The New Republic was founded on a sense of unbridled optimism for what the galaxy could
be following its liberation from the tyranny of the Empire.
Yet its utopian ideals quickly clashed with the realities of governance.
In the restored Senate, political ambitions and individual pursuits for power hampered
the ability of the New Republic to conclude its campaigns against the remaining Imperial
warlords, and a sense of complacency spread to the highest levels of its leadership.
Whatever Imperial forces remained, they were hardly considered a threat.
And yet, just a few short years after the defeat of the Empire, everything that had
been accomplished nearly came crashing down and the New Republic would be given a shocking
reminder of just how fragile their regime still was.
This was not the work of some vast alien armada or the dark side of the Force, but rather
a single man with an indomitable will.
To his people he was called “Mitth'raw'nuruodo”, to the galaxy, he was simply Thrawn.
Originally a member of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force, Thrawn quickly earned a reputation
as a brilliant tactical thinker and a brutally efficient battlefield commander.
Operating on the outer periphery of the Chiss Ascendancy, Thrawn began encountering some
of the fringe elements of the wider galaxy, namely pirates and smugglers who provided
a great deal of information as to the nature of the Galactic Republic, the Jedi and The Force.
At the same time, Thrawn slowly became aware of an enormous extragalactic threat, known
as the “Far Outsiders” which were already in the process of establishing a local foothold.
When Thrawn intercepted an attempt to destroy the exploratory vessel Outbound Flight, he
came into contact with Chancellor Palpatine.
Their mutual concern with the threat posed by the “Far Outsiders” convinced Thrawn
to destroy the Outbound Flight, lest it provoke a hostile response.
The destruction of the vessel was a blight on his career in the highly isolationist Chiss
Ascendancy, who were adamantly opposed to any type of pre-emptive conflict.
Convinced that Palaptine’s vision of a united galaxy would be the best defense against the
Far Outsiders, Thrawn slowly engineered his own exile, eventually stripped of his rank
and marooned on a world in the Unknown Regions.
An Imperial landing party gave Thrawn the opportunity to escape, managing to sneak aboard
a Star Destroyer before being caught by the ship’s commander.
Impressed with his tremendous survival skills and keen intellect, Thrawn was given the opportunity
to join the Imperial military.
His rise within the service was swift even in the face of the Empire’s anti-alien policies.
As one of the few officers in the Imperial Navy familiar with the Unknown Regions, Thrawn
was sent on numerous expeditions to map the region, during which time he secretly forged
a complex network of alliances with the native species and colonies of the area.
This confederacy grew so large under Thrawn’s guidance, that it was soon referred to as
the Empire of the Hand, a reference to the five towers of Thrawn’s personal fortress.
During the Galactic Civil War, Thrawn’s obvious skill earned him the respect of both
Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader.
Even with these powerful benefactors, his rapid rise through the ranks, ultimately achieving
the title of Grand Admiral, made him deeply unpopular within the Imperial Palace.
Intending to humiliate Thrawn, his rivals sent him on an extended expedition back to
the Unknown Regions, unknowingly playing right into Thrawn’s true agenda.
Thanks to the Imperial resources now available to him, Thrawn greatly strengthened the Empire
of the Hand, establishing new bases all across the Unknown Regions, discovering and subjugating
many species in the process.
Despite the odd assignment that brought him back to the core worlds of the Empire, Thrawn
spent much of his career in the Unknown Regions, a posting that likely saved him from sharing
the same fate as the Emperor.
With the destruction of the second Death Star and the disintegration of the Empire into
a collection of feuding warlords, Thrawn preferred to remain isolated, biding his time and slowly
contacting potential allies in the Imperial remnant.
One such contact was Gilad Pellaeon, captain of the Chimera.
Thrawn took the Star Destroyer as his personal flagship and announced himself to the surviving
Imperial leadership.
The ruling council of Imperial Moffs believed Thrawn could be easily controlled and granted
him the title of Supreme Commander of the Imperial Forces intending to use him as a
puppet through which to rule.
Tangible military support they withheld however, fearful of the New Republic and each other.
With only his personal force of six Star Destroyers available to him, Thrawn began a seemingly
impossible task, the destruction of the New Republic and the restoration of the Empire.
In what would be known as the Thrawn Campaign, this miniscule force began a series of hit
and run attacks.
The Republic was kept perpetually off balance, while Thrawn began acquiring new ships and resources.
Seizing a fleet of warships dating back from before the Clone Wars, Thrawn began targeting
the New Republic directly, destroying numerous fleets with his unorthodox tactics and strategies.
Thrawn’s impressive victories against the New Republic were astonishing, and the Moffs
scheme to rule through him backfired spectacularly.
Now with wide support and acting as the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Military in authority
as well as name, Thrawn marshalled his forces for one final offensive.
Engaging Thrawn’s main force in what was hoped would be a “second Endor”, the bulk
of the New Republic’s fleet instead fell into a trap, suffering a single decisive blow.
Yet in this moment of victory, as the New Republic was helpless before him, Thrawn was
betrayed by his own bodyguard, stabbed in the chest on the bridge of the Chimera.
Without his guiding hand, the Empire he had come so close to reuniting, quickly fell apart.
That one man could come so close to defeating the dominant power in the galaxy speaks volumes
of Thrawn’s ability as both a political and military strategist.
His career was defined by ingenious and unconventional thinking that allowed him to win, and win
repeatedly against odds that would be impossible to even other seasoned Admirals.
As the only alien to ever achieve the rank of Grand Admiral in the Imperial Navy,
Thrawn was something of an anomaly.
Rather than ruling through fear, as so many of his contemporaries did in an apparent attempt
to mimic the style of Lord Vader, Thrawn promoted creativity and rewarded success.
Defeat was not treated as a punishable offense, but rather as a learning opportunity.
The completion of objectives was valued above personal glory, and Thrawn was not above withdrawing
from combat rather than wasting precious lives and resources.
It was Thrawn’s attention to detail that was perhaps his greatest strength.
He believed that a culture’s art, properly studied, could reveal an understanding of
their society's psychology and the weaknesses therein.
His vast collection included sets of Mandalorian armor, Alderaanian moss paintings and even,
if the rumors are true, the mask of General Grevious.
Data, intelligence and artifacts like these that would have been discarded as trivial
by others often formed the crux of his campaigns.
These were immensely complex affairs involving layers of contingencies and misinformation.
By the time his enemies believed they understood his plans, Thrawn had already moved on to
his next, enabling him to be consistently a step ahead.
Whether Thrawn was a true believer in the Empire has become a matter of some debate.
It is widely accepted that he admired many of its values; a strong central government supported
by a vast military, but his views on the rampant xenophobia of the regime are a great deal
more complex, as illustrated by his comparatively egalitarian policies within the Empire of
the Hand.
The galaxy may never know his true intentions and motives for making war on the New Republic.
Was it all part of a great plan to prepare the galaxy for the arrival of the Yuuzhan Vong?
Was he only interested in the safety of his people?
Or was he simply another opportunistic Imperial warlord?
Whatever the truth, Thrawn has earned a unique place in history shared only by a select few,
as a single individual who dramatically altered the fate of the galaxy.
In Dossier, the Templin Institute investigates the legendary figures from alternate worlds.
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