Highlights
- In the new live-action Star Wars series Ahsoka , characters from Star Wars: Rebels will be reunited for the first time since the animated series ended in 2018.
- Heir to the Empire is a Star Wars novel by Timothy Zahn that served as the original sequel trilogy before Disney started a new timeline.
- Grand Admiral Thrawn, a formidable villain who relies on his intelligence rather than the Force, was introduced in Heir to the Empire and will make his live-action debut in Ahsoka .
A new live-action Star Wars series emerges with Ahsoka, premiering on Disney+, and the snippy Togruta is bringing the Star Wars: Rebels crew back together for the first time since the animated series ended in 2018. Also set to make his Star Wars live-action debut in the show is Grand Admiral Thrawn, the rumored “Heir to the Empire” as the Jedi Ahsoka Tano says.
This phrase is a direct reference to author Timothy Zahn’s Star Wars novel from 1991, Heir to the Empire. The book holds a special place in many Star Wars fans’ hearts, and it still influences the franchise, even to this day. Here are some things to know about Heir to the Empire in preparation for Ahsoka.
7 Zahn Took Inspiration From A Board Game
Writing a new novel based in the Star Wars universe was no easy task, as it is filled with multiple planets and creatures. Imagining different species and the way they live would be a task on its own.
Thankfully, Zahn had a source of information from which to draw upon. In an interview with the Star Wars Action News podcast in 2007, Zahn said that he drew from West End Games’ role-playing game for the “vehicles and aliens and such.” This way, Zahn did not have to “reinvent the wheel all over the place.”
6 The Original Sequel Trilogy
Heir to the Empire is the first book in Timothy Zahn’s original Star Wars book trilogy. Before Disney acquired the property and started a brand new timeline, Zahn’s work was considered the original sequel trilogy, and for many, their introduction into the Expanded Universe.
Heir to the Empire gave fans the chance to catch up with old friends. In Zahn’s work, Leia is an ambassador for the New Republic, Lando is running a mining operation and living in a literal walking city, and Luke Skywalker is teaching Leia the ways of the Force. Leia is even pregnant with twins Jacen and Jaina Solo, who would play a big role in future stories.
5 It Introduced Thrawn
Since Vader and the Emperor were gone, a new threat was needed for the fledgling New Republic. In enters Grand Admiral Thrawn, the only alien to achieve the title in the Imperial Army. The blue-skinned, red-eyed villain would challenge the Republic in a way that not even Vader and the Emperor could have.
What made Thrawn so compelling is that he did not rely on the Force or special abilities. Rather, he used his sharp intellect, studying the arts and culture of multiple species and worlds to gain insight into their psychology, and using that to outsmart his opponents. Thrawn proves that an arts education is actually useful.
4 The Emperor’s Hand
Not only would Admiral Thrawn be introduced to the Star Wars Universe, but Luke would also encounter another fierce rival: a Force user known as Mara Jade. In the pre-Disney timeline (Legends), Mara Jade was known as the Emperor's Hand, doing the jobs that others could not.
In Heir to the Empire, Jade blames Luke Skywalker for her losing everything, accusing her of killing the Emperor. In the pre-Disney Expanded Universe, Mara would fall in love with Luke, and even marry him. Only time will tell whether Disney reintroduces Mara in some new form.
3 It Gave Coruscant Its Name
The city-world of Coruscant would become known as the Capital of the Republic and the Galactic Empire. The concept of the planet was first conceived by George Lucas in the development of the original Star Wars films. The action that took place on the second Death Star was initially supposed to be on the planet.
Star Wars fans would officially get a glimpse of Coruscant in Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire. The novel also gave the planet what would be its official name, coming from the term meaning “shining” or “brilliant” according to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary.
2 Send In The Clones
In the first Star Wars film, Obi-Wan Kenobi makes reference to the Clone Wars, the conflict that set the stage for the original trilogy. It was not until projects like Genndy Tartakovsky’s Star Wars: Clone Wars and the canon computer-animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars (where Ahsoka Tano originated) that fans would get a glimpse of this pivotal war.
Heir to the Empire gave Star Wars fans a look at remnants of the Clone Wars at the time. A critical character to the story is a dark Jedi called Joruus C’Baoth. This is not, however, the real Joruss, but a clone of the Jedi, featured in another Zahn-written Star Wars novel, Outbound Flight. The location he guards, Mount Tantiss, houses cloning technology. Joruus C’Baoth also would eventually create a clone of Luke Skywalker in the third book of the Heir to the Empire trilogy, The Last Command.
1 Many Elements Of The Book Exist In Disney’s Star Wars
Disney started a new timeline for the Star Wars universe, placing all previous content under the Legends banner, which means it is non-canon. While these stories are not part of Disney’s official lore, some of their elements have found their way to modern Star Wars projects.
This includes Heir to the Empire, which still influences the franchise today. The species of Force-repelling lizards, ysalamiri have been officially recognized by Disney. The season 1 finale of The Bad Batch has also showcased Mount Tantiss, Thrawn’s base of operations in the Heir to the Empire trilogy. Timothy Zahn’s iconic work is canon “from a certain point of view,” as Obi-Wan would say.