Star Wars: ‘Thrawn: Treason’ Novel Cover and Details Unveiled

The Thrawn Trilogy of novels by Timothy Zahn in the ’90s saw the terrifying Imperial become a fan-favorite character, with Zahn bringing the character back for multiple new stories focused on the Chiss in recent years. Details about Zahn’s latest novel, Thrawn: Treason, have debuted on StarWars.com, which will hit shelves next summer.

The site describes, “Thrawn has been one of the Empire’s most effective instruments, pursuing its enemies to the very edges of the known galaxy. But as keen a weapon as Thrawn has become, the Emperor dreams of something far more destructive.

“Now, as Thrawn’s TIE defender program is halted in favor of Director Krennic’s secret Death Star project, he realizes that the balance of power in the Empire is measured by more than just military acumen or tactical efficiency. Even the greatest intellect can hardly compete with the power to annihilate entire planets.

“As Thrawn works to secure his place in the Imperial hierarchy, his former protégé Eli Vanto returns with a dire warning about Thrawn’s homeworld. Thrawn’s mastery of strategy must guide him through an impossible choice: duty to the Chiss Ascendancy, or fealty to the Empire he has sworn to serve. Even if the right choice means committing treason.”

When Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012, it established the official canon of the galaxy far, far away, which included relegating the Star Wars Expanded Universe to a new “Legends” canon, effectively disregarding the events of those books, comics, and video games. Of the many characters introduced in the SWEU, fans were arguably most disappointed by Thrawn’s erasure.

Disney clearly knew how compelling the character was, as Zahn was tapped to bring back the character for a new Thrawn novel, as well as the character becoming a focal villain in Star Wars Rebels. While the new interpretation of the character isn’t the exact same as what we read in the original trilogy, there have been enough similarities that make the new iteration of the character feel just like the Legends version.

The popularity of the character has only grown in recent years, thanks to the new stories featuring the character, leading to speculation that the character could potentially make the leap to a live-action film in the near future.

Stay tuned for details on Thrawn: Treason before it debuts next summer.

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