There’s a sense in which today is the 36th birthday of modern Star Wars, an anniversary without which it’s even possible the prequel trilogy itself may never have happened. It’s hard for modern viewers to imagine what it was like for the franchise in the aftermath of 1983’s Return of the Jedi. The next few years saw the franchise stumble on, with some tie-in novels starring Lando Calrissian, an Ewok movie, and video releases in 1986. But it soon became clear Star Wars was slowing down.
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Lucasfilm moved on (including, of course, to Indiana Jones). Marvel Comics allowed the license to lapse. Palitoy released its final Star Wars product and closed its doors for the last time. As Fantha Tracks editor-in-chief Mark Newbold put it in an article on StarWars.com, “It seemed increasingly likely that Star Wars was a thing of the past, a golden memory from younger days that would never be revisited. The galaxy was hibernating.” And then, shockingly, on November 6, 1989, everything changed.
On November 6, 1989, One Legendary Sci-Fi Author Got A Phone Call
“It was just after four o’clock on November 6, 1989,” legendary sci-fi author Timothy Zahn remembered in The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook. “I was three days into writing my first novel for my new publisher, Bantam Books, when the phone rang. It was my agent. ‘Tim,’ he said after the usual pleasantries, ‘we have a very interesting offer here.’”
Nobody knew it at the time, but this was history in the making. Zahn remembers pacing the house for the next couple of hours “in a fog of excitement, anticipation, and panic,” wondering if he could possibly come up with a story that justified continuing George Lucas’ epic saga. He spent the rest of November writing up an outline for a trilogy, which wasn’t approved until May of the next year. To his surprise, in July 1990 Zahn received a box from West End Games – realizing Lucasfilm wanted to coordinate their stories across different mediums, to build a consistent galaxy.
Zahn wasn’t initially best pleased; “Once again I set off wandering around the house, this time growling and grumping,” Zahn recalls. “Here I was, eleven chapters into the book and suddenly there was more research to be done.” But though he didn’t know it, this single decision – to incorporate elements from other mediums, to build a galaxy that incorporated everything to some degree – would be the key to Star Wars’ rebirth.
The Thrawn Trilogy Transformed Star Wars Forever
The first book of Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy, “Heir to the Empire,” was published on May 6, 1991 (Zahn had originally toyed with other titles, such as “Wild Cards” and “The Emperor’s Hand”). Set five years after Return of the Jedi, it added fresh depth to Lucas’ galaxy and demonstrated incredible world-building; so many staples of Star Wars lore were established in the book, including the city-planet Coruscant. The book introduced iconic new characters who would become mainstays for decades, such as Grand Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade.
“Heir to the Empire” was an incredible success, reaching #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. It’s been rated as one of the best, and most influential, science-fiction and fantasy books of all time; by 2014, the combined trilogy had sold over 15 million copies. These books are generally seen as the birth of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, and the decision to incorporate RPG content from West End Games established this new incarnation of Star Wars as a true transmedia franchise. From now on, everything would count towards canon and lore in some degree.
It’s Possible Star Wars Would Never Have Returned Without The Thrawn Trilogy
Modern viewers are used to the idea of Star Wars as a near-constant presence in our lives. But Zahn’s book brought an end to the franchise’s Dark Times, breathing fresh life into Star Wars after a long period of dormancy. Speaking at Rogue Comic Con in Medford, Oregon in May this year, Zahn himself has speculated that George Lucas himself wouldn’t have returned to make the prequels without this boost. He’s not the only one to make this point, either; several scholars of sci-fi history have suggested the same.
The legacy of Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy continues into the present day, even if these stories were branded non-canon by Disney in 2014. Grand Admiral Thrawn has made the jump from the EU (now dubbed “Legends”) to canon, played by Lars Mikkelsen; Ahsoka season 1 set Thrawn up as the great villain of the so-called “Mandoverse,” which is bringing Star Wars back to the big screen in next year’s The Mandalorian and Grogu. Thrawn may not be confirmed for that particular movie, but his cinematic future seems to be assured.
Yoda insisted that the future is always in motion, which means one moment can change everything. It’s hard to believe, but a single phone call on November 6, 1989, changed everything for Star Wars; without that fateful call, this epic franchise may well have remained dormant, its potential unfulfilled. But the phone call was made, Timothy Zahn was brought on board, and Star Wars returned on an epic scale. It doesn’t matter whether the Thrawn Trilogy is canon or not – it remains incredibly influential, and will always be fondly remembered by the fandom.
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