Click HERE to see this thread with all of the graphics, features, and links.

Figured I may as well start this...


https://i.imgur.com/WqI7vdK.jpg




If this 'threat' in the Unknown Regions doesn't have to do with the Yuuzhan Vong, I'll be surprised. Regardless, I'm anticipating this novel quite a bit... If nothing else the dynamic between Vader and Thrawn should make for a great read.

I look forward to it

Yeah, considering the lack of creativity in the new canon, It's gonna be the Yuuzhan Vong. But Timothy Zahn's writing is just so heaven-sent, and I've been dying to explore the unknown regions...plus, I have a soft spot for this era and these characters. I'm probably going to love this.

Well we also know that Filoni planned to introduce the Vong back in TCW(he even drew preliminary artwork for Vong warriors and their spacecraft), but the show ended before that could happen.

Recycling the Vong into the new canon doesn't bother me that much, because I think Zahn teasing them in this novel could pave the way for some great stories in the future... Especially since we know there are several threats in the Unknown Regions -- the Vong could just be one of them.

But who knows, maybe it will turn out to be something new. /shrug

/shrug

Awesome

A teaser from the novel reveals how Thrawn's mind appears through the force:



It also reveals what Thrawn's rank was within the Chiss Ascendancy:




And I know a thread was already made for this, but the novel's cover art has been finalized:

http://i.imgur.com/GiXiMEsl.jpg

They look like their backs are to us and their heads are on backwards for some odd reason.

Super excited for this book

Originally posted by Trocity
They look like their backs are to us and their heads are on backwards for some odd reason.

Wtf is with Anakin there? He looks like he feels sad being in Thrawn's presence.

Dumb, yes. But not sad. But it's understandable in this case.

Originally posted by Freedon Nadd
Wtf is with Anakin there? He looks like he feels sad being in Thrawn's presence.
Because he knows Thrawn likes sand

You are right. There is sand in the picture.

So the threat in this novel isn't the Yuuzhan Vong(thank God); it's a new species called the "Grysk".



They're a mildly force-sensitive warrior/conqueror race, described as "a wide-shouldered creature with angled brow ridges, a tapered skull, and deep-set eyes", and also have some very interesting technology at their disposal. Aside from that, we were given no direct characterization of any of their members.


However, they have been studying the Empire since the Clone Wars, and stand ready to invade it as of the end of this novel(which is set between Season 3 and Season 4 of Rebels.) Thrawn believes them to be a legitimate threat to both the Empire AND Chiss Ascendancy.

The Grysk are the main antagonists of this novel, and were behind the "disturbance" that Palpatine sensed in the force.

I expect they'll be fully fleshed-out in subsequent novels, but even here...where they were intentionally left a bit more vague...it's still clear that they represent a very significant threat. It was implied that the Chiss Ascendancy > the Empire, and Thrawn regarded the Grysk as threats to BOTH simultaneously. So yeah.

There is already speculation that Snoke is a Grysk, lol.

This is very very interesting. Also chiss>Empire? Really?

I should've known better than to come to this thread the day the book got released, lol.

Originally posted by Total Warrior
This is very very interesting. Also chiss>Empire? Really? It was implied in the first novel as well.

And now that we know more about the threats the Chiss fight against in the Unknown Regions, it makes sense for them to be an extremely formidable race by default.

It's also worth noting that Thrawn has full working knowledge of the Death Star and its capabilities in this novel, yet he still believes the Grysk can legitimately threaten the Empire. Crazy.

Thrawn, why don't you make youself a YouTube channel? You can be a successful YouTuber.

Originally posted by Galan007
It was implied in the first novel as well.

And now that we know more about the threats the Chiss fight against in the Unknown Regions, it makes sense for them to be an extremely formidable race by default.

It's also worth noting that Thrawn has full working knowledge of the Death Star and its capabilities in this novel, yet he still believes the Grysk can legitimately threaten the Empire. Crazy.

Just one hole though...if these Grysk are all prepared and stuff to invade, then why is it they didn't invade right after the Empire's collapse or early on in the Empire? It just seems strange given, if as you say they are all ready to take them on and can...that they just don't.



Well...I mean are you really that surprised?

It's Zahn. It's safe to say it's going to be the former.

Anyway, if the Chiss>Empire the that is stupid as shit.

Originally posted by Zenwolf
Just one hole though...if these Grysk are all prepared and stuff to invade, then why is it they didn't invade right after the Empire's collapse or early on in the Empire? It just seems strange given, if as you say they are all ready to take them on and can...that they just don't. Something must happen after the events of this novel that prevents the Grysk from launching a full-scale invasion of the Empire. Only time will tell what that is.

...Though if it's going to directly involve Thrawn(who Vader surmised was the single most valuable being in the Empire, due to his extensive knowledge of the Unknown Regions), it needs to happen ASAP. Because as of the Rebels finale, he is obviously removed from play.

Originally posted by DarthPlaguis12
Question

Is this book more like Tarkin and the first thrawn book or more action oriented with Vader cutting losse, I've always enjoyed books like the Darth babe trilogy and Darth Plaguies Definitely the former. Vader has a few moments to shine, but this novel isn't really intended to emphasize force feats and lightsaber battles.

That said, Palpatine is still capable of sensing disturbances in the force from across the galaxy(Vader couldn't even sense the same disturbance until he was sitting right on top of it.) And Vader also states that Palpatine is > Bendu, for what that's worth. /shrug

Novels shouldn't really emphasise on Force feats, though.

Originally posted by Galan007
Something must happen after the events of this novel that prevents the Grysk from launching a full-scale invasion of the Empire. Only time will tell what that is.

...Though if it's going to directly involve Thrawn(who Vader surmised was the single most valuable being in the Empire, due to his extensive knowledge of the Unknown Regions), it needs to happen ASAP. Because as of the Rebels finale, he is obviously removed from play.

Definitely the former. Vader has a few moments to shine, but this novel isn't really intended to emphasize force feats and lightsaber battles.

That said, Palpatine is still capable of sensing disturbances in the force from across the galaxy(Vader couldn't even sense the same disturbance until he was sitting right on top of it.) And Vader also states that Palpatine is > Bendu, for what that's worth. /shrug

Scan for that last one?

https://i.imgur.com/Bu1UgtD.jpg
-Thrawn: Alliances

Palpatine gets compared with an animal.

This novel also explains why the Unknown Regions are so treacherous to traverse(the sentient threats lurking there notwithstanding.) In short, several millennia ago a set of chained supernova explosions threw planet and moon-sized debris at high speeds across the UR. The perpetual movement of those masses continuously alters the hyperlanes in ways that are nigh impossible to calculate(even for the Chiss.)

Moreover, it is also explained that the Chiss are able to explore/map the Unknown Regions because they use force-sensitive Chiss children(whose precog abilities are apparently quite uber) to do so.

Vader has never met the Bendu, has he? How would he know?

I'm not even saying Bendu is > Palpatine, but that sounded like just a generic "you don't know the power of the Dark side/my master!" threat to me.

In this novel it was made clear that Thrawn detailed the happenings on Atollon(including what he knew of Bendu) to Palpatine and Vader.

So at the very least, Vader knew Bendu was capable of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDKnYb_-d34&t=1m20s

Originally posted by Galan007
So the threat in this novel isn't the Yuuzhan Vong(thank God); it's a new species called the "Grysk".



They're a mildly force-sensitive warrior/conqueror race, described as "a wide-shouldered creature with angled brow ridges, a tapered skull, and deep-set eyes", and also have some very interesting technology at their disposal. Aside from that, we were given no direct characterization of any of their members.


However, they have been studying the Empire since the Clone Wars, and stand ready to invade it as of the end of this novel(which is set between Season 3 and Season 4 of Rebels.) Thrawn believes them to be a legitimate threat to both the Empire AND Chiss Ascendancy. Ive not read the novel- Was their technology expanded on at all? Im guessing it was pretty powerful?

Also whats your take on these grysk? You thinking theyre basically the canon version of the Vong?

And Im assuming the Grysk are the "threat to the Empire" Thrawn spoke of in the first novel?

Originally posted by Mendax
Ive not read the novel- Was their technology expanded on at all? Im guessing it was pretty powerful? The little bit of tech that was used by the relatively small Grysk task force depicted in this novel was pretty impressive, yeah.

-Blasters that shoot "lightning" as opposed to conventional bolts.

-Personal cloaking devices that mask them from nearly all types of scans/sensors.

-Each Grysk warrior can deploy thousands upon thousands of tiny weaponized bugs/flies that can be controlled remotely and sent hurling toward their opponents. When the insects make contact they release bursts of gray liquid which instantly solidifies into a stone-like substance so hard that it incapacitated Vader himself.

-During the Clone Wars, the Grysk gave Dooku the means of creating a new type of armor for his Separatist battle droids that was nigh-impervious to not only blaster bolts, but lightsaber strikes as well. Of course Palpatine swiftly put the kibosh on this 'breakthrough' when Dooku informed him of such, as it would have given the Separatists a significant advantage against the Republic.

-They have constructed gravity projectors that are capable of pulling entire Imperial fleets(including ISDs) out of hyperspace, and prevent them from jumping back into hyperspace... And they can do this from a considerable distance.

-Most impressively, the Grysk were using their tech to drag entire moons and planetary masses entirely out of their orbits and into existing hyperspace routes, just to disrupt Imperial hyperspace travel into particular quadrants of the Outer Rim/Unknown Regions.

Originally posted by Mendax
Also whats your take on these grysk? You thinking theyre basically the canon version of the Vong? There is absolutely no way to know if they're intended to be analogues of the Vong. As mentioned, we just got a taste of the Grysk in this novel -- they were left intentionally vague/ambiguous, and will undoubtedly be expanded on in future works.

As for my take on them: Thrawn, who is intimately familiar with the Empire and its full military capabilities, still regards the Grysk as a legitimate threat to both the Chiss Ascendancy AND the Empire. That alone speaks volumes, imo.

At the end of the novel it was stated that the Grysk had adequately surveyed the Empire and stood ready to invade it. However, Thrawn essentially baited the Grysk into attacking his own Chiss Ascendancy first, which bought the Empire time to prepare for them. Again, there there's no telling what will ultimately stop the Grysk from launching a full-scale invasion of the Empire.

Originally posted by Mendax
And Im assuming the Grysk are the "threat to the Empire" Thrawn spoke of in the first novel? Actually, Thrawn stated that the Unknown Regions contained "threatS"(plural) to the Empire. The Grysk are definitely one of those threats, but there are obviously room for more.

Mr. Thrawn should write a book.

This thread saved me 40 bucks, tyvm.

I doubt this book costs 40bucks.

Originally posted by Freedon Nadd
Novels shouldn't really emphasise on Force feats, though.

Well...it is Star Wars

Its only out in hardcover atm in the chapters near my place, and its 39.99

Originally posted by Galan007
The little bit of tech that was used by the relatively small Grysk task force depicted in this novel was pretty impressive, yeah.

-Blasters that shoot "lightning" as opposed to conventional bolts.

-Personal cloaking devices that mask them from nearly all types of scans/sensors.

-Each Grysk warrior can deploy thousands upon thousands of tiny weaponized bugs/flies that can be controlled remotely and sent hurling toward their opponents. When the insects make contact they release bursts of gray liquid which instantly solidifies into a stone-like substance so hard that it incapacitated Vader himself.

-During the Clone Wars, the Grysk gave Dooku the means of creating a new type of armor for his Separatist battle droids that was nigh-impervious to not only blaster bolts, but lightsaber strikes as well. Of course Palpatine swiftly put the kibosh on this 'breakthrough' when Dooku informed him of such, as it would have given the Separatists a significant advantage against the Republic.

-They have constructed gravity projectors that are capable of pulling entire Imperial fleets(including ISDs) out of hyperspace, and prevent them from jumping back into hyperspace... And they can do this from a considerable distance.

-Most impressively, the Grysk were using their tech to drag entire moons and planetary masses entirely out of their orbits and into existing hyperspace routes, just to disrupt Imperial hyperspace travel into particular quadrants of the Outer Rim/Unknown Regions.

There is absolutely no way to know if they're intended to be analogues of the Vong. As mentioned, we just got a taste of the Grysk in this novel -- they were left intentionally vague/ambiguous, and will undoubtedly be expanded on in future works.

As for my take on them: Thrawn, who is intimately familiar with the Empire and its full military capabilities, still regards the Grysk as a legitimate threat to both the Chiss Ascendancy AND the Empire. That alone speaks volumes, imo.

At the end of the novel it was stated that the Grysk had adequately surveyed the Empire and stood ready to invade it. However, Thrawn essentially baited the Grysk into attacking his own Chiss Ascendancy first, which bought the Empire time to prepare for them. Again, there there's no telling what will ultimately stop the Grysk from launching a full-scale invasion of the Empire.

Actually, Thrawn stated that the Unknown Regions contained "threatS"(plural) to the Empire. The Grysk are definitely one of those threats, but there are obviously room for more. Thanks! So They can move moons and planets? wow.


A few more questions-
-Does Thrawn know Vaders secret identity as Anakin, and his role as Sidous's apprentice? Does he know that the Emperor is also a Sith lord?

-Ive seen loads of rumors that Snoke is a Grysk now that this novel has been released. You think theres any truth to that?

In spoilers yes he knows Vader was Anakin. Idk about Sidious but Thrawn kept a few secrets even from Sidious

Originally posted by Mendax
A few more questions-
-Does Thrawn know Vaders secret identity as Anakin, and his role as Sidous's apprentice? Does he know that the Emperor is also a Sith lord? Thrawn definitely knows Vader=Anakin. It was all but spelled out for us a number of times throughout the novel.

Thrawn also knows that Palpatine is Vader's master, and is fully aware that Palpatine himself can use the force.

Originally posted by Mendax
-Ive seen loads of rumors that Snoke is a Grysk now that this novel has been released. You think theres any truth to that? There are a few dots you can connect in that regard, I suppose.

*Snoke hails from the Unknown Regions. The Grysk also hail from the Unknown Regions.

*The Grysks' physical features were left intentionally vague, but they were described as: "a wide-shouldered creature with angled brow ridges, a tapered skull, and deep-set eyes." While there was no mention of them being unusually tall like Snoke is, the other physical attributes certainly mesh with Snoke's features.

*Per the TLJ novelization, Snoke was intimately familiar with the Unknown Regions(along with the "terrors" that lurk within it), and was able to save the Imperial remnants that had fled there after the events of RotJ/Aftermath. The Chiss use the 'future sight' of their force-sensitive children to navigate through the UR, so perhaps the Grysk do as well... Perhaps Snoke is one of their force-sensitives -- that might explain why his psionic abilities/precog were so uber. /shrug

*Snoke had evidently "watched the Empire rise and fall". The Grysk have been surveying the Republic/Empire since the Clone Wars... And I highly doubt they had stopped surveying it by the time the Empire fell.

*I would assume that the Grysk have also been surveying Palpatine and Vader in particular(especially after the events of this novel)... And that might also explain why Snoke was fangirling over Vader in TLJ.


But again, there's nothing concrete that links Snoke to the Grysk(and vice versa) at this point. But hopefully with a new season of TCW on the way + the upcoming Resistance series, we'll get more information one way or the other.

Galan, do you have a link to an online PDF or something? It's pretty expensive at my B&N right now.

( A post by Syndiciate )

Indeed. I'll PM you a link.

Originally posted by Galan007
Thrawn definitely knows Vader=Anakin. It was all but spelled out for us a number of times throughout the novel.

Thrawn also knows that Palpatine is Vader's master, and is fully aware that Palpatine himself can use the force.

There are a few dots you can connect in that regard, I suppose.

*Snoke hails from the Unknown Regions. The Grysk also hail from the Unknown Regions.

*The Grysks' physical features were left intentionally vague, but they were described as: "a wide-shouldered creature with angled brow ridges, a tapered skull, and deep-set eyes." While there was no mention of them being unusually tall like Snoke is, the other physical attributes certainly mesh with Snoke's features.

*Per the TLJ novelization, Snoke was intimately familiar with the Unknown Regions(along with the "terrors" that lurk within it), and was able to save the Imperial remnants that had fled there after the events of RotJ/Aftermath. The Chiss use the 'future sight' of their force-sensitive children to navigate through the UR, so perhaps the Grysk do as well... Perhaps Snoke is one of their force-sensitives -- that might explain why his psionic abilities/precog were so uber. /shrug

*Snoke had evidently "watched the Empire rise and fall". The Grysk have been surveying the Republic/Empire since the Clone Wars... And I highly doubt they had stopped surveying it by the time the Empire fell.

*I would assume that the Grysk have also been surveying Palpatine and Vader in particular(especially after the events of this novel)... And that might also explain why Snoke was fangirling over Vader in TLJ.


But again, there's nothing concrete that links Snoke to the Grysk(and vice versa) at this point. But hopefully with a new season of TCW on the way + the upcoming Resistance series, we'll get more information one way or the other. This is very very interesting, thank you.

so Im guessng the Grysk have insane numbers if they can invade the entire Empire?

I mean, they were implied to have huge numbers, yes:


But even with their massive alleged numbers, the Grysk aren't just going to rush in head-on and attack the Empire. They are playing the long game, and now that they've amassed an abundance of intel on the Empire's inner-structure, they are going to use their preferred method of invasion, which is attacking at numerous points simultaneously:


That said, the Grysk won't attack the Empire until they are finished with the Chiss Ascendancy(as mentioned, Thrawn baited them into attacking his own Chiss first.)



Also keep in mind that we only saw one group/task force of Grysk soldiers in this novel, yet they were still a very formidable threat to Thrawn, Vader, Rukh, the entire Seventh Fleet, and the entire First Legion(which is just a renamed 501st Legion.)

Moreover, Thrawn implied that the Grysk task force featured in this novel had "Masters" that were monitoring the battle(s) from afar. Here again, if we're assuming that Snoke is a Grysk, it's possible he is a/the "Master"... But that's neither here nor there.

I'm just curious how they're gonna go out, I feel like these guys would be better as a post-ST NR/FO threat, not a GE threat when they can't be given the way everything goes. Or at the least at the point in time, they can't be all prepared for an invasion and just sit around with their thumbs up their **** not doing it because...reasons.

It is pretty retarded to try and work something this major into the already existing timeline of events, yeah.

Originally posted by Zenwolf
I'm just curious how they're gonna go out, I feel like these guys would be better as a post-ST NR/FO threat, not a GE threat when they can't be given the way everything goes. Or at the least at the point in time, they can't be all prepared for an invasion and just sit around with their thumbs up their **** not doing it because...reasons. I'm curious about that as well.

I mean, this novel is set between Season 3 and Season 4 of Rebels, which means it's set ~6 years before RotJ. So it is very strange that the Grysk wouldn't have launched an assault against the Empire during that time when Thrawn believed invasion was already imminent.

Granted Thrawn baited the Grysk into attacking the Chiss Ascendancy before they attacked the Empire, but it's hard to imagine a battle between those two factions taking 6 years to conclude, when even the Clone Wars only lasted half that time.

As mentioned, obviously something happens that prevents the Grysk from attacking. I have some possibilities in mind, but until we know more it's impossible to say for sure... Though the Empire would be at a huge disadvantage without Thrawn's leadership, imo. /shrug

Originally posted by Trocity
It is pretty retarded to try and work something this major into the already existing timeline of events, yeah. Bear in mind, this could all just be a precursor to a major invasion that takes place sometime after the ST.

Clearly the Grysk aren't in a rush to invade/conqueror the galaxy.

@Galan: Granted, the Clone Wars would likely have lasted far longer if allowed to reach its inevitable conclusions.

-

Force user's can apparently purge drugs/poisons from their system in canon now as well so chalk that down as another power Canon now has that Legends did.

"His vision was starting to fade. But he was a Jedi, and there were ways to fight back against drug attacks. Drawing energy from the Force, concentrating on not losing consciousness, he peered through the smoke." - Thrawn: Alliances.

( A post by Syndiciate )

Wait until you get to Vader using his precog(aka. "double vision" to successfully navigate a Star Destroyer through the Unknown Regions, while moving through hyperspace... Without ever having practiced doing so in his life.

0_0

Originally posted by Galan007
Wait until you get to Vader using his precog(aka. "double vision" to successfully navigate a Star Destroyer through the Unknown Regions, while moving through hyperspace... Without ever having practiced doing so in his life. Quote?

Because if that's legit then its one of the best reaction feats in the mythos honestly.

Originally posted by Sheev
Quote?

Because if that's legit then its one of the best reaction feats in the mythos honestly.

Damn.

Just finished the book. Inferior to the first Thrawn ( I'd give it a 7 as opposed to an 8 ) but still well written and enjoyable.

( A post by Syndiciate )

Originally posted by Galan007
Does this not prove that Jedi and Sith can use their precog to make them FTL?

And if Vader can navigate through the Unknown Regions by himself, then why was Sidious so hesitant to explore those regions further?

Originally posted by Sheev
Does this not prove that Jedi and Sith can use their precog to make them FTL?

And if Vader can navigate through the Unknown Regions by himself, then why was Sidious so hesitant to explore those regions further? It proves that Vader, with no practice whatsoever, was able to successfully use his precog to navigate through a very dangerous portion of space while moving at light speed -- a task not even nav computers and astromech droids were capable of.

As for why Palpatine didn't try and explore the Unknown Regions personally: bear in mind that only Vader and Palpatine himself would have been powerful enough to do so, and they could only pilot one vessel at a time through it... Which is horribly inefficient.

Additionally, with the growing threat the Rebels were posing to his Empire around that time, I imagine that Palpatine felt it best to keep his key assets close to the problem at hand, instead of sending them on random missions into deep space just to indulge his own curiosities. After all, Thrawn was helping Palpatine map the Unknown Regions on the side, so there wasn't really a need for him to try and explore it directly... Though I imagine that Palpatine considered Thrawn's premature 'departure' at the end of Rebels to be a HUGE loss, of which severely hindered his own plans/goals.

Is this book worth getting? I'm hearing its not as good as the 1st Thrawn book

From a storytelling standpoint, the first Thrawn novel was indeed superior, imo.

Alliances is still a great read, however, and introduces a few concepts that will undoubtedly be integral to future stories. So if you're interested in current canon, it is definitely a must-read.

Not as good but still worth a read.

( A post by Syndiciate )

Originally posted by Galan007
It proves that Vader, with no practice whatsoever, was able to successfully use his precog to navigate through a very dangerous portion of space while moving at light speed -- a task not even nav computers and astromech droids were capable of.

As for why Palpatine didn't try and explore the Unknown Regions personally: bear in mind that only Vader and Palpatine himself would have been powerful enough to do so, and they could only pilot one vessel at a time through it... Which is horribly inefficient.

Additionally, with the growing threat the Rebels were posing to his Empire around that time, I imagine that Palpatine felt it best to keep his key assets close to the problem at hand, instead of sending them on random missions into deep space just to indulge his own curiosities. After all, Thrawn was helping Palpatine map the Unknown Regions on the side, so there wasn't really a need for him to try and explore it directly... Though I imagine that Palpatine considered Thrawn's premature 'departure' at the end of Rebels to be a HUGE loss, of which severely hindered his own plans/goals. That is a huge feat for Vader.

Sure, but couldnt they have piloted vessel after vessel through the unknown regions? i mean, if the unknown regions were that important to Sidious youd think he would have wanted to explore them at all costs.

Dont you think the Inquisitors could have also done this? that would have helped lighten the load at least LOL.

Originally posted by Sheev
That is a huge feat for Vader.

Sure, but couldnt they have piloted vessel after vessel through the unknown regions? i mean, if the unknown regions were that important to Sidious youd think he would have wanted to explore them at all costs.

Dont you think the Inquisitors could have also done this? that would have helped lighten the load at least LOL.

The Inquisitors apart from like...2 have been completely worthless in the new Canon, so I doubt they could do anything.

Originally posted by Zenwolf
apart from like...2


GI and 7th Sis?

Originally posted by Sheev
That is a huge feat for Vader.

Sure, but couldnt they have piloted vessel after vessel through the unknown regions? i mean, if the unknown regions were that important to Sidious youd think he would have wanted to explore them at all costs.

Dont you think the Inquisitors could have also done this? that would have helped lighten the load at least LOL. It is indeed a good precog feat for Vader, due to the speed at which he was moving, and the sheer number of obstacles he would've had to dodge... And he was piloting a massive Star Destroyer through all that chaos, to boot.

Again, taking one vessel at a time through the Unknown Regions is horribly inefficient. Aside from the fact that the UR are vast, Palpatine also never really knew exactly where he needed to go. He knew the UR held secrets/truths about the force that he wanted, and eventually sensed *something* there calling to him, but that's about it. Pretty vague.

That said, it would have likely taken Palpatine, and/or Vader a good deal of time to find what Palpatine himself was looking for. However, the problem with them going on a lengthy adventure through the UR is twofold:

a.) Searching the UR would have taken either Palpatine himself or Vader away from their duties to the Empire... And with the growing threat the Rebels posed to the Empire around that time, it wasn't really feasible for either of them to leave for god knows how long. Granted Palpatine wanted what the UR had to offer, but he also wanted to hold onto what he already had.

b.) As mentioned, they would have only been able to navigate one vessel at a time through the UR. Even if each of them piloted a massive flagship(like an ISD), their resources/firepower are still very finite. Also keep in mind that the ever-changing landscape of the UR isn't the only thing that makes it so treacherous. There are also, according to Thrawn, a number of other threats lurking there(I'm talking about threats of the sentient type) -- which could almost certainly disable/overwhelm a single vessel, no matter how large.

That's why Thrawn was so very important to Palpatine. Thrawn knew the few somewhat stable hyperlanes that ran through the UR, as well as the "safe-havens" within it. As mentioned, Thrawn being abruptly removed from play was undoubtedly a HUGE blow to Palpatine's underlying machinations/goals. Because without Thrawn's knowledge, there was really no way for the Empire to safely navigate through the UR, and thus no way for Palpatine to safely learn its secrets.

Originally posted by Zenwolf
The Inquisitors apart from like...2 have been completely worthless in the new Canon, so I doubt they could do anything.

And even the couple of decent Inquisitors do not have precog feats that are indicative of them being able to successfully navigate through the UR while moving through hyperspace.

Originally posted by Darth Thor
GI and 7th Sis?

Pretty much yeah.

Originally posted by Galan007
It is indeed a good precog feat for Vader, due to the speed at which he was moving, and the sheer number of obstacles he would've had to dodge... And he was piloting a massive Star Destroyer through all that chaos, to boot.

Again, taking one vessel at a time through the Unknown Regions is horribly inefficient. Aside from the fact that the UR are vast, Palpatine also never really knew exactly where he needed to go. He knew the UR held secrets/truths about the force that he wanted, and eventually sensed *something* there calling to him, but that's about it. Pretty vague.

That said, it would have likely taken Palpatine, and/or Vader a good deal of time to find what Palpatine himself was looking for. However, the problem with them going on a lengthy adventure through the UR is twofold:

a.) Searching the UR would have taken either Palpatine himself or Vader away from their duties to the Empire... And with the growing threat the Rebels posed to the Empire around that time, it wasn't really feasible for either of them to leave for god knows how long. Granted Palpatine wanted what the UR had to offer, but he also wanted to hold onto what he already had.

b.) As mentioned, they would have only been able to navigate one vessel at a time through the UR. Even if each of them piloted a massive flagship(like an ISD), their resources/firepower are still very finite. Also keep in mind that the ever-changing landscape of the UR isn't the only thing that makes it so treacherous. There are also, according to Thrawn, a number of other threats lurking there(I'm talking about threats of the sentient type) -- which could almost certainly disable/overwhelm a single vessel, no matter how large.

That's why Thrawn was so very important to Palpatine. Thrawn knew the few somewhat stable hyperlanes that ran through the UR, as well as the "safe-havens" within it. As mentioned, Thrawn being abruptly removed from play was undoubtedly a HUGE blow to Palpatine's underlying machinations/goals. Because without Thrawn's knowledge, there was really no way for the Empire to safely navigate through the UR, and thus no way for Palpatine to safely learn its secrets.



And even the couple of decent Inquisitors do not have precog feats that are indicative of them being able to successfully navigate through the UR while moving through hyperspace. Yeah, I guess that makes sense.


But since Thrawns knowledge was so valuable for Sidious I'm surprised he didn't just pull it out of his mind. I assume Sith still have uber telepathy in canon right?

This novel made it clear that not even a a force-user of Vader's caliber can even begin to decipher Thrawn's mind, let alone pull anything useful out of it:


I can only assume Palpatine would've encountered the same basic challenge if he attempted mind-phuckery on Thrawn. /shrug

he must have been a very good admiral. i heard he can best obi won in close combat.

So do we actually know how many threats there are in the unknown regions or are the Grysk the only legitimate threat to the Empire out there?

^ While we don't have an exact number, we do know there are several threats to the Empire lurking in the Unknown Regions -- the Grysk are just one of them:

Originally posted by Galan007
^ While we don't have an exact number, we do know there are several threats to the Empire lurking in the Unknown Regions -- the Grysk are just one of them:
did they really stand a threat or did they just hate the empire.

Thrawn still considered them legitimate threats to the Empire even after he was aware of the power that Palpatine and Vader wielded, along with the Death Star and its capabilities.

Originally posted by Galan007
Thrawn still considered them legitimate threats to the Empire even after he was aware of the power that Palpatine and Vader wielded, along with the Death Star and its capabilities.
why did he believ that they were threats, did he have nothing more important to do at the time so he just went for them?

Originally posted by victreebelvictr
why did he believ that they were threats, did he have nothing more important to do at the time so he just went for them? Presumably Thrawn believes they are threats because he is aware of their capabilities, and has weighed them against the Empire's capabilities.

Not all that difficult tbh.

Who are you talking about?

Originally posted by Galan007
Who are you talking about?
He posts more like a bot than a human being.

Originally posted by Unbowed
He posts more like a bot than a human being. im not sure if that was a complement or not

Originally posted by Galan007
Who are you talking about?
the threats in the unknown region

As I said, Thrawn clearly believed these forces in the Unknown Regions had the ability to legitimately threaten the Empire, otherwise he wouldn't have regarded them as threats at all...

now if only we knew why they could have been threats, as said, thrwan's mind was hard to crack, even by vader.

We will undoubtedly learn more about the threats lurking in the Unknown Regions(particularly the Grysk) in stories to come.

Hell, I won't at all be surprised if Snoke is ultimately revealed to be a Grysk. /shrug

Originally posted by Galan007
We will undoubtedly learn more about the threats lurking in the Unknown Regions(particularly the Grysk) in stories to come.

Hell, I won't at all be surprised if Snoke is ultimately revealed to be a Grysk. /shrug i actually find that a reasonable theory, i should tell stupendous wave!