*All posts in the Star Wars Canon series contain minor spoilers
18 weeks until Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
“Thrawn had given his oath of loyalty to the Empire. But that loyalty had never been fully tested. Vader stood beside Palpatine as the Sith Master’s apprentice. But his previous life among the Jedi could not simply be ignored nor casually dismissed. Here, with this intriguing Force disturbance, was the opportunity to deal with both issues.” –Star Wars: Thrawn: Alliances.
Star Wars: Thrawn: Alliances is about a mission Thrawn and Darth Vader complete for the Emperor with a dual timeline of an old mission Thrawn and Anakin Skywalker completed together during the Clone Wars.
Written by: Timothy Zahn (author of Thrawn and Thrawn: Treason)
Published: July 24, 2018
When does Thrawn: Alliances take place?
Between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.
Or more specifically: 2 BBY which is seventeen years after the events of Revenge of the Sith.
Synopsis:
Emperor Palpatine has sensed a disturbance on the planet of Batuu in the Unknown Regions of the galaxy. He sends Grand Admiral Thrawn and Darth Vader to not only deal with this new threat but also as a test of their allegiances to the Empire.
Years ago during the Clone Wars, both Thrawn and Vader had visited Batuu together, only then Vader was the Jedi Anakin Skywalker. Each had their own quest, but together they worked together to find success.
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Thrawn: Alliances was a very clever book—it was a clever way to introduce the planet of Batuu into the literary world of Star Wars, it was a clever way to bring both Anakin and Darth Vader together with Thrawn, and it was once again a clever way to tie in the show Rebels to the larger Star Wars picture.
I enjoyed this second book more than the first book in the Thrawn trilogy. It had a quicker pace and I really enjoyed the Clone Wars timeline, mostly because it featured Padmé with her own adventure. In the “now” timeline, Zahn did an excellent job of the tension-filled alliance between Darth Vader and Thrawn, though it did remind me quite a bit of Star Wars: Tarkin. I also thought the description of Batuu was well written, especially of the Black Spires outpost, as that is the location of the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
This book lines up perfectly with Rebels as it takes place immediately after the finale of season three as Thrawn deals with his major loss against the Spectres team on the planet Atollon. I don’t think it is necessary to read Thrawn before reading Thrawn: Alliances, but it would be necessary to watch this last episode of Rebels season three.
I would recommend Thrawn: Alliances to anyone who is a fan of Thrawn the book (and the character), Darth Vader and Anakin, Padmé, the show Rebels, and of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Next week: Thrawn: Treason
Complete list of Star Wars Canon novels
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