Thrawn: Alliances

Figured I may as well start this...

"I have sensed a disturbance in the Force." Ominous words under any circumstances, but all the more so when uttered by Emperor Palpatine.

On Batuu, at the edges of the Unknown Regions, a threat to the Empire is taking root--its existence little more than a glimmer, its consequences as yet unknowable. But it is troubling enough to the Imperial leader to warrant investigation by his most powerful agents: ruthless enforcer Lord Darth Vader and brilliant strategist Grand Admiral Thrawn. Fierce rivals for the emperor's favor, and outspoken adversaries on Imperial affairs--including the Death Star project--the formidable pair seem unlikely partners for such a crucial mission. But the Emperor knows it's not the first time Vader and Thrawn have joined forces. And there's more behind his royal command than either man suspects.

In what seems like a lifetime ago, General Anakin Skywalker of the Galactic Republic, and Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo, officer of the Chiss Ascendancy, crossed paths for the first time. One on a desperate personal quest, the other with motives unknown... and undisclosed. But facing a gauntlet of dangers on a far-flung world, they forged an uneasy alliance--neither remotely aware of what their futures held in store.

Now, thrust together once more, they find themselves bound again for the planet where they once fought side by side. There they will be doubly challenged--by a test of their allegiance to the Empire... and an enemy that threatens even their combined might.

-Coming July 2018

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:

And now, finally, Anakin was close enough. Taking a deep breath, he stretched out to the Force.

The intruder wasn't human, though of course Anakin had already guessed that. He was near-human, though, like many other species in the Republic.

But the texture of his mind was unlike anything Anakin had ever touched before. It was neat and well ordered, the patterns of thought flowing smoothly and precisely in ways not unlike those of scientists or mathematicians. But the content of that flow, and the muted emotions accompanying it, were completely opaque. It was like a neat and precise array of unfamiliar numbers.

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

"You asked my identity. I am now prepared to give it. I am Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo, officer of the Expansionary Defense Fleet, servant of the Chiss Ascendancy. On behalf of my people, I ask your assistance in learning of this war before it sweeps its disaster over our own worlds."

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

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.

Don’t he always look sad?

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.

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".

"What are Grysk?" Vader asked.

"Grysks are a species living somewhere in the Unknown Regions," Thrawn said. "Creatures half of myth, whom few have ever seen. It is said they are nomads, with no fixed home, travelling in spacecraft so numerous they blot out the stars. They are said to be terrifying warriors, overwhelming their opponents by sheer numbers and ferocity."

-Thrawn: Alliances

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.

Sounds like a mix of Jedi/Sith(Force Users), CIS(overwhelming enemies with shear numbers) and Mandos(nomads). I’m sure this’ll go over well if they get introduced.

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.