The chiss?

what do we know about the chiss in the new cannon? Are they the force they were in Legends?Are they all equal to Thrawn in terms of tactical knowlege? Just curious.

Thx 😎

We don't really know much about them, tbh... Just some vague implications thus far.

-We know the Chiss have some sort of political/military hierarchy, and are ruled by a council called the "Aristocra".

-We know they employ scouts/spies to study that which they do not understand(they originally sent Thrawn to determine if the Empire posed a legitimate threat to them, for example.)

-We know the Ascendancy as a whole is vast -- with numerous worlds/bases scattered across the Unknown Regions.

-We know the Ascendancy's military is evidently quite powerful, as Thrawn stated that the Chiss were prepared to destroy/collapse the Empire outright if they needed to, and use it as bait against some of the more dangerous threats in the Unknown Regions. The command structure of their military also seems similar to the Empire's -- complete with the same rank insignia plaques Imperial officers wear.

-As for Thrawn's specific brand of tactical aptitude: it was evidently unique... Even among the Chiss:

Thrawn sat in his cabin, surrounded by holograms of sculptures, flats, mobiles, kinetics, interactives, and the other art forms the Umbarans had developed and explored over the centuries. Of particular interest were the subtle changes that had taken place between works created before and after the Clone Wars.

The other Chiss didn't understand. They never had. He'd been asked innumerable times how he was able to build such detailed tactical knowledge from such obscure and insignificant ingredients. The question carried its own answer. To Thrawn, nothing in a species' art was obscure or insignificant. All the threads tied together; all the brushstrokes spoke to him; all the light curves told the story of their creator. Most important of all, the relationships among art, culture, and military doctrine could be deduced... And what could be deduced could be countered.

-Thrawn

Cool.

So how does the Chiss compare to the Empire in terms of overall might?

As mentioned, all we have to go by is Thrawn's vague dialogue:

"I"ll give you a scenario," Thrawn said. "You and I face a dangerous predator intent on slaughter. Running is impossible; tools and weapons are limited. What are your options?"

"The obvious one is for us to join forces," Nightswan said. "But you're clearly going for something else."

"Not necessarily," Thrawn said. "Unity against the common foe is one choice. But there is another."

"Which is?"

"You already know," Thrawn said. "You strike me down so as to make me the easier prey. While the predator devours me, you hope to find or build a weapon you can use to assure your own survival."

"Logical," Nightswan said. "Cold-blooded, but logical. Your point?"

"My point," Thrawn said, "is that it was that choice that lay before me when I decided to visit the Empire."

[...]

"There are evil things in this galaxy, Nightswan. Far more evil than the Empire, and far more dangerous to all living beings. We know of some, while of others we have heard only rumors. We needed to know whether the Empire that was rising from the ashes of the Clone War could be an ally against them..."

"...Or whether it should instead be collapsed into an easy prey," Nightswan said.

"You understand now my scenario," Thrawn said.

-Thrawn

...Which implies that if Thrawn had deemed the Empire as a threat to his people, the Ascendancy had sufficient resources/might to collapse it outright, and leave it as an easy prey for some of the more dangerous threats that lurk in the Unknown Regions to feed on while the Ascendancy regrouped.

Originally posted by Galan007
As mentioned, all we have to go by is Thrawn's vague dialogue:

...Which implies that if Thrawn had deemed the Empire as a threat to his people, the Ascendancy had sufficient resources/might to collapse it outright, and leave it as an easy prey for some of the more dangerous threats that lurk in the Unknown Regions to feed on while the Ascendancy regrouped.

Do you think he's speaking with or without the knowledge of the force in this case?

Without that knowledge, most likely.

Thrawn and Vader hadn't even officially met at that point in the story.

And even though Thrawn had 'consulted' with Palpatine behind closed doors numerous times over the years(remember, Thrawn had been helping Sheev map the Unknown Regions ever since he first joined the Empire), it was never implied that Thrawn had deduced his true identity as a Sith Master until a bit later.

*He did know about the Death Star and it's capabilities at that point, though.

Originally posted by Galan007
As mentioned, all we have to go by is Thrawn's vague dialogue:

...Which implies that if Thrawn had deemed the Empire as a threat to his people, the Ascendancy had sufficient resources/might to collapse it outright, and leave it as an easy prey for some of the more dangerous threats that lurk in the Unknown Regions to feed on while the Ascendancy regrouped.

Likely the Vong was one.

Originally posted by Sheev
man I hope they expand on the threats in the unknown regions that Thrawn fears. they must be crazy powerful!

Thrawn stated some of the threats in the Unknown Regions were "FAR more dangerous to all living beings" than the Empire. This is quite telling because at that point Thrawn was an Admiral, thus had full working knowledge of the Empire's military capabilities(including knowledge of the Death Star and its potential.)

...Yet still believed the threats in the UR were superior.

Originally posted by DarthPlaguis12
Likely the Vong was one.