybe Eli could save Thrawn from himself instead? Show him the error of his ways and he leave the Empire to return to his people?
... Pretty please? I don't want my favs dying. Plus I've had this idea of Ezra actually helping the Chiss Skywalkers retain their abilities but only if Thrawn turns his back on the Empire.
Will "Lesser Evil" explain why Thrawn became drastically more malicious in Rebels than he is in the books? It comes out in a couple months.
No it will be about why they came up with the plan to have Thrawn join the empire. Which is pretty obvious that It is mostly to deal with the anti Thrawn people.
@@mightheal Well, yeah. The unfo so far is clear. But I wonder if it will show Thrawn begin the transition to evil. He didn't seem malicious that much in the first Canon trilogy. Ruthless for sure, but not quite like he was in Rebels. I'd like to see that transition explained.
@@kevinbrown4420 That book is not going to tread into that first trilogy so no you won't see any of his time as a Imperial.
That first trilogy was really a Cole's notes version of his career. Zhan really didn't show Thrawn do enough to deserve his promotion to Grand Admiral.
@@mightheal You don't think so? I don't know. I felt like it wasn't bad. But it did jump over a bunch of ranks in the first one. Have they gone into detail about other grand admirals? I would be interested in that. The first ascendancy book dipped a toe into the thrawn alliances book though. I'd like to hear more about Thrawns rise to GA and his transition to the evil guy we got in Rebels. I liked the new Canon books for the portrayal of him as less evil than he was in the original trilogy from the 90s.
@@kevinbrown4420 Yeah the second book pretty much cemented that the third book will end with the proposal of the imperial plan or Thrawn's perspective of the Imperial first contact. I was hoping the third book would cover Thrawn's time with Ezra but they won't make that big of a time jump.
As far as I know Thrawn is the only Grand Admiral.
I think that Thrawn doesn't have to be or ever have been a good person. Nobile, sure. Devoted to protecting his people, yeah. But neither of those things means he's a good person, he's manipulative, and constantly planning, analyzing and trying to find exploitable weakness in everyone around him, friend or foe.
He makes his choices, does what he has to do, and once he's in a position where the only real threat to him is Palpatine, he's free to show more of who he really is, someone that wants to defeat his opponent by outsmarting them.
Thrawn is the best example in Star Wars of the guy you want as an ally but it's very clear that that will only last as long as your goals and his align. The best you can hope for is that your goals simply diverge and you part ways amicably, but if your goals begin to conflict with his, know that he will turn on you and use everything he's learned by working with you and studying you against you.
It's perfectly fine to have characters that don't have any good in them; you can still enjoy them as a character, but we need more than Palpatine and Tarkin as figures for whom there is nothing redeemable.
It's similar to Zorg in The Fifth Element - he's utterly terrible, but he is simply delightful as a villain.
What about the stage: Thrawn in the books is inside the Empire. A story told from the Empire’s point of view, so he is a hero. While Rebels provides the other side of the coin. There is no a contradiction. Excellent points in your plot and character evolution
I kind of like the idea of Ezra and Thrawn turning their attention the threats the unknown region. Thrawn is no more evil than Kallus. I also don't understand why Thrawn would return to start over the Empire in the current canon.
If that will be true it WILL HURT since unlike Rukh who kinda was there in Heir To The Empire, Eli Vanto was a person who helped Thrawn communicate with Empirials and was with him from day one and throughout his rise to prominence
I fear that they will exclude Timothy Zhan from Thraw's live action depiction. His portrayal of Thrawn is far more complex. And I dislike the idea of Thrawn dying at all with the threat of Grysk and more out there in the galaxy. I hate the idea of Eli killing him even more. What I want is to see Thrawn and Ezra forced to work together to survive, forced to see each other not as enemies but as people. Think what kind of conflict that could create? With Ahsoka? With Sabine, especially?
I want a series didcated to Thrawn and Ezra survivng. They have been away for almost 10 years. So much content can be drawn.
Zahn even stated he wants them to work together, and regretted killing off Thrawn so early as he wanted pitch his character against the Yuuzhan vong. That's why Zahn is building up the Grysk as a threat as he regretted that opportunity.
@@jordanfitzgerald7886 Zahn even created a second clone of Thrawn in Legends but he could never tell anything about him because Disney bought Lucasfilm (It's in the book Survivors Quest, he even planned writing another book about that new clone)
Personally, I’d rather have him return to the Ascendancy so Timothy Zahn can cap off his story with one more trilogy showing an all out war with the Gryssk where Thrawn sacrifices himself to save the Chiss.
I know that’s not what we’re getting but one can dream.
YES PLEASE. Thrawn is my favorite Star Wars character. I want him redeamed.
I hope we get to see more of eli soon. He is one of my favorites. I really like how thrawn recognizes the talent around him and molds them to his needs.
This honestly gave me some closure. I've been upset at how they, in my mind up until now, did Thrawn dirty in Rebels by painting him as a blood thirsty maniac. But I think you're right, he's a good guy gone bad by the corruption of Palpatine.
_"The Crystal is the Heart of the Blade,"_
_"The Heart is the Crystal of the Jedi,"_
_"The Jedi is the Crystal of the Force,"_
_"The Force is the Blade of the Heart."_
_"All are intertwined; The Crystal, the Blade, the Jedi. You are One."_
---Jedi Master Luminara Unduli, to her Padawan Barriss Offee, while completing construction of her lightsaber inside the Sacred Jedi Temple on Ilum.
All of these thoughts are absolutely BRILLIANT.
question, do you think Jixtus could be Nuso Esva of the canon?
In the first book, Thrawn mentioned he went to the Empire to either gain an ally to fight the enemy threatening the Chiss or to turn that enemy's attention to the weaker Known Galaxy.
He might not be bringing back the Empire, but maybe he would make it look like he was and then he could turn and go back to the Ascendancy. Eli would probably stop him in order to save the Galaxy.
Then it's set up for a story about fighting the Gryssk or whoever.
Thanks, Alex! 💥
I loved Eli Vanto. My favorite Space Texan. They just have to include Thrawn’s hot boyfriend!!! 🤣
I want this to happen IF Timothy Zhan is ok with it. This will probably be Thrawn's last major story (except for perhaps some tie in books or something like that) and I think the creator needs to be involved even if it's just an agreement. But the emotional relationship might even be far better than it was in Legends even though I always considered the "But it was so artistically done..." ending perfect.
Zahn said this… two trilogies are planned subject to LucasFilm approval. 1) Thrawn and Ezra - the 9 years between the end of Rebels and the start of Ahsoka. 2) the donut trilogy - the Thrawn trilogy without Thrawn. The Eli Vanto trilogy - Eli in the Chiss Ascendancy. No Empire - no Sith - No rebels - bring on the Grysk!!!
I don’t really know much about Thrawn in Legends. I only knew him in Rebels. Was he portrayed wrongly?
I wouldn't say wrongly, to me he was just portrayed differently. All of the core characteristics of Thrawn were still there but the books show us more of him (which is to be expected, there aren't many opportunities to understand Thrawns internal dialogue within Rebels because the show focuses on our protagonists more.)
The major rift in between rebels portrayal and book portrayal (both legends and canon) is that he seems far more evil for the sake of being evil in rebels. In the books, he goes out of his way to protect innocents, even risking court martial (or the Star Wars equivalent of it) on multiple occasions.
@@jasperknutson5198 Kinda. In rebels he seems atleast somewhat sympathetic towards destroying lothal when talking to Ezra, like it's a decision out of his hands. But he does come across as just evil for evils sake (the scene in season 3 when he straight up blows up one of the factory workers with their own faulty speederbike/ bombing lothal too stands out). It has it's moments of "oh maybe Thrawn is just following orders" in regards to his intentions but it's never really drawn on further than that.
I don't remember much about old canon Thrawn, but he felt like a much more distant figure. Rebels he's a straight bad guy. In new canon Thrawn books, I refer to him as my slightly autistic blue alien boi who accidentally went on a date once
Iirc correctly, in Rebels they mentioned one of his famous mission being one where it resulted in a mostly civilian deaths. That right there is more than enough to create a rift in their depictions. Thrawn may not have been a bleeding heart, but the idea of him considering unnecessary collateral as anything but unacceptable is plain weird if you're familiar with the Legends depiction.
How DARE THEY think of this.
Omg no, please. NOOO. LOL Dang it.
That would be amazing. This is basically house I looked at the duality of Thrawn a character all along. Besides being a raging narcissist, which will always lash out when being truly challenged and things don’t go their way, we’ve seen how the empire can corrupt people even if they are acting against their own will. After a decade of service to the emperor and then the forced detour from Ezra I can only imagine what his plans would look like when coming back to the Galaxy at large and finding the empire in shambles.
but why would he try to built up an empire he did not believe in and who he did not like
This is a great video Alex
If they are making Thrawn the Thalon event in Star Wars it has to be someone more well known that kills in him in the end for the audience to root for the story. Someone like Luke or Ashoka, Ezra or Sabine. That or Eli Vantos character has to be made much more well known outside Legends and books. Johan.
I think you should consider that most of the "villian" things thrawn got pinned on him by price. I think the reason he comes across as evil in rebels is because that it's from the perception of the rebels. I think Thrawn is going to end up being the rallying point of the galaxy against the grisk. If he dies, is going to be in glory saving the galaxy
I don't think Thrawn ever changed just his surroundings did. Even in the books, Thrawn's mid-commander is willing to bombard sunrise to protect their own, Thrawn is willing to use the superweapon and is willing to do anything to achieve the big picture. The Chiss forces had rules of engagements that held him back the empire did not and the titles of the book are literally called 'greater good' and 'lesser evil'. Which coincidently is the same speech that his voice actor gave on the Witcher. He cares about people in so far as they are a resource for the betterment of all especially when they volunteer their services. He is in effect the ultimate realist, John Merscheimers dream student of International Relations, after all, who deserves what is irrelevant, what matters is who has the power and the Grysks could very well be the next Yuzong Vhong that the galaxy needs to be prepared for, also Timmothy Zahn actually said that he would not have wanted Thrawn to have died if he had known that the Yuzong Vhong was coming. So really he is an ant-hero, which is tougher to defeat because they can combat the heroes on a moral level.
No way they are BFFs
My hope for Thrawn's end is this or him retiring to curate an art gallery.
I love this idea, but I think that thrawn is just too intelligent to be slowly corrupted. I do, however, like the idea of instead of eli killing him, eli snaps thrawn out of it and he leaves/ exiles himself or surrenders
I hate this idea. I love the more noble Thrawn and can’t stand his appearance in rebels. You also got wrong that we see Zhan’s Thrawn, with Vanto, in the third book in the more recent trilogy at the same time as rebels.
The implication at the end of one of the cannon Thrawn books was that Thrawn was dead and that he left his personal journals to Eli, but if light saber colors can change so can that.
That scene is referring to his Rebels disappearance. They assume he died.
I love the idea of him being killed because he has become worse - it makes the bridge between Rebels and the books far more reasonable and smoother
I think the lothal bombardment is because in the 3rd thrawn book palpatine is pissed with him and he needs to succeed at all costs basically
I hope that Thrawn is presented as a tragic figure in the shows; would be great for him to die in vain trying to warn Mando or Luke about a nightmarish fleet of impossibly large Star destroyers in the unknown regions on a world called Exegol…
I just want Eli...
Very, very interesting theroy. But Vanto is a book character, and I think it would be an audiovisual character who will do it. My bet for live action Eli Banto, aka Ezra Bridger. Eli Vanto's journey probably will end in a third Zahn's trilogy parallel to Thrawn's final rise and fall
yaaay another star wars explained video!
I feel like its gonna be Ezra who might join Thrawn to take down the Grysk/Vong/whatever big baddie out there but then turns on him when Thrawn goes back to fighting the Republic/Rebels.
Actually I think the chiss Ascendency turning on Thrawn if he tries to warn the galaxy would be fitting too
What an incredible idea, I love it.
I thought Ruhk's death in Rebels was ambiguous. I will have to (sigh) rewatch that now.
Did yall see the Biggs joke in the new Robot Chicken XD
I know many people don't agree with the Rebels Thrawn, that's he ruthless and unbelievably logical. But each time he has made a military decision, he never endangers his own people, and tbh to me, he makes the correct choices. Like there was one bit the in Thrawn book, where a Rebel Commander bypassed his cruisers cause it would not of been honourable to destroy defenceless ships, and Thrawn exploited this by making the cruisers essentially aircraft carriers for tie fighters and destroyed the Rebel fleet, it may of been a back handed move, but it ensured victory at the end of the battle with minimal imperial casualties.
You misspelled Rukh……
Rukh got shocked to death then the station his body was on blew up. I know Palpatine has returned under similar circumstances but I don't see Rukh coming back.
So is Thrawn bro…..when he was killed in 1993 the first time by Rukh.
Thanks! 🙏🏼
I would looooove this
That would be AMAZING!
Would Eli commit treason to the Chiss though? I dont think Ar'alani would be okay with Thrawn being dead.
given that the imperial remnant becomes the first order whilst in the unknown regions, if this happens, i think ar’alain may begin to see thrawn as a threat to the ascendancy. her need to protect her people may supersede her friendship with thrawn in this scenario.
I'm still wondering if the chiss ascendency got destroyed by the first order or the sith eternal.
They would have done trading with them but both groups wouldn't want to waste resources to fight them when there main issue is the rest of the galaxy.
Considering that Ar Alaini in Thrawn treason didn’t trust him & she’s shaping Eli now
As a thrawn mega fan and a mega fan of timothy zahn's vision for thrawn I would hate that outcome... I know Disney will force thrawn into a cartoon villain role but it doesn't have to be like that. Thrawn is a pragmatic but lawful and merciful person. He is noble in his own right and does value innocent lives. It would make more sense to have thrawn end up convincing ezra Bridger to help him in defending the galaxy from the horrors of the unknown regions than for him to devolve into some malicious mustache twirling villain.
This would scar me.
Sounds awful, first time i'm against your theories. I'd hate for them to retread Heir to the Empire. Canon Thrawn to me as someone who read the og Zahn books when they came out much prefers the potential of the new canon Thrawn aka finally addressing the Grysk threat, greater evils, even Zahn likes to think Ezra and Thrawn are working together against a great threat. I think folks have to move on and realize the og stuff is unlikely to fully be adapted. But the new stuff from Zahn is superior.
I never thought of that. So cool
that maybe an end but i honestly think they are going to team thrawn and new republic to stop the grissk. the grissk have been a major player in the books just lurking in the background. i feel they want to set up a plot like the yuuzhan vong war with the grissk instead.
A very interesting idea I like the sound of it.
George Lucas himself has said that Palpatine represents the devil.
One question I have is: why does Thrawn care that the empire fell? If his only goal is to ally himself with the strongest power in the known galaxy then why does he not flip to the new republic when he sees that they have taken over when he gets back?
Because he is a man of honor.He swore an oath to serve the Empire and Palpatine, and therefore he is obliged to do everything in his power for the good of the Empire.
I had my way I would’ve had three times in featured in Star Wars episode nine, On the side of the resistance.
A very thought-provoking idea. But, ultimately, I think it would a Disney Eli killing a Legends Thrawn. I think the new Thrawn is more sympathetic (in the books, at least). The Thrawn of Rebels is good, but I think Filoni didn't really take enough time to comprehend the character.