10 Parts Of Star Wars Legends That Became Canon

This Imperial war tactician was introduced in the 1991 book, Heir to the Empire, and has been a fan-favourite character ever since. Grand Admiral Thrawn went on to star in two follow-up books, Dark Forces Rising and The Last Command, written by Timothy Zahn, with the Thrawn Trilogy being some of the most successful novels in the wider Star Wars franchise.

In Heir to the Empire, Thrawn emerges as the de facto leader of what is left of the Empire five years after the Battle of Endor. Wanting to retake the galaxy, the Grand Admiral unites the Imperial forces under his rule and wages a fierce and brutal war against a fragile and unsuspecting New Republic.

After years of begging for his return, Thrawn made his debut canon appearance in Star Wars: Rebels. Whist the show was definitely geared towards kids, the Grand Admiral remained as cunning and vigilant as ever, and drove the Ghost crew and the Rebel cells to the brink of collapse. Though he was defeated by the show's end, this isn't the end for Thrawn, with the Grand Admiral set to be the major villain for the upcoming Ahsoka show and the Mando-verse film written by Dave Filoni. With these projects, perhaps long-time fans will finally see the live-action adaptation of the Thrawn Trilogy they have always dreamed of.