I have said that the Legends Thrawn was a far better villain, but Canon Thrawn is a more well rounded character. (Star Wars: Thrawn was probably my favorite of the 6, too.)
I miss Mara Jade. And Jaina Solo. And I will forever mourn the Sword of the Jedi books and whatever was going to happen between Ben Skywalker and Vestara Khai...
@@unlimitedpower0 The Solo family tree went from Royalty 3000 year BBY to Government officials, smugglers then Royalty again which is restored under the Fel Dynasty. You could say that the Skywalker - Solo - Antilles ruled the galaxy.
I'm hoping that Zahn and Filoni can work together on either an animated or novel series that continues Thrawn and Ezra's stories. If Filoni is too busy with other stuff maybe he can just give Zahn his notes and ideas and let Zahn run with it.
@@kingkusnacht he really stood out to me. Maybe you just don't like him in Rebels cause you were introduced to Thrawn through the old books. Lots of older SW fans don't like the new stuff.
@@sam8404 I didn’t like him in Rebels because they made him much more one-dimensional and almost Dracula-like. Thrawn isn’t scary because of his appearance or because of any spooky organ music, but because of what he can DO in battle and his insatiable drive to accomplish his goals (protecting his people and the Galaxy) at any cost. In the books he’s still a villain and he’s still mostly calm and cold, but he also has a sense of humor, he smiles, he shrugs, he has these BIZARRE eccentricities (a fan of barnacle art and sapient ferret nudes), and he even has something of a daring, playful side. Rebels turned him into kind of a Bond villain and stripped him of the traits that inspired so much loyalty and devotion in his subordinates. Edit: and I strongly dislike the new design
Having read many EU books and a decent amount of canon books, I have to give the edge to EU just because they could do real stories rather than some side-quest type stuff. That being said there have been some great books in new canon, particularly from Claudia Gray.
Thrawn: Alliances was not my favorite story, it felt forced and didn't really do much for any of the characters involved. Thrawn: Treason however I loved but I loved because of seeing the stuff with the Ascendancy, and as you said Thrawn wasn't exactly needed for that stuff. I will say that I am enjoying in the new canon that not every story has to be about Han, Luke, and Leia every time all the time.
Then you haven't read much into the Old EU. Most of those stories, for example Coruscant Nights, were not about the main characters at all but completely new characters... many of whom had their stories incompleted or abandoned during the EU purge (Agent Cross, the Imperial version of James Bond and Race Bannon comes to mind).
Yes, and one can directly skip from Thrawn (1) to Treason (3) without missing anything. The two relevant facts a) there are "Skywalkers" in the Ascendency b) there are bad aliens (Grysk) are again explained in "Treason". Besides, Thrawn ends Eli Vanto related and Treason starts Vanto related, making it the true successor. "Alliances" solely lived of the Vader involvement and Anakin flashbacks. And I just never cared for Anakin.
The one think I always liked about the original trilogy of books is that we got to see Thrawn fighting a full scale war, not playing policeman and fighting , scale-wise, a military insignificant rebellion. Thrawn in legends brought a defeated and demoralized empire to the brink of victory
Eli became one of my favorite book characters, and yeah. I agree. I just went through the canon Thrawn trilogy, and loved it, but agree with what you’re saying about being held back.
The Legends Thrawn books(The Heir Trilogy and Hand Duology) were the only things set after Episode 6 involving major galactic players I've ever cared about. I've never had much interest in major events set after the Galactic Civil War, because I felt having major threats set AFTER Palpatine's death detracted from the finale of the OT. I also greatly enjoyed the Legends end of the Galactic Civil War because it ended like most real wars do, with a peace treaty, and the losing nation maintaining their status as an independent political body. The Legends Thrawn novels tied up the Galactic Civil War without overshadowing the defeat of Palpatine, which is something I've felt nearly everything major set after 6 has striven to do, intentionally or not. Palpatine's death, in my mind, will always be the last earth(space)-shattering moment in the Star Wars timeline, whether its Legends or Canon, because to put it bluntly, everything else on a similar level either feels like power creep or not powerful enough.
@@wisdommanari6701 he is more fleshed out with his own motivations, not that Legends Thrawn was bad, Zahn nailed him in making a villain to actually fear. But I personally prefer canon thrawn, as we get to know more about him in those books, especially the first.
@@doorbell8132 he was definitely an antagonist but was he really a villian? He wanted an orderly solidified and highly militarized galaxy. We see this through his actions instead of exposition through dialogue. We see that he is willing to kill his subordinates for laziness but not for defeat. True we do not get to see his thought process and how he gatheres information but I feel like that adds to his Mystique.
One book-only story that I really enjoyed was Lost Stars by Claudia Gray. Sure, it “tied into” the OT timeline, but it was more of a backdrop than anything. We probably(?) won't see adapted but I loved the scope it had.
I really like the Legends Thrawn trilogy and Thrawn as a villain in those books. But my biggest issue with them is that they felt too much like over-the-top fanfiction at certain points. The Canon Thrawn trilogy feels like more "grounded" (I honestly don't know how else to describe it) Star Wars content to me; less like over-the-top fanfiction. And Canon Thrawn just feels like a more well-rounded character to me. I know many people will disagree with me, but I just wanted to get this out there. However, I don't believe this one issue takes away from the quality of the Legends Thrawn trilogy. They are still awesome and I have immense love for them, especially for what they accomplished. As for Canon Thrawn and Chiss related stuff: I believe we just need to be patient. We need to keep in mind that this new Canon EU is only five years old. Keep in mind that we got the Legends Thrawn trilogy, which really kicked off the era of quality EU content, a decade after the original trilogy. I do believe the current Canon is getting weirder and more wonderful, and it has indeed given us five good years of quality content. We just need to be patient. The new Canon EU is still young and needs time to grow.
Whoever is running the novelization department has been pretty consistent about bringing quality novel content which to me makes up some for the Hannah Montanization of Star Wars. But there was a lot of garbage in the old EU and I've seen some of the new stuff that are a mixed bag already. I think the only truly great ones so far in the new canon have been the ones centered around Vader and Thrawn. Although I am currently enjoying Master and Apprentice about Obi Wan and Qui Gonn back in the day before that little twerp on Tatooine was a shine in Plageuis' eye. But all of them offer quality expansion of the universe beyond H̶a̶n̶n̶a̶h̶ ̶M̶o̶n̶t̶a̶n̶a̶ Rey and Kylo who impresses me about as much as Zack in Saved by the Bell.
I just read Star Wars: Thrawn and I’m currently reading Heir to the Empire so I can hardly make any sort of comprehensive comparison, but the former definitely won me over and turned me into a fan of the character, so there’s that. However, I do see a pretty glaring weakness in SW: Thrawn and that is that he seems almost TOO smart, TOO on top of things. Sure he’s a tactical genius, but unlike what I’ve read so far in Heir to the Empire, a lot of his victories seem a bit... unearned? I don’t remember seeing him ever falter or face true uncertainty and a lot of the time it seemed like other characters were stunted in order to allow him to shine. True, he faced adversity through others’ xenophobia and his ignorance of politics, but he himself never really seemed personally affected by it, and any setbacks were quickly dealt with FOR him (by Eli, Arihnda, the emperor, etc). I don’t know, he just seemed a bit “overpowered,” for lack of a better word.
Oooooooo I don't even wanna look at the comments. I think Thrawn being around during the height of the Empire makes more sense from a story standpoint. Why were they keeping him in the Outer Rim in the Legends trilogy? Should they not have called him up at least after the first Death Star was destroyed?
Thrawn's talents were deemed more beneficial in the lawless outer reaches while other Imperials basically had the Rebels on the run constantly in the Core and Mid regions. As I recall, the Emperor sent him to the outer reaches to subjugate new & rebellious systems and bring them into the Empire, expanding their borders of control. He was sent to a particularly lawless section of the Galaxy with his fleet to basically bring it to heel. The other things to consider are that the Emperor put Darth Vader personally in charge of tracking down the rebel responsible for the Death Star, not only because of the Death Star, but also because he suspected, as Vader did, that he was strong with the force should be handled by someone knowledgeable in the force.
Man, as much as I like Ahsoka, if she deserves a series of her own, then Thrawn even more so! As long as Filoni and Zahn get creative freedom without constraints it will definitely be worth exploring. And give us Mara Jade back!
When Thrawn's clone didn't get a chance to live when the chamber got flooded in Visions of the Future, I was pretty devastated. Especially when it easily could have been the perfect set up to another trilogy.
Well, Zahn hinted at the end of Survivor's Quest that another Thrawn clone might still exist. Zahn was interested in writing a story with a Thrawn clone working together with Ben Skywalker against a threat to the galaxy, but of course Disney happened.
3:00 - It's funny that the Nohgri were originally going to be called the Sith, because the expanded universe eventually did introduce an alien species called the Sith from which the Sith Lords took their name. (Which itself loops around to being an interesting indicator of their specieist, pro-human tendencies of the Sith Empires over time, as a kind of "appropriation" of an entire species' name for their religion.)
Vanto stories would be interesting during his time with the Chiss and onward. his perspective as an outside would be a great story point and potential for his character evolution.
I'd say the Legends is the best, but the new covers a lot of interesting things. Most importantly, the way Zahn is writing these. You can treat them as if they are all in the same cannon with just a little squinting. So far, the only book that I think would directly contradict anything between the two timelines is Outbound Flight. All the others could fit in without really contradicting one another. You just have to assume Thrawn returns at some point to fight as a Warlord and kinda skip over the Solo's only having one kid. And that seems intentional on Zahn's part.
I think I prefer the legends books like you said cause they're not limited to what is gonna happen in the future. Instead they kinda pave the way for more to come. Though if you want a cool tie-in, Star Wars: Thrawn wasn't too bad either. I enjoyed hearing that he was in the Clone Wars too. If anything, that actually added onto the legends novels. Although, either version of Thrawn's character are pretty cool.
This is a really thoughtful analysis! I wonder whether there’s an opportunity for an occasional new Legends novel that - because it’s free from any canon constraints - could do what you describe and just be free to tell big bold stories.
I agree. I enjoyed the new books, but I definitely like not knowing what's going to happen in the story with the original Thrawn trilogy. I'm almost finished with the 2 hand of thrawn books as well and I just love the scope of everything going on in the galaxy during that time period in legends
Legends... enough said. Also if Thrawn had the force, he'd go from being a God amongst men tactically to being invincible with Battle Meditation (don't ask me why I started to think about this).
@@brandonhancock8620 there was a discussion video about the Episode III novelisation by a channel called Fanalysis where one of them said how (in terms of actions) Yoda wouldn't stop being a Jedi if he didn't have the force whereas Palpatine would stop being a Sith if he didn't have the force which then led to me wondering about what non force sensitives would be like with the force.
I haven't had the chance yet to read the old EU Thrawn books but I honestly enjoyed the cannon series quite a bit, even with the constricts due to timelines. I really enjoyed his character.
The new Thrawn books don't seem to have much direction. Just a assortment of stories to fill out his character's time in the new canon. The original trilogy felt more coherent. Like they could actually be the true sequel series to the original trilogy.
I have to go with legends on Thrawn because it offers a better description of how he joined the Imperial navy and working his ways through the ranks to one of the most feared grand Admirals of the Galactic Empire
Your in luck, the new Thrawn trilogy (assuming there will be three books) covers his time with the Chiss Ascendancy. And it is certainly giving him more wiggle room so far.
I loved them all, even though we know he will solve any problem it's how he does it that I really enjoy. I would like to see at least some of him in the next trilogy.
100% agree. Zahn did what he could given the constraints. I was really hopeful going into Treason but the whole trilogy hints at an adventure much more exciting than the actual books. We need big events in books because you can give so much detail in books. I really hope the story group lets the books actually make a real story line.
As to which trilogy I prefer, I love them both. I'm a little OCD, so I really enjoy the continuity of the canon trilogy (the lack of continuity in the EU bothered me), and I personally prefer Eli Vanto to Pellaeon, because Eli learns. He's more Thrawn's apprentice than his side kick, and I enjoy that. On the other hand, I will never forget the soaring excitement I felt when I first read Heir to the Empire, or the way the John Williams score played in my head through every moment of Zahn's writing. Heir to the Empire _felt_ like Star Wars, and he captured my favorite characters of Han, Luke, and Leia perfectly, giving them all equal weight (not easy when two are Skywalkers!), and ecen perfectly capturing favorite side characters like Lando & Threepio. Zahn's consistent ability to capture a character & the feel of the universe is why he is one of my all-time favorite Star Wars writers. And also, Mara Jade. I love Commodore Faro, and Admiral Ar'alani, and Vah'nya. They are some of my favorite side characters in the new canon... But, Mara XD
My favorite is "Star Wars Thrawn" because of the narrator that read the audiobook on RUclips. I used to listen to it before bed frequently when it was on RUclips.
Love the content. I think the problem you have is similar to a Batman or Superman problem. In this example thrawn is Batman and Vader is Superman. You know both are going to win all the time however, a gangster is an actual threat to Batman since he has no super powers he's just the greatest detective of all time. Vader wins because he is a space wizard. There is a huge fandom for both fantasies. I have always been a Batman fan, so I am fine with stories where space Batman is just awesome. I can't wait for more thrawn. Death to space whales
I think it would have been a good opportunity to show how ruthless Thrawn could be, like I would have liked a scene with something like vader threatening Thrawn and then Thrawn calmly telling him he will vent the bridge or some other method in order to deal with vader. It could have been a good chance to show that you don't have to be a space wizard to be effective.
I only hope that the new expanded universe do not become exaggerated like the old one. They can explore other places and other things but using the movies and the basic stories as an example to follow, not explode in a lot of non sense adventures
I prefer the new ones, but my opinion is not fair as I never read the Legends material. I enjoyed the first one tremendously and the second one was enjoyable but not quite the excitement I felt with the first. I have not read the third one yet but it is on the list.
The limited nature of the new canon stories is part of the reason I can't get really into them. They'll never be allowed to tell really big, meaningful, galaxy/character chaging stories. For better or worse the Legends books were allowed to as you say, swing for the fences and really tell some big stories that really shook things up. A lot of the new stuff feels like filler imo.
I think the comic series doctor aphra and darth vader is much better what dinsey have done with their movies and shows. Maybe because comics and books dont have to be family friendly
Q&A: Do you think that Timothy Zahn wrote the cannon Thrawn books as prequels to his original books? As if it was one continuous series? There are some contradictions, but mostly I don't see why not.
I didn’t read the thrawn trilogy too much as a kind only the first one as a comic but I am liking thrawn right now as a character so if I like him in canon I’m sure I will love him in legends! I am the one person that actually liked thrawn alliances 🤷🏽♂️ can’t wait for the new books to be based off the chiss. New characters
Noah Aguilar I loved Alliances too. That may be the best Anakin has ever been written. You could see how quickly his love made him stoop to threatening and killing people that really weren’t that bad. The way Thrawn knew so much and little about the Force was also interesting to me.
@@AzayBae It's cool seeing how Anakin and Vader encountered Thrawn in different times of their lives and how Thrawn knew he was Anakin, but I agree that making him a Protagonist is off since he is a villain.
Book is definitely my favorite. I like this new. Erosion of thrawn over the original. That’s part due he nature to train and challenge his subordinates to be better than they are or to show them them they have talents they themselves are unaware of. His rapport with Eli Vanto, Karyn Faro and Wullf Yularen are especially what made like his character and those that served with him. Mind I listened to the audio book version so I was definitely engaged with the new trilogy even though Alliances was painful mainly due to the inclusion of Anakin Skywalker. Overall I’d recommend the new trilogy and I’m looking forward to his next one.
I'm just getting back into the books. Was going to go back and re read the "Legends" Thrawn books, but decided to see what the new ones were all about. Going forward, I'd love to see something like "Tales from the Bounty Hunters", the short story collection from Bobba Fett, IG88, and others. Also, would love to see a book focused on Bobba Fett, either before Han or after Jedi. Sure, we have the Mandalorian now, but the Fett is always a win. Good video.
I have heard about thrawn but never have I read the old legends books about him. The Thrawn that was introduced in rebels was my first introduction along with new thrawn trilogy. Even though the stories are connected and everything, I say you really gotta learn to separate them or else the enjoyment of it suffers. I mean why have rogue one if we already know they succeed in delivering the plans? but people still enjoyed it. Why have Jedi Fallen Order if we've already had similar stories to it? But people are very hyped about that. I agree that it is weird to see Thrawn go from bad guy in rebels to sort of good guy in his books. I see him as someone who will do anything for his people. Hence why he wants resources from the biggest ruling military/government. Either way I can see why people who knew him before would be disappointed as explained in this video.
Legends has annoying sub characters and hearing Solo and Lando say, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this” like a million times in each book is DUMB. The canon books are good but they’re not easy to integrate into the current direction Dave F is heading in. I think Thrawn is a great character but his story should pick up from Rebels and maybe do Flashbacks from the canon books where it seems to make sense.
As a guy that never saw Rebels, I completely agree with with video. Me missing that cartoon makes me feel like I am missing some major detail when I read Alliances and I'm sure it'd be the case with Treason as well. Which is fustrating because, as you said, books are no longer the backbone of Star Wars, and I simply don't have the time investment to catch up with all the shows. In this manner, I also enjoyed the first Thrawn book cause I have no idea certain people like Pryce was actually a Rebels character and just accept it as a good secondary cast. But overall, nostalgia or otherwise, I still love the original Trilogy the best, with it taking new directions that was new for the time and even to the end of the Legends' reign. The mysterious aura around Thrawn is just so much more compelling that way.
I’m with you Alex. I prefer the Legends trilogy, the first Canon Thrawn novel is my favorite, feel the same way about the Canon books vs the EU, etc... Personally I’m always hoping but not holding my breath for the shelved Sword of the Jedi trilogy and stuff planned to lead up to the Legacy comics. But above all else three words: Canon Mara Jade!
Great Video Like the voice recognition in the background from Canon to Legends Its All good of storytelling. Let it all flow in The Force. Remember it's with us Always .🙋🏻♂️😀❤🇨🇦✌👍🖖😁
We know now that Project Luminous turned out to be The High Republic media event of books and comics, which did end up becoming a tie in to The Acolyte. After the Mando movie I'm retiring as a Star Wars fan.
I liked the Canon Thrawn in the more recent books… but I absolutely adore the EU Thrawn. The EU Thrawn was definitely more ruthless, more hard-edged than the Canon Thrawn. His strategies and schemes were Byzantine as hell.
I agree with you Star Wars Explained. I liked the fact (Legends) that he was special enough to gain the trust and respect of both Palpatine and Vader, without the suspicions or double allegiances, from my point of view, at least. So special that he was given the highest rank in the empire, outranking all other political and military personnel, including Moffs and Grand Moffs. (Didn't like that Tarkin had more power than him). I think he was diminished in Rebels, and I definitely hated the Purrgil stuff. I also like the first canon book Thrawn.
I'm only part way into listening to Heir to the Empire, but I already have to say I like the revised Thrawn better. Apart from his genius, the one thing I liked about the new Thrawn was how he wasn't just another trigger happy Imperial, he was instructive. He wanted his crew to learn and become better he might reassign someone who is unable to meet his standard, but I don't recall him ever using fear of execution to keep his crew in line. He showed what good leadership should be (as opposed to Vader and the stereotype Imp officer). In the original books, one tiny mistake and Thrawn has one of his bridge crew shived. I also liked the characters that surrounded Thrawn in the new books better. Pellaeon mirrors Commodore Faro well enough (and to an extent Eli), but I also enjoyed the other members of the crew lucky enough to not be yet another faceless officer. I hope someday Zahn will tell us what Faro's fate after Rebels/Endor is. On the other hand Legends had all the usual suspects (Luke, Leia, Mara Jade, Chewbacca, Han, Lando, Mon Mothma, etc) and they are the ones making Legends enjoyable for me. I like that we are getting to see Thrawn fighting the Republic in big battles, but I don't find myself liking Thrawn as much as I thought I would. Maybe it's that he's not the main character, maybe its the pedestal and the hype that have been given to this trilogy...who knows...
Well, I haven't yet gotten to read "Treason", but overall, it depends on the book for me. When I bought "Thrawn", I couldn't put it down and it began my love of the character. I read all the original trilogy shortly after that. I felt like, despite Thrawns prominence as the leader of the Empire, the big overall villain was C'baoth, which was why Thrawns end was more of an aside, lol. However, I didn't love "Alliances",as "Thrawn"suggested dangers in the Unknown Regions and I was hoping they'd bring the Yuzhuun Vong into the canon. Turns out they didn't... I loved "Heir" and "Dark Force", but "Last Command"wasn't my favourite after all. I think I'll need to read "Treason"to make a final decision however.
While I do absolutely love the original Thrawn trilogy; I don't know if I agree with you. In those three books, he seemed far more omnipotent than he does in the new books. In the new books we get to understand his reasoning, his thinking, and unlike the old books we do see him fail from time to time. He is a much better character now than he was in legends. That being said, I'm a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes and Deduction. (If my name didn't give that away) so seeing stories where a character is like that, and using those methods was exactly what I was looking for.
Tbh I give to it to Canon Thrawn because he just a more interesting character and plus Rebels made him a character i love to hate, legends thrawn is good but i didn't feel invested cause clone palpatine... yea
I read Thrawn (and possibly Thrawn: Alliances too, I forget) before I read the original Thrawn Trilogy, and while I did really like the latter, I felt a little... underwhelmed by the character, honestly. Maybe it's because in canon Thrawn trilogy we get to see his thought processes from his own PoV which endeared me to him better. I've only read four Legends novels (the Thrawn trilogy and Shadows of the Empire, the latter of which I thought was... shit in almost every aspect), so maybe if I read more of Thrawn in other legends books he might grow on me.
@@vijdanbursal5183 I didn't think it was particularly well written. Pretty much everything to do with Prince Xizor was ridiculous, from him secreting pheromones that make him irresistible to females of any species (which I'm fairly certain was written purely so they could have some creepy scenes with him and Leia) to him somehow being aware that Anakin is Vader the whole time and being in good enough graces with the Emperor to be allowed to listen in on his private calls to his Sith apprentice. A lot of his "he's such a master manipulator" or whatever characterisation is told to us rather than outright shown, and he just comes across as such a lame villain that I was glad he died at the end of the book, so I wouldn't have to put up with any more of him. Maybe he's more endearing in other works, but Dash Rendar came across as a budget Han Solo without any of the characteristics that made Han a likeable character, and his supposed death meant nothing to me. There were a whole bunch of other issues I had with the book while reading it which I can't remember off the top of my head, but overall I just didn't enjoy the book, and was glad when I finally got to the end of it.
I also feel like that we can get weirder once the saga ends. I say that because there will be a concise end so if you try to tell a story involving the main characters or something totally different that happens to take place in the 30 years between trilogies, we know what can and can’t happen to an extent so we can get get good long form stories that don’t need to tie in to the next movie.
I'm on the legends side. I think in cannon Thrawns personality is showen better, however the story is 10000% better in legends. Old canon is way better. Yesterday i started Luceno's Darth Plagueis, and I absolutley love it. One day legends will return to canon and Disney timeline will be no more...
I do prefer the original Thrawn trilogy but I love the new trilogy and I can't get enough of Thrawn! No matter how many stories I read I think he will remain interesting to me. I know over saturation can cause some people to lose interest in a character but, thankfully, I'm not one of them.
The OG Trilogy, hands down. I mean, I like the new Thrawn-Books well enough, but the original one felt more stakes-ey, was larger in scope and scale and, most importantly, felt like a Trilogy instead of a Bunch of loosely connected Stand-alone books.
I can understand wanting more from the canon books but I also see why that's less likely. The books have such a smaller audience compared to even the games and shows, they wont want to do the big stories there. I'd go with audio books but I personally cant stand when audio books have multiple narrators and sound effects.
Legends Thrawn Trilogy is better in a sense that all 3 of them are equally good. Canon Thrawn, the first book is great but the second one, Alliances, not so. At least, to me. Have yet to read the third one.
by the Force, his 1st trilogy... i have always, always hoped & thought it would happen. & as time went on, if they wnated to introduce Star Wars to a brand new generation, these novels, with some tweaking, could introduce the offspring of the heroes we already know.
I have to side with Canon here. Timothy Zahn was able to improve on his past work, and use the limitations he was given by Disney to thrive without being tied down to that many characters and plot points from the films, and created what is easily the best villain Star Wars has ever had.
I would like a book about the Chiss war. The main character could be Mith'arn'oura. I didn't read the thrawn book, so i don't know what heppend to here. But she would be cool
Interesting how Heir to the Empire and it's following books has been known as the Thrawn trilogy when that name was never officially called so by Lucasbooks and the other villain(Juruus C'Boath) actually takes center stages on the book cover of Heir to the Empire.
Canon: Because it's the one I was introduced to first and I haven't gotten around to reading the legends version despite having HTTE. I watched The Lore Master's video on him back in 2016 but I actually need to read to get a better understanding. Also, Timothy Zahn said to you that he was treated well and if he's cool with that then I am.
I feel the same way, but I have to admit that the Heir to the Empire trilogy is objectively better. Thrawn was respectable and terrifying all at the same time in those books.
Mit Whit Gaming Objectively saying one fictional work is better than the other is hard to substantiate but I think I know what you meant. Most see the older trilogy as better.
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"But," he whispered, "it was so artistically done."
😭
Whats this from?
@@Luke-vg7ut I don't want to spoil too much but it's a big Thrawn moment in The Last Command.
I haven't even read the books yet, but I already know I want that on my gravestone
That line was pure poetry in context of the story.
Well one has Mara Jade so
@Fergus Henderson legends
I have said that the Legends Thrawn was a far better villain, but Canon Thrawn is a more well rounded character.
(Star Wars: Thrawn was probably my favorite of the 6, too.)
With Outbound Flight, Survivor Quest and partly the Hand of Thrawn Duology I feel Legends Thrawn gets pretty well rounded in Legends too.
@@KitchenSinkSoup Yes, that too. I feel like that was a stepping stone in Zahn's writing style that developed into his canon style.
The Best is the one written by Timothy Zahn.
I agree if this does not include Rebels Thrawn, which I really hated.
@@kingkusnacht _Thrawn_ does reference Rebels, but only in passing. He is much better in the book than he was in the show.
I miss Mara Jade. And Jaina Solo. And I will forever mourn the Sword of the Jedi books and whatever was going to happen between Ben Skywalker and Vestara Khai...
I miss em too. Same goes for Etain Tur-Mukan most of all. She like the clones of Jango Fett. My favorite character of SW.
I wish Disney would considering doing more content under the Legends banner. Like theres a fanbase for it
Yeah and didn't han and leia have a grand daughter from like a queen or something. So many plot threads got dropped and its a real shame
@@unlimitedpower0
The Solo family tree went from Royalty 3000 year BBY to Government officials, smugglers then Royalty again which is restored under the Fel Dynasty.
You could say that the Skywalker - Solo - Antilles ruled the galaxy.
Or the adventure of Ben and Tahiri which definitely have much more to be explored
I'm hoping that Zahn and Filoni can work together on either an animated or novel series that continues Thrawn and Ezra's stories. If Filoni is too busy with other stuff maybe he can just give Zahn his notes and ideas and let Zahn run with it.
Yes! I am totally down for that!
I didn't like Filoni's Thrawn. It seemed like a generic admiral character
@@kingkusnacht he really stood out to me. Maybe you just don't like him in Rebels cause you were introduced to Thrawn through the old books. Lots of older SW fans don't like the new stuff.
What about Mandolian Season 2?
@@sam8404 I didn’t like him in Rebels because they made him much more one-dimensional and almost Dracula-like. Thrawn isn’t scary because of his appearance or because of any spooky organ music, but because of what he can DO in battle and his insatiable drive to accomplish his goals (protecting his people and the Galaxy) at any cost. In the books he’s still a villain and he’s still mostly calm and cold, but he also has a sense of humor, he smiles, he shrugs, he has these BIZARRE eccentricities (a fan of barnacle art and sapient ferret nudes), and he even has something of a daring, playful side. Rebels turned him into kind of a Bond villain and stripped him of the traits that inspired so much loyalty and devotion in his subordinates.
Edit: and I strongly dislike the new design
Having read many EU books and a decent amount of canon books, I have to give the edge to EU just because they could do real stories rather than some side-quest type stuff. That being said there have been some great books in new canon, particularly from Claudia Gray.
You NEVER seem “ranty” Alex. That’s one of the main reasons I dig your channel so much. Nice job with this one.
Its feels normal
With how toxic the Star Wars fandom has become over the last few years, it's extremely refreshing.
Hier to the Empire is easily one of the best SW stories written (legends or canon).
...that whole trilogy is brilliant.
Honestly, it's the best Trilogy period.
Love Eli Vantos character, id really enjoy seeing something more centered around him and his affiliation with the Chiss and Admiral Aralani.
And I want him to discover Vah'nya further. By the numbers, of course 😁
@@TheKickingDonkey lol
Thrawn: Alliances was not my favorite story, it felt forced and didn't really do much for any of the characters involved. Thrawn: Treason however I loved but I loved because of seeing the stuff with the Ascendancy, and as you said Thrawn wasn't exactly needed for that stuff.
I will say that I am enjoying in the new canon that not every story has to be about Han, Luke, and Leia every time all the time.
Then you haven't read much into the Old EU. Most of those stories, for example Coruscant Nights, were not about the main characters at all but completely new characters... many of whom had their stories incompleted or abandoned during the EU purge (Agent Cross, the Imperial version of James Bond and Race Bannon comes to mind).
J Sailer He never said that Legends was all about Han, Luke and Leia.
Yes, and one can directly skip from Thrawn (1) to Treason (3) without missing anything. The two relevant facts a) there are "Skywalkers" in the Ascendency b) there are bad aliens (Grysk) are again explained in "Treason". Besides, Thrawn ends Eli Vanto related and Treason starts Vanto related, making it the true successor. "Alliances" solely lived of the Vader involvement and Anakin flashbacks. And I just never cared for Anakin.
I literally just found Star Wars:Thrawn in my school library :)
'Hey: What's this doing in the school library? This isn't educational!'
"But... It was so artistically done."
[ThλtGenericPyro] A RUclips Channel Definitely the best book in the library,I even plan to buy the rest of the trilogy :)
The audio book makes him way more interesting.
YES! The audio ads so much!
Audiobook of which book?
Marc Thompson is an amazing narrator! He did many other Star Wars books you should check out.
Marc Thompson's voice for Thrawn just draws me in
I will listen to any book narrated by Marc Thompson. He can make any book better. (Like the Aftermath trilogy which was terrible)
The one think I always liked about the original trilogy of books is that we got to see Thrawn fighting a full scale war, not playing policeman and fighting , scale-wise, a military insignificant rebellion. Thrawn in legends brought a defeated and demoralized empire to the brink of victory
Eli became one of my favorite book characters, and yeah. I agree.
I just went through the canon Thrawn trilogy, and loved it, but agree with what you’re saying about being held back.
Good for me: I know nothing of Rebels. So in "Treason", I could fear for everyone's lives 🤭
I love Thrawn, and just all the books he is in
The Legends Thrawn books(The Heir Trilogy and Hand Duology) were the only things set after Episode 6 involving major galactic players I've ever cared about. I've never had much interest in major events set after the Galactic Civil War, because I felt having major threats set AFTER Palpatine's death detracted from the finale of the OT. I also greatly enjoyed the Legends end of the Galactic Civil War because it ended like most real wars do, with a peace treaty, and the losing nation maintaining their status as an independent political body. The Legends Thrawn novels tied up the Galactic Civil War without overshadowing the defeat of Palpatine, which is something I've felt nearly everything major set after 6 has striven to do, intentionally or not. Palpatine's death, in my mind, will always be the last earth(space)-shattering moment in the Star Wars timeline, whether its Legends or Canon, because to put it bluntly, everything else on a similar level either feels like power creep or not powerful enough.
You should read the X Wings books, seems they'd be your cup of tea
I am totally down for an Eli & the Chiss vs Grysk novel. I would love to see Timothy Zahn let loose to play with what he has in his head!
Legends is a better trilogy, but Star Wars: Thrawn is a better book, plus Canon Thrawn is a better character
Summed up my thoughts completely.
How is he a better character?
@@wisdommanari6701 he is more fleshed out with his own motivations, not that Legends Thrawn was bad, Zahn nailed him in making a villain to actually fear. But I personally prefer canon thrawn, as we get to know more about him in those books, especially the first.
@@doorbell8132 he was definitely an antagonist but was he really a villian? He wanted an orderly solidified and highly militarized galaxy. We see this through his actions instead of exposition through dialogue. We see that he is willing to kill his subordinates for laziness but not for defeat. True we do not get to see his thought process and how he gatheres information but I feel like that adds to his Mystique.
There will be a new Thrawn trilogy that focuses on the Chiss Ascendency.
do you have a link please
@@tychokort what do you mean “link”? The first of the new series is already out. It’s call Thrawn: Ascendancy: Chaos Rising.
@@thomasbradvica2305 thanks for the info bro. Looking forward to reading it
One book-only story that I really enjoyed was Lost Stars by Claudia Gray. Sure, it “tied into” the OT timeline, but it was more of a backdrop than anything. We probably(?) won't see adapted but I loved the scope it had.
I really like the Legends Thrawn trilogy and Thrawn as a villain in those books. But my biggest issue with them is that they felt too much like over-the-top fanfiction at certain points. The Canon Thrawn trilogy feels like more "grounded" (I honestly don't know how else to describe it) Star Wars content to me; less like over-the-top fanfiction. And Canon Thrawn just feels like a more well-rounded character to me. I know many people will disagree with me, but I just wanted to get this out there.
However, I don't believe this one issue takes away from the quality of the Legends Thrawn trilogy. They are still awesome and I have immense love for them, especially for what they accomplished.
As for Canon Thrawn and Chiss related stuff: I believe we just need to be patient. We need to keep in mind that this new Canon EU is only five years old. Keep in mind that we got the Legends Thrawn trilogy, which really kicked off the era of quality EU content, a decade after the original trilogy. I do believe the current Canon is getting weirder and more wonderful, and it has indeed given us five good years of quality content. We just need to be patient. The new Canon EU is still young and needs time to grow.
*Raghuvar Vasudev* - Couldn't have put it better myself
Whoever is running the novelization department has been pretty consistent about bringing quality novel content which to me makes up some for the Hannah Montanization of Star Wars. But there was a lot of garbage in the old EU and I've seen some of the new stuff that are a mixed bag already. I think the only truly great ones so far in the new canon have been the ones centered around Vader and Thrawn. Although I am currently enjoying Master and Apprentice about Obi Wan and Qui Gonn back in the day before that little twerp on Tatooine was a shine in Plageuis' eye. But all of them offer quality expansion of the universe beyond H̶a̶n̶n̶a̶h̶ ̶M̶o̶n̶t̶a̶n̶a̶ Rey and Kylo who impresses me about as much as Zack in Saved by the Bell.
I think you hit the nail on the head considering that the Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy is going to begin in May
Thank you for simply acknowledging the difference between the two.
Maybe a big reason Aphra and Ahsoka are so well done and popular is because their creators have room to explore the characters outside of films?
I just read Star Wars: Thrawn and I’m currently reading Heir to the Empire so I can hardly make any sort of comprehensive comparison, but the former definitely won me over and turned me into a fan of the character, so there’s that. However, I do see a pretty glaring weakness in SW: Thrawn and that is that he seems almost TOO smart, TOO on top of things. Sure he’s a tactical genius, but unlike what I’ve read so far in Heir to the Empire, a lot of his victories seem a bit... unearned? I don’t remember seeing him ever falter or face true uncertainty and a lot of the time it seemed like other characters were stunted in order to allow him to shine. True, he faced adversity through others’ xenophobia and his ignorance of politics, but he himself never really seemed personally affected by it, and any setbacks were quickly dealt with FOR him (by Eli, Arihnda, the emperor, etc). I don’t know, he just seemed a bit “overpowered,” for lack of a better word.
I sort of agree
In Germany we have a radio play (Hörspiel) of the legends triology with the old voice actors!
masterpiece! hab es auch gehört
Your opinion videos always feel so well-rounded! Thanks for not being toxic.
Oooooooo I don't even wanna look at the comments.
I think Thrawn being around during the height of the Empire makes more sense from a story standpoint. Why were they keeping him in the Outer Rim in the Legends trilogy? Should they not have called him up at least after the first Death Star was destroyed?
Thrawn's talents were deemed more beneficial in the lawless outer reaches while other Imperials basically had the Rebels on the run constantly in the Core and Mid regions.
As I recall, the Emperor sent him to the outer reaches to subjugate new & rebellious systems and bring them into the Empire, expanding their borders of control. He was sent to a particularly lawless section of the Galaxy with his fleet to basically bring it to heel. The other things to consider are that the Emperor put Darth Vader personally in charge of tracking down the rebel responsible for the Death Star, not only because of the Death Star, but also because he suspected, as Vader did, that he was strong with the force should be handled by someone knowledgeable in the force.
A thing the new thrawn trilogy does really well is the military tactics. I love how the space battles play out.
Man, as much as I like Ahsoka, if she deserves a series of her own, then Thrawn even more so! As long as Filoni and Zahn get creative freedom without constraints it will definitely be worth exploring. And give us Mara Jade back!
Legends, hands down.
When Thrawn's clone didn't get a chance to live when the chamber got flooded in Visions of the Future, I was pretty devastated. Especially when it easily could have been the perfect set up to another trilogy.
Well, Zahn hinted at the end of Survivor's Quest that another Thrawn clone might still exist. Zahn was interested in writing a story with a Thrawn clone working together with Ben Skywalker against a threat to the galaxy, but of course Disney happened.
3:00 - It's funny that the Nohgri were originally going to be called the Sith, because the expanded universe eventually did introduce an alien species called the Sith from which the Sith Lords took their name. (Which itself loops around to being an interesting indicator of their specieist, pro-human tendencies of the Sith Empires over time, as a kind of "appropriation" of an entire species' name for their religion.)
Vanto stories would be interesting during his time with the Chiss and onward. his perspective as an outside would be a great story point and potential for his character evolution.
I'd say the Legends is the best, but the new covers a lot of interesting things. Most importantly, the way Zahn is writing these. You can treat them as if they are all in the same cannon with just a little squinting. So far, the only book that I think would directly contradict anything between the two timelines is Outbound Flight. All the others could fit in without really contradicting one another. You just have to assume Thrawn returns at some point to fight as a Warlord and kinda skip over the Solo's only having one kid. And that seems intentional on Zahn's part.
I think I prefer the legends books like you said cause they're not limited to what is gonna happen in the future. Instead they kinda pave the way for more to come. Though if you want a cool tie-in, Star Wars: Thrawn wasn't too bad either. I enjoyed hearing that he was in the Clone Wars too. If anything, that actually added onto the legends novels. Although, either version of Thrawn's character are pretty cool.
This is a really thoughtful analysis! I wonder whether there’s an opportunity for an occasional new Legends novel that - because it’s free from any canon constraints - could do what you describe and just be free to tell big bold stories.
"If you understand a species' art, you understand the species"
I agree. I enjoyed the new books, but I definitely like not knowing what's going to happen in the story with the original Thrawn trilogy. I'm almost finished with the 2 hand of thrawn books as well and I just love the scope of everything going on in the galaxy during that time period in legends
Legends... enough said.
Also if Thrawn had the force, he'd go from being a God amongst men tactically to being invincible with Battle Meditation (don't ask me why I started to think about this).
Why did you start to think about that
@@brandonhancock8620 there was a discussion video about the Episode III novelisation by a channel called Fanalysis where one of them said how (in terms of actions) Yoda wouldn't stop being a Jedi if he didn't have the force whereas Palpatine would stop being a Sith if he didn't have the force which then led to me wondering about what non force sensitives would be like with the force.
I haven't had the chance yet to read the old EU Thrawn books but I honestly enjoyed the cannon series quite a bit, even with the constricts due to timelines. I really enjoyed his character.
I'm more fond of canon Thrawn. Plus the VA of Thrawn made me like the character even more
That was an extremely well tempered way to express your frustration with the short-comings of Disney Canon
The new Thrawn books don't seem to have much direction. Just a assortment of stories to fill out his character's time in the new canon. The original trilogy felt more coherent. Like they could actually be the true sequel series to the original trilogy.
RedTeamReview agreed. It’s the difference between telling a story and writing a book to meet a contractual obligation
I have to go with legends on Thrawn because it offers a better description of how he joined the Imperial navy and working his ways through the ranks to one of the most feared grand Admirals of the Galactic Empire
Your in luck, the new Thrawn trilogy (assuming there will be three books) covers his time with the Chiss Ascendancy. And it is certainly giving him more wiggle room so far.
I loved them all, even though we know he will solve any problem it's how he does it that I really enjoy. I would like to see at least some of him in the next trilogy.
100% agree. Zahn did what he could given the constraints. I was really hopeful going into Treason but the whole trilogy hints at an adventure much more exciting than the actual books. We need big events in books because you can give so much detail in books. I really hope the story group lets the books actually make a real story line.
As to which trilogy I prefer, I love them both. I'm a little OCD, so I really enjoy the continuity of the canon trilogy (the lack of continuity in the EU bothered me), and I personally prefer Eli Vanto to Pellaeon, because Eli learns. He's more Thrawn's apprentice than his side kick, and I enjoy that.
On the other hand, I will never forget the soaring excitement I felt when I first read Heir to the Empire, or the way the John Williams score played in my head through every moment of Zahn's writing. Heir to the Empire _felt_ like Star Wars, and he captured my favorite characters of Han, Luke, and Leia perfectly, giving them all equal weight (not easy when two are Skywalkers!), and ecen perfectly capturing favorite side characters like Lando & Threepio. Zahn's consistent ability to capture a character & the feel of the universe is why he is one of my all-time favorite Star Wars writers.
And also, Mara Jade.
I love Commodore Faro, and Admiral Ar'alani, and Vah'nya. They are some of my favorite side characters in the new canon...
But, Mara
XD
My favorite is "Star Wars Thrawn" because of the narrator that read the audiobook on RUclips. I used to listen to it before bed frequently when it was on RUclips.
Both of them were so damn incredible, I loved reading them so much..... but the originals might be a bit better
Thanks man. I was debating which one to start first but now I wanna experience the way you mentioned. OG first
Love the content. I think the problem you have is similar to a Batman or Superman problem. In this example thrawn is Batman and Vader is Superman. You know both are going to win all the time however, a gangster is an actual threat to Batman since he has no super powers he's just the greatest detective of all time. Vader wins because he is a space wizard. There is a huge fandom for both fantasies. I have always been a Batman fan, so I am fine with stories where space Batman is just awesome. I can't wait for more thrawn. Death to space whales
I think it would have been a good opportunity to show how ruthless Thrawn could be, like I would have liked a scene with something like vader threatening Thrawn and then Thrawn calmly telling him he will vent the bridge or some other method in order to deal with vader. It could have been a good chance to show that you don't have to be a space wizard to be effective.
I only hope that the new expanded universe do not become exaggerated like the old one. They can explore other places and other things but using the movies and the basic stories as an example to follow, not explode in a lot of non sense adventures
I prefer the new ones, but my opinion is not fair as I never read the Legends material. I enjoyed the first one tremendously and the second one was enjoyable but not quite the excitement I felt with the first. I have not read the third one yet but it is on the list.
The limited nature of the new canon stories is part of the reason I can't get really into them. They'll never be allowed to tell really big, meaningful, galaxy/character chaging stories. For better or worse the Legends books were allowed to as you say, swing for the fences and really tell some big stories that really shook things up. A lot of the new stuff feels like filler imo.
I think the comic series doctor aphra and darth vader is much better what dinsey have done with their movies and shows. Maybe because comics and books dont have to be family friendly
I'm listening to Both
My dream came true when they did away with the EU and reaffirmed the PT. It made the existence of the ST totally fine by me. 100%
Q&A: Do you think that Timothy Zahn wrote the cannon Thrawn books as prequels to his original books? As if it was one continuous series? There are some contradictions, but mostly I don't see why not.
I didn’t read the thrawn trilogy too much as a kind only the first one as a comic but I am liking thrawn right now as a character so if I like him in canon I’m sure I will love him in legends! I am the one person that actually liked thrawn alliances 🤷🏽♂️ can’t wait for the new books to be based off the chiss. New characters
Noah Aguilar
I loved Alliances too. That may be the best Anakin has ever been written. You could see how quickly his love made him stoop to threatening and killing people that really weren’t that bad.
The way Thrawn knew so much and little about the Force was also interesting to me.
@@AzayBae It's cool seeing how Anakin and Vader encountered Thrawn in different times of their lives and how Thrawn knew he was Anakin, but I agree that making him a Protagonist is off since he is a villain.
Book is definitely my favorite. I like this new. Erosion of thrawn over the original. That’s part due he nature to train and challenge his subordinates to be better than they are or to show them them they have talents they themselves are unaware of. His rapport with Eli Vanto, Karyn Faro and Wullf Yularen are especially what made like his character and those that served with him.
Mind I listened to the audio book version so I was definitely engaged with the new trilogy even though Alliances was painful mainly due to the inclusion of Anakin Skywalker.
Overall I’d recommend the new trilogy and I’m looking forward to his next one.
I agree I think this makes him better character
I'm just getting back into the books. Was going to go back and re read the "Legends" Thrawn books, but decided to see what the new ones were all about.
Going forward, I'd love to see something like "Tales from the Bounty Hunters", the short story collection from Bobba Fett, IG88, and others.
Also, would love to see a book focused on Bobba Fett, either before Han or after Jedi. Sure, we have the Mandalorian now, but the Fett is always a win.
Good video.
Legends are always Legends Canon indeed nothing ever will replace it!
I have heard about thrawn but never have I read the old legends books about him. The Thrawn that was introduced in rebels was my first introduction along with new thrawn trilogy. Even though the stories are connected and everything, I say you really gotta learn to separate them or else the enjoyment of it suffers. I mean why have rogue one if we already know they succeed in delivering the plans? but people still enjoyed it. Why have Jedi Fallen Order if we've already had similar stories to it? But people are very hyped about that. I agree that it is weird to see Thrawn go from bad guy in rebels to sort of good guy in his books. I see him as someone who will do anything for his people. Hence why he wants resources from the biggest ruling military/government. Either way I can see why people who knew him before would be disappointed as explained in this video.
6:37 I wish I had that guy's laser pointer fingers. Would be useful.
Boy did the second half of this video age like milk.
Legends has annoying sub characters and hearing Solo and Lando say, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this” like a million times in each book is DUMB.
The canon books are good but they’re not easy to integrate into the current direction Dave F is heading in. I think Thrawn is a great character but his story should pick up from Rebels and maybe do Flashbacks from the canon books where it seems to make sense.
As a guy that never saw Rebels, I completely agree with with video. Me missing that cartoon makes me feel like I am missing some major detail when I read Alliances and I'm sure it'd be the case with Treason as well. Which is fustrating because, as you said, books are no longer the backbone of Star Wars, and I simply don't have the time investment to catch up with all the shows. In this manner, I also enjoyed the first Thrawn book cause I have no idea certain people like Pryce was actually a Rebels character and just accept it as a good secondary cast. But overall, nostalgia or otherwise, I still love the original Trilogy the best, with it taking new directions that was new for the time and even to the end of the Legends' reign. The mysterious aura around Thrawn is just so much more compelling that way.
I’m with you Alex. I prefer the Legends trilogy, the first Canon Thrawn novel is my favorite, feel the same way about the Canon books vs the EU, etc...
Personally I’m always hoping but not holding my breath for the shelved Sword of the Jedi trilogy and stuff planned to lead up to the Legacy comics.
But above all else three words: Canon Mara Jade!
*seconds the motion for a canon Mara Jade*
Great Video Like the voice recognition in the background from Canon to Legends Its All good of storytelling. Let it all flow in The Force. Remember it's with us Always .🙋🏻♂️😀❤🇨🇦✌👍🖖😁
I'd love to see beyond the sequels, star wars legacy style books or comics would be awesome to see.
Great video Alex 🙂
agree with what you said about legends v canon. the canon stories are fun and good but they feel so safe and contained.
'Getting weird' gets us things like Waru. Is that what you want, Alex? Waru?!
We know now that Project Luminous turned out to be The High Republic media event of books and comics, which did end up becoming a tie in to The Acolyte. After the Mando movie I'm retiring as a Star Wars fan.
Each of the legends Thrawn trilogy are at least a 8/10, but only “Thrawn” is the only great book in the canon trilogy.
I liked the Canon Thrawn in the more recent books… but I absolutely adore the EU Thrawn. The EU Thrawn was definitely more ruthless, more hard-edged than the Canon Thrawn. His strategies and schemes were Byzantine as hell.
I agree with you Star Wars Explained. I liked the fact (Legends) that he was special enough to gain the trust and respect of both Palpatine and Vader, without the suspicions or double allegiances, from my point of view, at least. So special that he was given the highest rank in the empire, outranking all other political and military personnel, including Moffs and Grand Moffs. (Didn't like that Tarkin had more power than him).
I think he was diminished in Rebels, and I definitely hated the Purrgil stuff.
I also like the first canon book Thrawn.
I disagree
I'm only part way into listening to Heir to the Empire, but I already have to say I like the revised Thrawn better. Apart from his genius, the one thing I liked about the new Thrawn was how he wasn't just another trigger happy Imperial, he was instructive. He wanted his crew to learn and become better he might reassign someone who is unable to meet his standard, but I don't recall him ever using fear of execution to keep his crew in line. He showed what good leadership should be (as opposed to Vader and the stereotype Imp officer). In the original books, one tiny mistake and Thrawn has one of his bridge crew shived.
I also liked the characters that surrounded Thrawn in the new books better. Pellaeon mirrors Commodore Faro well enough (and to an extent Eli), but I also enjoyed the other members of the crew lucky enough to not be yet another faceless officer. I hope someday Zahn will tell us what Faro's fate after Rebels/Endor is.
On the other hand Legends had all the usual suspects (Luke, Leia, Mara Jade, Chewbacca, Han, Lando, Mon Mothma, etc) and they are the ones making Legends enjoyable for me. I like that we are getting to see Thrawn fighting the Republic in big battles, but I don't find myself liking Thrawn as much as I thought I would. Maybe it's that he's not the main character, maybe its the pedestal and the hype that have been given to this trilogy...who knows...
Well, I haven't yet gotten to read "Treason", but overall, it depends on the book for me.
When I bought "Thrawn", I couldn't put it down and it began my love of the character. I read all the original trilogy shortly after that. I felt like, despite Thrawns prominence as the leader of the Empire, the big overall villain was C'baoth, which was why Thrawns end was more of an aside, lol.
However, I didn't love "Alliances",as "Thrawn"suggested dangers in the Unknown Regions and I was hoping they'd bring the Yuzhuun Vong into the canon. Turns out they didn't...
I loved "Heir" and "Dark Force", but "Last Command"wasn't my favourite after all. I think I'll need to read "Treason"to make a final decision however.
While I do absolutely love the original Thrawn trilogy; I don't know if I agree with you. In those three books, he seemed far more omnipotent than he does in the new books. In the new books we get to understand his reasoning, his thinking, and unlike the old books we do see him fail from time to time. He is a much better character now than he was in legends.
That being said, I'm a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes and Deduction. (If my name didn't give that away) so seeing stories where a character is like that, and using those methods was exactly what I was looking for.
Tbh I give to it to Canon Thrawn because he just a more interesting character and plus Rebels made him a character i love to hate, legends thrawn is good but i didn't feel invested cause clone palpatine... yea
I read Thrawn (and possibly Thrawn: Alliances too, I forget) before I read the original Thrawn Trilogy, and while I did really like the latter, I felt a little... underwhelmed by the character, honestly.
Maybe it's because in canon Thrawn trilogy we get to see his thought processes from his own PoV which endeared me to him better.
I've only read four Legends novels (the Thrawn trilogy and Shadows of the Empire, the latter of which I thought was... shit in almost every aspect), so maybe if I read more of Thrawn in other legends books he might grow on me.
What made you think Shadows of Empire bad?
@@vijdanbursal5183 I didn't think it was particularly well written. Pretty much everything to do with Prince Xizor was ridiculous, from him secreting pheromones that make him irresistible to females of any species (which I'm fairly certain was written purely so they could have some creepy scenes with him and Leia) to him somehow being aware that Anakin is Vader the whole time and being in good enough graces with the Emperor to be allowed to listen in on his private calls to his Sith apprentice. A lot of his "he's such a master manipulator" or whatever characterisation is told to us rather than outright shown, and he just comes across as such a lame villain that I was glad he died at the end of the book, so I wouldn't have to put up with any more of him.
Maybe he's more endearing in other works, but Dash Rendar came across as a budget Han Solo without any of the characteristics that made Han a likeable character, and his supposed death meant nothing to me.
There were a whole bunch of other issues I had with the book while reading it which I can't remember off the top of my head, but overall I just didn't enjoy the book, and was glad when I finally got to the end of it.
I also feel like that we can get weirder once the saga ends. I say that because there will be a concise end so if you try to tell a story involving the main characters or something totally different that happens to take place in the 30 years between trilogies, we know what can and can’t happen to an extent so we can get get good long form stories that don’t need to tie in to the next movie.
I'm on the legends side. I think in cannon Thrawns personality is showen better, however the story is 10000% better in legends. Old canon is way better. Yesterday i started Luceno's Darth Plagueis, and I absolutley love it. One day legends will return to canon and Disney timeline will be no more...
Legends. No question about it.
Just watched this, well done. What do u think of the estate of star wars now under the KK era? May the Force be with u.
I do prefer the original Thrawn trilogy but I love the new trilogy and I can't get enough of Thrawn! No matter how many stories I read I think he will remain interesting to me. I know over saturation can cause some people to lose interest in a character but, thankfully, I'm not one of them.
The OG Trilogy, hands down. I mean, I like the new Thrawn-Books well enough, but the original one felt more stakes-ey, was larger in scope and scale and, most importantly, felt like a Trilogy instead of a Bunch of loosely connected Stand-alone books.
I can understand wanting more from the canon books but I also see why that's less likely. The books have such a smaller audience compared to even the games and shows, they wont want to do the big stories there. I'd go with audio books but I personally cant stand when audio books have multiple narrators and sound effects.
Legends Thrawn Trilogy is better in a sense that all 3 of them are equally good. Canon Thrawn, the first book is great but the second one, Alliances, not so. At least, to me. Have yet to read the third one.
by the Force, his 1st trilogy... i have always, always hoped & thought it would happen.
& as time went on, if they wnated to introduce Star Wars to a brand new generation, these novels, with some tweaking, could introduce the offspring of the heroes we already know.
I have to side with Canon here. Timothy Zahn was able to improve on his past work, and use the limitations he was given by Disney to thrive without being tied down to that many characters and plot points from the films, and created what is easily the best villain Star Wars has ever had.
You should do a review of all of Timothy Zahn's legends book. That would be cool.
I would like a book about the Chiss war. The main character could be Mith'arn'oura. I didn't read the thrawn book, so i don't know what heppend to here. But she would be cool
No one:
Timothy Zahn: "S A R D O N I C A L L Y"
Interesting how Heir to the Empire and it's following books has been known as the Thrawn trilogy when that name was never officially called so by Lucasbooks and the other villain(Juruus C'Boath) actually takes center stages on the book cover of Heir to the Empire.
Canon: Because it's the one I was introduced to first and I haven't gotten around to reading the legends version despite having HTTE. I watched The Lore Master's video on him back in 2016 but I actually need to read to get a better understanding. Also, Timothy Zahn said to you that he was treated well and if he's cool with that then I am.
I feel the same way, but I have to admit that the Heir to the Empire trilogy is objectively better. Thrawn was respectable and terrifying all at the same time in those books.
@@mitwhitgaming7722 If you say so.
Mit Whit Gaming
Objectively saying one fictional work is better than the other is hard to substantiate but I think I know what you meant. Most see the older trilogy as better.
From what I heard Timothy Zahn wrote the new Canon Thrawn books to fit in nicely with the old Thrawn Trilogy.
Thanks, Alex! 😊
I like the original trilogy from the “Old Expanded Universe”