148-642: Grand Admiral Thrawn is a character who appears in Star Wars media. Thrawn may also refer to the title of several Star Wars novels featuring the character: Grand Admiral Thrawn Grand Admiral Thrawn (full name: Mitth'raw'nuruodo ; born: Kivu'raw'nuru ) is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He first appeared in what came to be known as the Thrawn trilogy of novels (1991–1993) by Timothy Zahn . An Imperial military leader and
296-614: A double agent for the Chiss Ascendancy , his exile having been faked in order to assist with his infiltration. A six issue comic book miniseries adaptation of the first novel by Marvel Comics began in early 2018, and ended in June of that year. A sequel to the novel, titled Thrawn: Alliances , was released on July 24, 2018. This novel is set during the reign of the Empire. The main story line follows Grand Admiral Thrawn
444-661: A "brilliant strategist" and the "ruthless enforcer" Darth Vader on a mission to investigate a threat to the Empire on a planet called Batuu, which resides at the edges of the Unknown Regions. This is the same planet that many years previously Thrawn, then an officer of the Chiss Ascendancy, crossed paths with General Anakin Skywalker , flashbacks to this encounter tells of their "uneasy alliance" while facing several dangers. A third novel, Thrawn: Treason ,
592-407: A "layer of hate". The Emperor then orders Vader to send another Inquisitor to capture her. Later in the season, Ahsoka has a vision in which Anakin blames her for his fall to the dark side. In the season finale, Ahsoka duels with Vader inside a Sith Temple. As the episode concludes, Vader emerges from the ruins of the temple, while Ahsoka's fate is left unknown. Anakin appears in multiple episodes of
740-587: A "wild" system at the frontiers of the Empire. The game expansion packs Defender of the Empire and Enemies of the Empire follow the story of how Thrawn thwarts the efforts of the traitorous Grand Admiral Zaarin to depose the Emperor, and Thrawn is promoted to Grand Admiral in his place. Thrawn is also a recruitable character for The Empire in the 1998 strategy computer game Star Wars: Rebellion , and later appears in Forces of Corruption expansion pack for
888-520: A Jedi Code prohibition against romantic relationships. Sensing that his mother is in danger, Anakin travels with Padmé to Tatooine and finds that she was kidnapped by Tusken Raiders . He locates her at a Tusken campsite, where she dies in his arms. Overcome with grief and rage, Anakin massacres the Tusken tribe. Padmé is disturbed by what he has done, but comforts him nevertheless. Anakin and Padmé then go to Geonosis to aid Obi-Wan , only to be captured by
1036-470: A Rebel convoy. He realizes that the operation was planned by the "alien Admiral" Thrawn, who is given no acknowledgement by Vader or the Emperor. Fel understands that such reliance on an alien undercuts the xenophobic foundation of the Empire, and Thrawn goes unrewarded after the successful mission. In the "Tour of Duty III" segment of the 1994 space flight simulator /combat computer game Star Wars: TIE Fighter , then-Vice Admiral Thrawn establishes order in
1184-487: A blue face" and "easily the coolest villain in the Expanded Universe ", noting Thrawn's loss as one of the major consequences of Lucasfilm's abandonment of the old expanded universe for Star Wars: The Force Awakens . Emmet Asher-Perrin of Tor.com noted in 2016 that as "one of the most popular Expanded Universe villains" and "one of the most threatening antagonists that the Star Wars universe had on hand",
1332-695: A bond with Padmé. Qui-Gon asks the Jedi Council for permission to train Anakin, but they refuse, concerned that the fear he exhibits makes him vulnerable to the dark side. During a conflict with the Trade Federation , Anakin helps end the blockade of Naboo by destroying a control ship. Qui-Gon is mortally wounded in a duel with the Sith Lord Darth Maul , and with his dying breath asks his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi to train Anakin. With
1480-529: A book deal with Lucasfilm in 1989, and the publisher put Zahn's name at the top of their list of possible authors. He said, "My original instructions from LucasArts [ sic ] consisted of exactly two rules: the books were to start 3–5 years after Return of the Jedi , and I couldn't use anyone who'd been explicitly killed off in the movies." Zahn used information from the original film trilogy as his primary source, but supplemented that with details from
1628-425: A cameo appearance in the 1998 young reader's book Galaxy of Fear: The Swarm by John Whitman , set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back . In the novel, Tash and Zack Arranda and their uncle Hoole, natives of Alderaan who are fugitives from the Empire, have a chance encounter with Thrawn on the planet of the S'krrr species. Though suspicious, Thrawn is cordial and later reluctantly aids them in stopping
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#17327718152951776-470: A castle on the planet Vjun. Anakin Skywalker is a major character in Dark Horse Comics ' Star Wars: Republic series (1998–2006). In Boba Fett: Enemy of the Empire (1999), Vader hires Fett a few years before the events of A New Hope . In Vader's Quest (1999), set soon after A New Hope , the dark lord encounters Luke for the first time. Star Wars: Empire (2002–2005) spans from about
1924-422: A father to a young Luke and Leia, with some scenes portraying light-hearted versions of their darker film counterparts. For example, one scene shows Vader, Luke and Leia at the carbonite freezing chamber on Bespin, with Vader pronouncing the freezer adequate for making ice cream. Vader appears in several comic books such as Marvel Comics ' Star Wars (1977–1986). In Dark Empire II , he is revealed to have had
2072-457: A full-face breathing mask with a samurai helmet . A 1975 production painting by McQuarrie depicts Vader engaged in a lightsaber duel with Deak Starkiller, who later became Luke Skywalker. Vader is shown wearing black armor, a flowing cape and a skull-like mask and helmet. This early design was similar to Vader's final appearance. Working from McQuarrie's concepts, the costume designer John Mollo devised an outfit that combined clerical robes,
2220-673: A funeral pyre. As the Rebels celebrate the destruction of the Death Star and the fall of the Empire, Luke sees Anakin's spirit appear alongside the spirits of Obi-Wan and Yoda . The first film of the prequel trilogy, The Phantom Menace (1999), takes place 32 years before Star Wars . Anakin is a nine-year-old slave living on Tatooine with his mother Shmi . He is a gifted pilot and mechanic, and has built his own protocol droid, C-3PO . The Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn meets Anakin after making an emergency landing on Tatooine with Padmé Amidala,
2368-539: A group to destroy the cloning facility on Wayland, killing C'baoth and destroying the cloning cylinders. Just as Thrawn and Pellaeon learn that the Noghri aided in the attack on Wayland, Thrawn's Noghri bodyguard, Rukh , kills the Grand Admiral—whose last words are, "But ... it was so artistically done." The tide of battle at Bilbringi turns, and with the hope of victory dashed by Thrawn's death, Pellaeon orders
2516-529: A hundred alien warships to gather in orbit over the Bothans' homeworld, which the Empire hopes to use to its benefit. In Vision of the Future (1998), Admiral Gilad Pellaeon admits that the Empire, down to only a few sectors, is now fighting a losing battle, and initiates peace talks with Princess Leia. However, Moff Disra hires a con artist, Flim , to impersonate the deceased Grand Admiral Thrawn to motivate
2664-467: A lightsaber duel. After placing a tracking device aboard Han's ship, Vader locates the Rebel base on Yavin 4 . When the Rebels attack the Death Star, Vader pursues Luke in his TIE fighter . Before he can shoot Luke down, Han intervenes and sends Vader's ship spiraling off course, which allows Luke to destroy the Death Star. In The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Vader becomes obsessed with finding Luke, who
2812-580: A member of the Chiss race, Thrawn leads remnants of the scattered Galactic Empire in the aftermath of its fall. In the Thrawn trilogy, Thrawn returns from the unknown and leads Imperial remnants in a campaign against the New Republic , facing off against classic Star Wars characters Luke Skywalker , Princess Leia , Han Solo , Chewbacca , and Lando Calrissian , before seemingly being resurrected in
2960-402: A motorcycle suit, a German military helmet , and a military gas mask. The prop sculptor Brian Muir created the helmet and armor. The sound of Vader's breathing was created by the film's sound designer, Ben Burtt , using modified recordings of a scuba breathing apparatus. The sound effect is trademarked at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office . Lucas has provided differing accounts of how
3108-539: A new Thrawn trilogy (2017–2019) and then the Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy (2020–2021), reinventing Thrawn as an anti-villain and double agent who infiltrates the Empire's ranks on behalf of his own people and the galactic government of the Unknown Regions, the Chiss Ascendancy . He intends to use Imperial resources to engage in open warfare with the extragalactic fanatics, the Grysk , before they can invade
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#17327718152953256-642: A playable character for a limited time in Disney Magic Kingdoms . A bird version of Vader appears as a playable character and a boss in Angry Birds Star Wars and its sequel . Star Wars: Lords of the Sith was one of four canon novels released between 2014 and 2015. In it, Vader and Palpatine find themselves hunted by revolutionaries on the planet Ryloth . The 25-issue Marvel comic series Darth Vader (2015–2016) focuses on
3404-482: A separate narrative universe. Vader is featured prominently in novels set in the Star Wars universe . In the 1978 novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye by Alan Dean Foster , Vader meets Luke for the first time and engages him in a lightsaber duel that ends with Luke cutting off Vader's arm and Vader falling into a deep pit. Shadows of the Empire (1996) reveals that Vader is conflicted about trying to turn his son to
3552-711: A slave and his mother's traumatic death. In The Unifying Force (2003), Anakin tells his grandson Jacen Solo to "stand firm" in his battle with the Supreme Overlord of the Yuuzhan Vong . Upon the release of the prequel films, the Expanded Universe grew to include novels about Vader's former life as Anakin. Greg Bear 's 2000 novel Rogue Planet and Jude Watson 's Jedi Quest series chronicle Anakin's early missions with Obi-Wan, while James Luceno 's 2005 novel Labyrinth of Evil , set during
3700-727: A strategist and decides to bring him to the Emperor. A edited Version of the story was published in the Paperback edition of Outbound Flight . In "Command Decision", a November 1996 short story by Zahn published in Star Wars Adventure Journal #11, Thrawn is an admiral in the Imperial Navy with Parck as his subordinate. Thrawn orchestrates a plan to locate a Rebel base in "Side Trip" by Zahn and Michael A. Stackpole , published in Star Wars Adventure Journal #12 (February 1997) and #13 (May 1997), and reprinted in
3848-476: Is Svarthöfði , which means "black-head". The films Swiss Family Robinson (1960) and Battle of the Bulge (1965) influenced the original Star Wars trilogy, but Lucas's publicist has denied that Anakin Skywalker was named after Ken Annakin , the director of those films. The original surname of Anakin and Luke was "Starkiller", and it remained in the script until a few months into filming Star Wars . It
3996-407: Is "too smart and basically decent to become the servant of Palpatine that he later becomes", Zahn explains: My sense has always been that [Thrawn] was manipulating Palpatine just as much as Palpatine is manipulating him. After all, he only came to the Empire so that he could gain command rank, collect all the military hardware Palpatine was willing to give him, and then get himself kicked back out to
4144-759: Is an unparalleled military strategist and tactical genius who has made extensive study of military intelligence and the artwork of other cultures, and the Thrawn trilogy finds him commanding the remnants of the Imperial Fleet in a series of stunning victories against the New Republic . His full name was given as Mitth'raw'nuruodo. IGN described the character as "diabolical, brilliant and ruthless". Zahn describes Thrawn's command style as considerably different from that of Darth Vader and other typical Imperial commanders; instead of punishing failure and dissent, Thrawn promotes creativity among his crew and accepts ideas from subordinates. Zahn said in 2017: Most of
4292-581: Is attacked by a young Chiss commander named Mitth'raw'nuruodo—informally known as Thrawn. In the story, a Republic fleet comes across the Chiss for the first time. The alien commander, Thrawn, can handily defeat the Republic ships despite inferior weapons and numbers. Darth Sidious, Palpatine's alter-ego, seeks to destroy the Outbound Flight , and he and his agent Kinman Doriana convince Thrawn that
4440-416: Is being transported to safety by the rebels after speaking out publicly against Palpatine. In " Zero Hour ", Thrawn confronts Kallus about being Fulcrum, and executes his carefully planned attack on the rebel base on Atollon . He is thwarted by the ingenuity of the rebels and the assistance of Bendu , who cryptically warns Thrawn of his impending defeat, "like many arms surrounding you in a cold embrace". In
4588-586: Is now a Rebel commander. Vader's forces assault the Rebel base on Hoth , but the Rebels escape. Vader convinces the Emperor that Luke could be a valuable ally if he were turned to the dark side of the Force. Vader hires a group of bounty hunters to follow Luke's companions, and compels the Cloud City administrator Lando Calrissian to set a trap for them. After Han, Leia, Chewbacca and C-3PO arrive, Vader tortures and freezes Han in carbonite and gives him to
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4736-521: Is pregnant. Although initially excited, Anakin soon begins to have nightmares about his wife dying in childbirth. Palpatine appoints Anakin to the Jedi Council as his personal representative, but the council is suspicious of the Chancellor. They decline to grant Anakin the rank of Jedi Master and instruct him to spy on Palpatine, which upsets Anakin. Later, Palpatine reveals to Anakin that he is
4884-506: Is reprimanded by his Chiss superiors for his hostile behavior, and summoned back to his home planet Csilla . Publishers Weekly called Thrawn the "true star" of the novel, noting that his attack on the ship, secretly influenced by Palpatine's agents, "insures his own eventual exile from his race and sets other sinister wheels in motion". Zahn said of writing the novel, "as always, it was immensely fun to play tactics with Thrawn". Though StarWars.com suggests that in Outbound Flight , Thrawn
5032-408: Is still alive. Vader begins hunting Obi-Wan , which eventually leads them to duel again. Although Vader initially overpowers his former master, Obi-Wan recovers his strength and wounds Vader multiple times. He slashes open Vader's helmet to partially reveal his face, then leaves him, weakened and wheezing. Flashback sequences in the series depict Anakin training under Obi-Wan in the years preceding
5180-499: Is surprised when the Noghri suddenly surrenders. Thrawn launches his first offensive, a series of hit-and-run attacks into New Republic territory, and then steals a complement of mole miners from Lando Calrissian 's mining operations on Nkllon . In need of warships, and with his previous tactics having forced over 100 lightly crewed ships to be stationed at the Sluis Van shipyards as he planned, Thrawn invades. His stormtroopers use
5328-468: Is the Chosen One. Even when Anakin turns into Darth Vader, he is still the Chosen One." Hayden Christensen said of Anakin: "He believes that he's the Chosen One. He's not doing wrong things knowing that it's having a negative impact. So there's that sort of naivety to him ... and it makes him more human in a lot of ways." Lucas later clarified that the plot element of Anakin's virgin birth
5476-512: Is the commander of the Seventh Fleet, recently promoted to Grand Admiral for crushing a rebel insurgency on Batonn without regard for civilian casualties. He is brought in by Imperial Governor Arihnda Pryce to help destroy the series' eponymous rebel cell. A patient tactician, Thrawn allows the rebels to escape, intending to manipulate them into orchestrating the complete downfall of their rebellion. In " Hera's Heroes ", he takes command of
5624-407: Is voiced by Kirby Morrow in several television productions. Matt Lanter provides the character's voice in video games and in various television productions, including The Clone Wars , Rebels , Forces of Destiny and Star Wars: Tales . Lanter also voices Anakin in the film version of The Clone Wars . During the second-season finale of Rebels , Lanter's voice is sometimes blended with
5772-442: Is widely credited with reviving interest in the Star Wars franchise. In 2010, Star Wars: The Clone Wars creator Filoni expressed interest in using Thrawn in that series. Some fans of Zahn's Thrawn series had long hoped the books would be adapted, and after the 2012 announcement that The Walt Disney Company had acquired Lucasfilm and planned to produce film sequels to Return of the Jedi , Zahn commented that if material from
5920-476: The Hand of Thrawn duology (1997–1998), with his backstory explored in various other novels, short stories, comics, and video games in the Star Wars expanded universe . In 2014, these stories were rebranded as Star Wars Legends by Lucasfilm and rendered non- canon . Thrawn reentered official canon in the 3D animated TV series Star Wars Rebels from 2016 to 2018, voiced by Lars Mikkelsen . Zahn published
6068-678: The Heir to the Empire trilogy, was written by Timothy Zahn between 1991 and 1993. Approximately five years after the events depicted in Return of the Jedi , the Rebel Alliance , now known as the New Republic, has driven out the remnants of the old Imperial Starfleet to a distant corner of the galaxy and is attempting to set up a functional government. Princess Leia and Han Solo are married and expecting twins. Luke Skywalker has become
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6216-616: The Star Wars Expanded Universe , including novels, comics and video games, through 2006. He is often cited as one of the most popular characters in the franchise. Star Wars Rebels executive producer Dave Filoni said of the character in 2016, "You couldn't have grown up a Star Wars fan without encountering Thrawn in Heir to the Empire . It was a dark time when there weren't any more movies, and it blew our minds that there could be more." The Thrawn trilogy itself
6364-465: The Katana fleet. A virus infected the crews of the entire fleet and drove them insane. The fleet was not seen again until smuggler Talon Karrde discovered it (several years before the events of the first book). With access to Palpatine's private storehouse on the planet Wayland, Thrawn presses his advantage to marshal more forces for the battle against the New Republic. Mara Jade, in an attempt to exonerate
6512-543: The Sith Lord Darth Vader. His metamorphosis begins when he is lured to the dark side of the Force by Chancellor Palpatine , who later becomes the Emperor. After a lightsaber battle with his former mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi , Vader is severely injured and is transformed into a cyborg . He serves Palpatine for over two decades, hunting down the remaining Jedi and attempting to crush the Rebel Alliance . When Palpatine tries to kill Vader's son, Luke Skywalker ,
6660-469: The Star Wars Legends universe" in 2017, and Linda Hansen-Raj wrote that the character "carries a lasting legacy as one of Star Wars ' greatest and most complex antagonists." In 2014, GamesRadar ' s Sam Ashurst called Thrawn "hugely popular amongst fans, partly because of his tactical genius, partly because of his progressive attitude to his employees but mainly due to the fact he's got
6808-486: The Star Wars Rebels character pack sold as downloadable content . In 2016, Anthony Breznican of Entertainment Weekly called Thrawn a "fan favorite" and "one of the most significant characters to ever emerge from the Expanded Universe", and Brian Truitt of USA Today named the character "one of Star Wars fandom's favorite villains". Comicbook.com called Thrawn "arguably the most popular character in
6956-743: The Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy, to launch with Book I: Chaos Rising in May 2020. After being delayed twice, the first novel was ultimately released on September 1, 2020. In the novel, it was revealed that Thrawn was born as Kivu'raw'nuru (core name Vurawn ) before being adopted by the Mitth family, changing his name to Mitth'raw'nuru (core name Thrawn). The novel also covered more of Thrawn's backstory alongside other Chiss characters, such as Ar'alani, that also appeared in Thrawn: Treason ,
7104-403: The 1994 computer game Star Wars: TIE Fighter , and by Tim Russell in the 1997 audio drama Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire . In seasons three and four of Star Wars Rebels , Thrawn is voiced by Lars Mikkelsen . Mikkelsen reprised his role as Thrawn from Rebels in live-action in the 2023 Disney+ series Ahsoka . According to Zahn, Lou Aronica of Bantam Spectra had negotiated
7252-535: The 2004 DVD release. When The Phantom Menace was being developed, hundreds of actors were auditioned for the role of young Anakin before Jake Lloyd was cast. Rick McCallum , the film's producer, said that Lloyd was "smart, mischievous and love[d] anything mechanical—just like Anakin." When casting the role of 19-year-old Anakin for Attack of the Clones , the filmmakers reviewed about 1,500 candidates before selecting Hayden Christensen. The Canadian actor reprises
7400-704: The 2006 real-time strategy game Star Wars: Empire at War . Thrawn cameos in Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron as a "Leader" character for the Galactic Empire in Galactic Conquest, earned by conquering all planets in the Northern Quadrant of the map and allows an army to move twice in one turn if the first move is begun within said quadrant. This power is shared with Admiral Ackbar for
7548-404: The 2008 animated film The Clone Wars , set shortly after the events of Attack of the Clones , Yoda assigns Anakin an apprentice, Ahsoka Tano . Anakin is at first reluctant to accept this responsibility. He calls Ahsoka "Snips" for her "snippy" attitude, while Ahsoka refers to him as "Skyguy". After earning Anakin's respect during a dangerous mission, Ahsoka joins him on a quest to rescue Jabba
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#17327718152957696-617: The 2019 virtual reality series Vader Immortal . Matt Sloan voices the Sith Lord in both video games and television productions. Both Spencer Wilding and Daniel Naprous portray Vader in Rogue One , with Jones providing the voice. Jones also voices Vader in the Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) and the animated series Star Wars Rebels . In September 2022, it was confirmed that Jones would retire from voicing
7844-693: The Clone Wars, as well as a newly minted Vader carrying out the massacre at the Jedi Temple. Hayden Christensen portrays Anakin in Ahsoka (2023), which takes place after the original trilogy. Anakin appears in spirit-form to his former apprentice Ahsoka in the World Between Worlds, an ethereal realm that exists outside of time and space. He leads her through visions of their shared past together, including her training, their battles during
7992-538: The Clone Wars, depicts Anakin battling Separatist commander General Grievous . In Luceno's Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader (2005), set a few months after the events of Revenge of the Sith , Vader disavows his identity as Anakin as he hunts down surviving Jedi and cements his position in the Empire. In the Dark Nest trilogy (2005), Luke and Leia uncover old recordings of their parents in R2-D2's memory drive; for
8140-576: The Clone Wars, her departure from the Jedi Order and his fall to the dark side. Industrial Light and Magic used " de-aging " technology to make the 42-year-old Christensen appear younger. Vader is featured in the three-episode virtual reality game series Vader Immortal , which is set between Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One . The first episode became available with the launch of the Oculus Quest virtual reality headset in May 2019, while
8288-460: The Emperor down a reactor shaft to his death, but is mortally wounded in the process. Luke carries him to a docking bay, where Imperial forces are evacuating in the face of a Rebel assault. At Vader's request, Luke removes his father's mask and looks upon the face of Anakin Skywalker for the first time. The redeemed Anakin Skywalker encourages him to go and tells him that he has saved him, before peacefully dying. On Endor, Luke burns his father's body on
8436-400: The Emperor's minions". A member of the alien Chiss species, native language Cheunh, Thrawn is described as a tall, solidly built humanoid with blue skin and glowing red eyes who wears the white uniform befitting his rank. He has risen in power thanks to his "tactical brilliance and cunning", and has been described as "one of the most threatening antagonists" in the Star Wars universe. He
8584-421: The Emperor, Vader refuses. At the end of the film, Vader boards a Rebel flagship and kills several Rebel soldiers as he tries to recover the stolen Death Star plans. Vader's role in the film was different in early versions of the story. In Gary Whitta 's original pitch , the Sith Lord appeared on Scarif and slaughtered a Rebel blockade. In another early storyline, Vader killed Krennic for his failure to prevent
8732-571: The Emperor. The five-issue series Obi-Wan & Anakin (2016) depicts the lives of the two Jedi between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones . Between 2017 and 2018, Charles Soule wrote a prequel-era series, also called Darth Vader (sometimes subtitled Dark Lord of the Sith ). It begins immediately after Vader wakes up in his armor at the end of Revenge of the Sith and explores his emotional transformation upon learning of Padmé's death, his adjustment to his mechanical suit, how he creates his red-bladed lightsaber, and his hunting of Jedi in
8880-569: The Empire , John Booth wrote in Wired that Zahn "created and developed Thrawn as a character [by] deliberately establishing the Grand Admiral as a villain who leads not by coercion and fear but through valuing strategy and loyalty". Zahn explained in 2008 that Thrawn's version of the Empire is different from that of Palpatine because Thrawn does not have Palpatine's megalomania and xenophobia . Calling Thrawn and Mara Jade his favorite of
9028-558: The Empire's warrant for Karrde's arrest, goes to Thrawn and offers to reveal the location of the Katana fleet. Instead, he has her followed and Karrde is captured. Luke and Mara rescue Karrde from Thrawn's Star Destroyer as Thrawn attempts to capture another man who knows about the Katana fleet. Meanwhile, Leia learns that the Noghri serve the Empire because they revere her late father, Darth Vader , who they believe saved their planet Honoghr from ecological disaster. Leia convinces them that they have been deceived and effectively enslaved by
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#17327718152959176-425: The Empire, and they switch sides. With Ackbar temporarily neutralized as a tactical opponent, Thrawn leads an army of clones to claim the so-called " Katana fleet", outmaneuvering Luke, Lando, and Han Solo . In The Last Command (1993), set about a month after the previous book, Thrawn uses the Katana fleet, crewed with clones, to mount a successful offensive against the New Republic. Seizing one planet after
9324-485: The Hand of Thrawn, Luke and Mara discover a gestating and near-complete clone of Thrawn, which is killed during their escape. An expedition by Thrawn to the galaxy's Unknown Regions is also mentioned. Finally, a peace treaty is signed by Pellaeon and the New Republic's president. Thrawn appears as a captain in the 1997 William C. Dietz novella Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire . A younger Thrawn, ranked Captain, makes
9472-575: The Holocron from Cal Kestis , who barely manages to escape. Vader returns as a boss in the sequel, Jedi: Survivor (2023), where he leads an Imperial assault on a Jedi hideout on the planet Jedha . He duels Cere Junda, whom he manages to slay after a prolonged battle. Both Vader and Anakin are playable characters in every Lego Star Wars video game . Vader is a playable character and a boss in Disney Infinity 3.0 , and can be unlocked as
9620-507: The Hutt 's infant son, Rotta. Her impetuousness both annoys and endears her to Anakin, and he develops a friendly affection towards her. In the standalone film Rogue One (2016), set immediately before the events of A New Hope , Vader summons the weapons developer Orson Krennic to his castle on Mustafar. He confronts him about his handling of the Death Star project and the destruction of Jedha City. When Krennic asks Vader for an audience with
9768-582: The Imperial forces to retreat. Zahn's Specter of the Past (1997) finds Thrawn seemingly resurrected ten years after his death when he reappears to lead the decimated Imperial forces against the unstable New Republic. A record surfaces called the Caamasi Document, which indicates that a small group of Bothans were perpetrators in the tragic destruction of the planet Caamas and causes more than
9916-452: The Imperial forces. Major Grodin Tierce , the clone of a former stormtrooper imbued with Thrawn's tactical intellect by the grand admiral himself, strategizes that the false Thrawn could also rally support for the Empire and intimidate the New Republic. The tactic is successful until Pellaeon and Talon Karrde—on opposing sides but both desiring peace—expose Flim. Meanwhile, at a fortress called
10064-409: The Imperial leaders we see in the movies rule through a combination of fear and manipulation. I wanted to create something different: a commander who could lead through loyalty. The result was Thrawn, a tactical genius whose troops follow him willingly, and who will fight for him whether or not he's watching over their shoulders. Referencing Zahn's annotations in the 20th Anniversary Edition of Heir to
10212-610: The Imperial occupation of Ryloth , home planet of Hera Syndulla , and has his first face-to-face contact with the rebels. He reappears in " Iron Squadron ", where he orders the incompetent Admiral Konstantine to deal with rebels and rebel sympathizers in the Mykapo system; after Konstantine's ship is disabled, Thrawn arrives in his personal Star Destroyer, the Chimaera , and is revealed to have previously encountered rebel Commander Jun Sato. " An Inside Man " reveals Thrawn now in charge of
10360-466: The Imperial occupation of the planet Lothal , overseeing the factory where the new TIE Defender and various other pieces of equipment are manufactured. He puts an end to rebel acts of sabotage by enforcing a policy of the workers testing their creations and is also shown to be studying pieces of artwork that grant insight into each member of the Ghost crew. He also determines that there is a rebel spy within
10508-401: The Imperial ranks, but intends to use this to his advantage. In " Warhead ", Thrawn uses probe droids to determine that Sato's hidden rebel base is located on one of less than a hundred planets. Thrawn is shown to be skilled in hand-to-hand combat in " Through Imperial Eyes ", and learns that Agent Kallus is the rebel spy. In " Secret Cargo ", Thrawn and Pryce pursue Senator Mon Mothma , who
10656-513: The Inquisitor program. Its final arc, which depicts the construction of Vader's fortress on Mustafar, implies that Palpatine used the Force to conceive Anakin in utero , as some had theorized that Revenge of the Sith indicates. A Lucasfilm story group member later clarified that "This is all in Anakin's head". A five-issue limited series titled Vader: Dark Visions , was released in 2019. Vader Down writer Jason Aaron wrote part of
10804-425: The Jedi (1983), while Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen portray Anakin in the prequel trilogy, with Christensen reprising the role in the series Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022) and Ahsoka (2023). In the standalone film Rogue One (2016), Vader is portrayed by Spencer Wilding and Daniel Naprous. The character also appears in novels, comics, and video games. He has become an iconic villain of cinema. As part of
10952-489: The Jedi . Lucas chose to have a different actor provide Vader's voice, because he felt Prowse's West Country English accent was inappropriate for the character. The director originally considered Orson Welles for the role, but selected James Earl Jones instead after deciding that Welles's voice would be too recognizable to audiences. Jones initially felt his role was too small to warrant recognition, and he chose to be uncredited in Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. He
11100-445: The Jedi in the Jedi Temple, including the younglings. After learning what her husband has done, a distraught Padmé travels to Mustafar and pleads with him to abandon the dark side, but he refuses. Believing that Padmé and Obi-Wan are conspiring against him, Vader uses the Force to strangle his wife into unconsciousness. He then engages Obi-Wan in a lightsaber duel that ends with Obi-Wan severing his limbs and leaving him for dead on
11248-570: The July 2016 London Star Wars Celebration, Zahn announced that he was writing a new novel titled Star Wars: Thrawn , which was released by Del Rey Books in April 2017. According to Zahn, it was "very exciting" to write the character again, and he noted that "with this book I'll be visiting a part of his life that I never before had a chance to explore". Zahn later said, "I get to show how he's treated by his fellow officers and shipmates on his way up
11396-590: The London Star Wars Celebration in July 2016 that Thrawn would be reintroduced into the franchise in the third season of the Rebels series. The character debuted in the season 3 premiere, " Steps Into Shadow ", which aired on September 24, 2016. Though in Legends works Thrawn was mostly used in post- Return of the Jedi storylines, Rebels takes place within the five years before
11544-542: The Magistrate of Corvus. He is mentioned again in " Chapter 23: The Spies " (2023) during a meeting between Moff Gideon and the Shadow Council, a group of remnant Imperial warlords, who debate his rumored return and the delivery of Project Necromancer. Thrawn made his live-action debut in the 2023 Disney+ series Ahsoka in " Part Six: Far, Far Away ". It is revealed that the purrgil took Thrawn and Ezra to
11692-645: The New Republic despite their numerical advantage over the remaining Imperial forces. He sets his sights on the Wayland storehouse of the late Emperor Palpatine , which contains a massive array of Spaarti cloning cylinders and a practical cloaking shield. To this end, Thrawn and his subordinate Gilad Pellaeon , captain of the Star Destroyer Chimaera , enlist the help of smuggler Talon Karrde and his second-in-command Mara Jade to obtain several salamander-like creatures called ysalamiri . Thrawn uses
11840-638: The November 1997 anthology Tales from the Empire . The success of this mission earns him the command of Darth Vader's Noghri commandos. Zahn's novella Crisis of Faith , published with the 20th Anniversary Edition of Heir to the Empire on September 6, 2011, is set immediately before Heir to the Empire and finds Thrawn finally able to defeat Nuso Esva. Trade paperbacks : In the 1997 Dark Horse comic Star Wars: X-wing – Rogue Squadron 25: The Making of Baron Fel , set four years after A New Hope , Imperial pilot Soontir Fel participates in an ambush on
11988-501: The Rebel Alliance. He is also a collectible character in the 2015 mobile collectible Role-playing video game , Galaxy of Heroes . In April 2014, with the sequel film Star Wars: The Force Awakens in production, most of the licensed Star Wars novels and comics produced since the 1977 film Star Wars were declared non-canon to the franchise. However, Star Wars Rebels executive producer Dave Filoni announced at
12136-550: The Rebel threat after the Inquisitor is killed. In the second-season premiere, Vader orchestrates the murder of Imperial Minister Maketh Tua, who tried to defect to the Rebellion, and confronts the two Jedi Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger . When Vader attacks the fleet of the Phoenix Squadron, he discovers that Ahsoka is still alive and has joined the Rebel Alliance. She is overwhelmed when she recognizes Anakin under
12284-466: The Rebels from stealing the Death Star schematics. Anakin is featured in all seasons of The Clone Wars (2008–2014, 2020), set between the events of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith . As a Jedi Knight, he leads the 501st Legion on missions with both his master Obi-Wan and his apprentice Ahsoka. Some of Anakin's actions taken out of concern for Ahsoka violate the Jedi code, such as torturing prisoners who may know her location. Throughout
12432-535: The Sith (2005) is set three years after Attack of the Clones . Anakin, who is now a Jedi Knight and a hero of the Clone Wars , leads a mission with Obi-Wan to rescue Chancellor Palpatine from the Separatist commander General Grievous . The two Jedi again battle Count Dooku, whom Anakin overpowers and then slaughters at Palpatine's urging. Anakin returns to Coruscant to reunite with Padmé, who tells him she
12580-572: The Sith Lord Count Dooku . Facing execution, Anakin and Padmé profess their love for each other. They are saved from death by an army of Jedi and clone troopers , led by the Jedi Masters Mace Windu and Yoda. Anakin and Obi-Wan then confront Dooku, but he defeats them both and severs Anakin's arm. After being rescued by Yoda, Anakin is fitted with a robotic arm and marries Padmé in a secret ceremony. Revenge of
12728-560: The Sith Lord Darth Sidious, the mastermind of the Clone Wars. He suggests that Anakin can prevent Padmé's death by using the dark side of the Force. Anakin reports Sidious' treachery to Windu, who confronts and subdues the Sith Lord. Desperate to save Padmé, Anakin betrays Windu by cutting off his hand, which allows the Sith Lord to kill him. Anakin then betrays the Jedi by pledging himself to the Sith, and Sidious dubs him Darth Vader. On Sidious' orders, Vader slaughters all
12876-588: The Sith Lord in the aftermath of the Death Star's destruction, as well as his life after learning about his son's existence. The series takes place parallel to the 2015 series Star Wars , in which Vader and Luke meet; the two series have a crossover titled Vader Down . A continuation series set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi debuted in 2020. The first few issues focus on Vader exacting revenge on those who concealed Luke; he also visits Padmé's tomb on Naboo and encounters her handmaidens. A subsequent story arc depicts Vader being tested by
13024-472: The Sith Lord turns against his master and destroys him. Vader is the husband of Padmé Amidala , the father of Luke and his twin sister Leia Organa , and the grandfather of Ben Solo (later known as Kylo Ren). David Prowse physically portrays Vader in the original trilogy, while James Earl Jones provides his voice in all of the films and some television series. Sebastian Shaw portrays Anakin in Return of
13172-602: The United States. In France, Vader's name was changed to Dark Vador ( pronounced [daʁk vadɔʁ] ) starting with the original film. Although the names of some other characters have been reverted to the English versions over the years, Vader is still referred to as Dark Vador in recent French-language Star Wars media. The title "Darth" has been replaced with "Dark" for other Sith Lords as well. In Italian-language editions of Star Wars films, Darth Vader
13320-637: The Unknown Regions. Set between Star Wars: A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back , Zahn's Choices of One (2011) pits Thrawn against the alien warlord Nuso Esva, his nemesis from the Unknown Regions. Thrawn, exiled by the Chiss to an inhospitable planet, is found by the Imperial Captain Voss Parck in "Mist Encounter" a short story by Zahn that was originally published in Star Wars Adventure Journal #7 (August 1995). Parck realizes Thrawn's value as
13468-548: The animated web series Forces of Destiny (2017–2018). Hayden Christensen portrays both Anakin and Vader in the 2022 miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi , set a decade after Revenge of the Sith and 9 years before A New Hope . The series reveals that for a decade after their duel on Mustafar, Obi-Wan believed his fallen apprentice to be dead. While attempting to draw Obi-Wan out of hiding, the Imperial Inquisitor Reva Sevander tells him that Anakin
13616-412: The banks of a lava flow, where he catches fire and sustains severe burns. Sidious finds the barely-alive Vader and takes him to Coruscant, where his mutilated body is covered in black armor that keeps him alive. When Vader asks if Padmé is safe, Sidious lies to him and says that his strangulation killed her, which causes Vader to scream in anguish. At the end of the film, Vader supervises the construction of
13764-402: The bounty hunter Boba Fett . When Luke lands on Cloud City to help his friends, Vader overpowers him and severs his hand. He tells Luke that he is his father, and tries to persuade him to join the dark side and help him overthrow the Emperor. Horrified, Luke escapes through an air shaft. Vader telepathically tells Luke that it is his destiny to join the dark side. Vader and the Emperor supervise
13912-467: The character had been on his list of potential villains when developing Rebels . He explained that unlike how the character Ahsoka Tano has been a foil for Darth Vader in previous seasons of Rebels , "There's no one to defend [the Rebels] against Thrawn. We want to treat him like a big-time villain, as much as Darth Vader, but on the strategic, military side of things." In "Steps into Shadow", Thrawn
14060-427: The character's removal from canon continuity "had many fans crying foul". In 2008, Jesse Schedeen of IGN credited Thrawn and the Thrawn trilogy with "kickstarting" the Star Wars expanded universe", and in 2015 Empire suggested that Thrawn's character helped "revitalize and legitimise" the expanded universe when it was failing. Eric Goldman wrote for IGN in 2008, "Diabolical, brilliant and ruthless, Thrawn
14208-430: The character. His voice was digitally recreated by the company Respeecher for use in the series Obi-Wan Kenobi , and he later signed over the rights to his voice for future Star Wars productions. Near the end of Return of the Jedi , Luke removes Vader's mask. Although Prowse had portrayed the Sith Lord throughout the trilogy, the filmmakers wanted a more experienced actor to play the unmasked Vader. Sebastian Shaw
14356-523: The characters he created, Zahn noted in 2006 that writing the Grand Admiral "provides the intellectual challenge of trying to come up with new, clever, and (hopefully) workable tactics and strategies." Zahn has also stated that Thrawn's entire motivation, both serving in the Empire and the Ascendancy, is to protect the Chiss people and "everything else flows from that." Thrawn is voiced by Tris King in
14504-467: The conclusion of The Clone Wars . The Sith Lord makes minor appearances throughout the first season, and plays a larger role in the second season. At the beginning of the series, he leads a squad of Force-sensitive Imperial Inquisitors who kill Jedi and Force-sensitive children. He dispatches the Grand Inquisitor to hunt a Rebel cell on Lothal , and later arrives personally to deal with
14652-400: The construction of the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi (1983). Believing there is still good in his father, Luke surrenders to Vader in an attempt to bring him back from the dark side. Vader takes his son to the Death Star and brings him before the Emperor, who attempts to seduce him to the dark side. Luke lashes out at the Emperor with his lightsaber, but Vader blocks his strike, and
14800-561: The council's reluctant approval, Anakin becomes Obi-Wan's apprentice. Palpatine, the newly elected Chancellor of the Galactic Republic , takes an interest in Anakin and his career as a Jedi. Attack of the Clones (2002) is set ten years after The Phantom Menace . Anakin has grown powerful but arrogant, and believes that Obi-Wan is holding him back. After rescuing Padmé from an assassination attempt, he travels with her to Naboo as her bodyguard. They begin to fall in love, despite
14948-557: The creation of the First Order . Thrawn appears as a playable character in the 2017 real-time strategy mobile game Star Wars: Force Arena , and was later introduced to Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes , a turn-based role-playing game , that summer, as both a special event boss and playable character. He is a bonus playable character in Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga , available in
15096-728: The dark side, and knows deep down that he still has good in him. Vader's supposedly indestructible glove is the MacGuffin of the young-reader's book The Glove of Darth Vader (1992). Anakin Skywalker's redeemed spirit appears in The Truce at Bakura (1993), set a few days after the end of Return of the Jedi . He appears to Leia, imploring her forgiveness. Leia condemns Anakin for his crimes and banishes him from her life. He promises that he will be there for her when she needs him, and disappears. In Tatooine Ghost (2003), Leia learns to forgive her father after learning about his childhood as
15244-478: The development for the original Star Wars film , George Lucas hired the artist Ralph McQuarrie to create conceptual images for the characters. For Vader, Lucas asked McQuarrie to depict a "very tall, dark fluttering figure that had a spooky feeling like it came in on the wind." Because the script described Vader traveling between spaceships, McQuarrie suggested that he should wear a space suit. Lucas agreed, and McQuarrie created Vader's iconic mask by combining
15392-494: The drog beetles from overrunning the planet. Before the theatrical release of Attack of the Clones , Lucasfilm suggested that Zahn write a prequel-era book. Zahn decided to have his 2004 novel Survivor's Quest (the sequel to The Hand of Thrawn duology) cover the end of the Outbound Flight story arc before exploring its beginning in his prequel novel. In Survivor's Quest , Luke and Mara journey to investigate
15540-434: The events of the original 1977 film. After seeing an advanced clip from the series, Zahn told StarWars.com, "even that short bit was awesome, and just a bit surrealistic. Authors don't get to see our creations come to life very often, and it was a real treat to see a walking, talking Grand Admiral Thrawn". Acknowledging that Thrawn had long been considered by Lucasfilm when developing projects, Filoni said that in particular,
15688-416: The expanded universe were used in the films, "we'd all be thrilled to death". With the 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm by Disney, most of the licensed Star Wars novels and comics produced since the originating 1977 film Star Wars were rebranded as Star Wars Legends and declared non-canon to the franchise in April 2014. Though Lucasfilm made it clear that new media would "not tell the same story told in
15836-483: The film and the 2008 television series The Clone Wars . David Prowse, a 6-foot-6-inch (1.98 m) bodybuilder and actor, portrays Vader in the original trilogy. Prowse was originally offered the role of Chewbacca, but turned it down, as he wanted to play the villain. Bob Anderson , a former Olympic fencer, portrays Vader during lightsaber fight scenes in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of
15984-404: The final scene of the series finale, which occurs after Revenge of the Sith . He investigates the crash site of a Venator -class Star Destroyer, which was demolished during Order 66 . Finding one of Ahsoka's lightsabers among the wreckage, he assumes that his former Padawan has perished. Vader appears in the animated series Star Wars Rebels (2014–2018), which takes place fourteen years after
16132-416: The first Death Star alongside Sidious and Tarkin. Anakin's voice is heard briefly in the third film of the sequel trilogy, The Rise of Skywalker (2019), set 31 years after the events of Return of the Jedi . During Rey's confrontation with the resurrected Darth Sidious, she hears the voices of various deceased Jedi, including Anakin. He encourages her to return balance to the Force like he once did. In
16280-418: The first in a long-awaited new line of Jedi Knights. Thousands of light years away, Grand Admiral Thrawn, the last and most brilliant of the 12 grand admirals, has taken command of the shattered Imperial Fleet and prepared it to attack the New Republic. Thrawn is searching for a Dark Jedi to join his side and is confident he can restore the Empire. In Heir to the Empire (1991), Thrawn plots to destroy
16428-423: The first time, they see their own birth and their mother's death, as well as their father's corruption to the dark side. In Bloodlines (2006), Han and Leia's son Jacen—who has turned to the dark side—uses the Force to envision Vader slaughtering the children at the Jedi Temple. Vader also appears in a series of tongue-in-cheek children's books by Jeffrey Brown . In Brown's series, a hapless Vader sets out to be
16576-460: The galaxy, in the meantime opposing the Rebel Alliance on Palpatine 's behalf before being forcibly sent to another galaxy by and alongside Ezra Bridger . Thrawn made his live-action debut in the Disney+ series Ahsoka (2023), with Mikkelsen reprising his role. Mikkelsen later reprised the voice role in the animated anthology series Tales of the Empire (2024). Thrawn has been called one of
16724-552: The last was released in November of the same year. The series was later released for the Oculus Rift . In August 2020, all three episodes were released for PlayStation VR . Vader makes a brief appearance at the end of Jedi: Fallen Order (2019). He kills the Second Sister for her failure to secure a Jedi Holocron that could lead the Empire to a number of Force-sensitive children. He then attempts to personally take
16872-504: The line "Obi-Wan killed your father" instead of "No, I am your father." Only the director, the producers, and Mark Hamill knew the actual line, which was dubbed in later by Jones. Prowse did not know the real line until he viewed the finished film. Hayden Christensen portrays Vader in Revenge of the Sith , while Brock Peters provides his voice in the Star Wars radio series . Scott Lawrence voices Vader in video games, including
17020-420: The many sourcebooks created for West End Games ' Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game , saying that they "saved me from having to reinvent the wheel many times". In turn, each novel in the trilogy had its role-playing game sourcebook created for it by West End Games. Introduced in the Thrawn trilogy (1991–93), Thrawn became a fan favorite and subsequently appeared in multiple works in what became known as
17168-400: The military ladder, particularly when he's not in a command position over them." Although in Legends works Thrawn was mostly placed in post- Return of the Jedi storylines, Thrawn is set before the events of the original 1977 film. It covers several years between Thrawn's "first encounter" with the Empire and the events of the third season of Rebels , chronicling his rise to power. In
17316-402: The miniseries Darth Vader: Black, White & Red , an extension of a Marvel event highlighting fan-favorite characters. Following the acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company in 2012, most of the licensed Star Wars Expanded Universe material produced between 1977 and 2014 was rebranded as Star Wars Legends and declared non-canon to the franchise. The Legends works comprise
17464-476: The most significant and popular characters in the Legends continuity. Several Star Wars action figures and other merchandise have been produced of the character. Thrawn first appeared in the 1991 Timothy Zahn novel Heir to the Empire , the first installment of what became known as the first Thrawn trilogy. He is a Grand Admiral in the Imperial Navy , and categorically "the most brilliant of
17612-415: The name "Darth Vader" originated. In a 2005 interview with Rolling Stone , he claimed it was a modified version of "Dark Father." On another occasion, he said it was inspired by the phrase "Dark Water". It is also possible that "Darth Vader" originated from the name of Gary Vader, a boy who went to high school with Lucas. The names of various Star Wars characters have been altered in countries outside
17760-558: The novel, seemingly exiled Chiss warrior Thrawn is rescued by Imperial soldiers, and soon proves a valuable asset to the Empire. His cunning and expertise as a tactician soon attract the attention of Emperor Palpatine, though Thrawn's renegade tactics ignite the ire of his superiors. As he rises in rank, Thrawn trains his aide-de-camp Ensign Eli Vanto in the ways of war, and finds himself in an uneasy alliance with ruthless administrator Arihnda Pryce while in search of rebel leader Nightswan. Ultimately, Thrawn reveals himself to Nightswan as
17908-484: The other, the Grand Admiral soon immobilizes the galactic capital world, Coruscant . He has placed multiple cloaked asteroids around the planet, and through a ruse, he has led the New Republic leadership to believe that Coruscant is surrounded with them. Learning of the deception, the Republic fleet attacks the Imperial shipyards at Bilbringi to capture a device that can find the cloaked asteroids , but Thrawn's forces intercept and surround them. Meanwhile, Luke and Leia lead
18056-564: The planet Peridea, homeworld of the Dathomir witches, and located outside the original Star Wars galaxy. While Ezra managed to get away from him, Thrawn woke the local Nightsisters and allied with their Great Mothers, and is served by Stormtrooper Captain Enoch . Dark Jedi Baylan Skoll , his apprentice Shin Hati and a liberated Morgan Elsbeth locate Thrawn to bring him out of his exile to lead
18204-530: The post- Return of the Jedi Expanded Universe", it was also established that "creators of new Star Wars entertainment have full access to the rich content of the Expanded Universe." Acknowledging that Thrawn had long been considered by Lucasfilm when developing projects, Filoni later said in 2016 that in particular the character had been on his list of potential villains when developing Star Wars Rebels . The Thrawn trilogy, also known as
18352-426: The previous novel by publication order. A sequel to Chaos Rising , titled Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good , was released on April 27, 2021. The third book of the trilogy called Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil , was released on November 16, 2021. Grand Admiral Thrawn is mentioned by Ahsoka Tano in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian in " Chapter 13: The Jedi " (2020) as the master to Morgan Elsbeth ,
18500-399: The queen of Naboo . Qui-Gon learns that Anakin was conceived without a father and can see the future. He becomes convinced that Anakin is the "Chosen One" of Jedi prophecy who will bring balance to the Force. After winning his freedom in a podrace wager, Anakin departs the planet with Qui-Gon to be trained as a Jedi, leaving his mother behind. During the journey to Coruscant , Anakin forms
18648-519: The remnants of the Galactic Empire. " Part Eight: The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord " culminates with Thrawn's return to the galaxy. Thrawn's Star Destroyer, the Chimaera , is depicted approaching the planet Dathomir, docked to the hyperspace ring ship Eye of Sion , following his escape from Peridea. Unbeknownst to him, Ezra stowed away onboard his ship and returned to the Republic. Thrawn appears in
18796-617: The role in Revenge of the Sith and in the series Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka . His performance in Revenge of the Sith garnered him a nomination for the Saturn Award for Best Actor , while his portrayal of Anakin in Obi-Wan Kenobi earned him the Saturn Award for Best Guest Performance in a Streaming Series. Anakin is voiced by Mat Lucas and Frankie Ryan Manriquez in the 2003 animated micro-series Clone Wars , and
18944-428: The script, Anakin had several reasons for turning to the dark side, including his sincere belief that the Jedi were plotting to seize control of the Republic. Although he retains this belief in the finished film, Lucas's changes emphasized his desire to rescue Padmé from death. Thus, in the theatrical version of Revenge of the Sith , Anakin falls to the dark side primarily to save Padmé. Anakin's apprentice Ahsoka Tano
19092-463: The second season of Star Wars: Tales , titled Tales of the Empire , with Lars Mikkelsen returning to voice the character. The series focuses on the start of his partnership with Morgan Elsbeth , when Thrawn was an Admiral in the Empire. Thrawn is mentioned in the 2017 Chuck Wendig novel Star Wars: Aftermath: Empire's End as the source of the information about the Unknown Regions which Palpatine uses in his Contingency plan. This plan results in
19240-580: The series finale " Family Reunion – and Farewell ", Thrawn's Star Destroyer is attacked by purrgil while hovering over Lothal. Ensnared in the creatures' tentacles while simultaneously being confronted by the Force-wielding Ezra Bridger , who brought the purrgil to defend Lothal, the Star Destroyer is dragged by them into hyperspace , leaving both Thrawn's and Bridger's fates unknown. In a prerecorded video also presented at
19388-451: The series there are references to Anakin's eventual fall to the dark side, including visions of his future as Vader and his disillusionment with the Jedi Council after they wrongly accuse Ahsoka of bombing the Jedi Temple. While Ahsoka is later forgiven after the true culprit is found, she nonetheless chooses to leave the Jedi Order. Dooku's death at Anakin's hands during Revenge of the Sith is references by Obi Wan. Anakin appears as Vader in
19536-463: The ship and its Jedi pose a threat to the peaceful future of the galaxy. Thrawn agrees, hoping to get C'baoth to turn back before taking more drastic action. The Jedi refuses and Thrawn fires on the ship, but Doriana launches an assault that kills every Jedi and sends the Outbound Flight careening to its destruction on a nearby planet. Thrawn's brother Thrass and Lorana, the sole surviving Jedi, sacrifice their lives to save what survivors they can. Thrawn
19684-487: The stolen miners to board and hijack the ships, but they are thwarted when Lando seizes control of the miners remotely. The Grand Admiral withdraws his forces, but thanks to Thrawn's plotting, his New Republic nemesis Admiral Ackbar is soon arrested for treason. Dark Force Rising (1992) reveals that before the Clone Wars , the Old Republic had constructed a fleet of highly automated heavy cruisers , known as
19832-599: The tenth best overall Star Wars character, noting his influence in the expanded universe, and UGO listed him as the third greatest expanded universe character the same year. Empire listed Thrawn fifth in their list of the 25 best of the more obscure Star Wars characters in 2015. In November 2016, Lars Mikkelsen was nominated for a 2017 Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement, Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production for his portrayal of Thrawn on Star Wars Rebels . For his live-action debut in Ahsoka , Mikkelsen
19980-497: The two of them duel once again. As Luke regains control of his emotions, Vader senses that he has a sister, and threatens to turn her to the dark side if Luke will not submit. Enraged, Luke overpowers Vader and severs his hand. The Emperor then betrays his apprentice by ordering Luke to kill Vader and take his place, but Luke refuses. Enraged, the Emperor begins torturing Luke with Force lightning , leading to Luke begging his father to save him. Unwilling to see his son die, Vader throws
20128-578: The voice of James Earl Jones. Vader was introduced in Star Wars (1977) as a cyborg commander serving the Galactic Empire. He and Grand Moff Tarkin have been tasked with recovering architectural plans for the Death Star battle station, which were stolen by the Rebel Alliance. Vader captures and interrogates the Rebel leader Princess Leia, who has sent the plans to Vader's former master Obi-Wan Kenobi. During Leia's rescue by Obi-Wan's allies Luke Skywalker and Han Solo , Vader strikes down his mentor in
20276-418: The wreckage of Outbound Flight, a Jedi expedition destroyed by Thrawn years before. Newly discovered by the Chiss, the remains turn out to be the lure in a trap laid by the bloodthirsty Vagaari to avenge themselves on the Chiss. Zahn's 2006 novel Outbound Flight is set fifty years before Survivor's Quest . It follows the story of the doomed titular expedition, led by Jedi Master Jorus C'baoth , that
20424-487: The ysalamiri, which possess the natural ability to disrupt the Force, to subdue the storehouse's guardian Joruus C'baoth , a twisted clone of a Jedi Master whom the Grand Admiral had killed years before. C'baoth offers his allegiance in exchange for two acolytes to bend to his will: Darth Vader's twin children, Luke and Leia. Thrawn sends some of his Noghri killers to capture Luke and a pregnant Leia, but their attempts repeatedly fail. Leia defends herself from one attack and
20572-401: Was an excellent Star Wars villain, following in the footsteps of the likes of Grand Moff Tarkin ," adding that "his status as the highest ranking non-human in the Empire was a very interesting aspect". In 2006, Zahn called Thrawn and Mara Jade his favorite of the characters he created. Zahn said in July 2016, "A writer never knows which characters are going to click with the readers, and it
20720-528: Was called Dart Fener ( pronounced [ˌdar(t) ˈfɛːner] ) starting with the original trilogy. In 2004, the dubbing director for the Italian-language version of Revenge of the Sith (2005) asked Italian fans to decide which name to use in the film; the Italian name was chosen. However, the name was switched to "Darth Vader" for The Force Awakens (2015). In Iceland, Darth Vader's name
20868-507: Was dropped due to what Lucas called "unpleasant connotations" with Charles Manson , who became a "star killer" in 1969 when he murdered the well-known actress Sharon Tate. Lucas replaced the problematic name "Starkiller" with "Skywalker". The Phantom Menace introduced the possibility that Anakin could be the Chosen One of an ancient Jedi prophecy, who is destined to bring balance to the Force. Lucas stated in an interview that "Anakin
21016-411: Was finally credited in Return of the Jedi in 1983. When filming the scene in The Empire Strikes Back in which Vader confesses he is Luke's father, Prowse was given modified dialogue to read that did not exist in the script. He was known for repeatedly leaking information to the public, and the filmmakers wanted to keep Vader's revelation a secret until the film was released. Prowse was asked to read
21164-418: Was highly gratifying to me that Thrawn captured the imaginations of so many people over the past quarter century." The character has been on many "top" lists of Star Wars characters, praising his villainy and character. In a list of fifteen Star Wars villains, Schedeen placed Thrawn as second best, beaten by Darth Vader , focusing on his greatness as a commander and tactician. In 2008, IGN ranked him as
21312-433: Was introduced in the 2008 animated film The Clone Wars . Giving Anakin responsibility for a Padawan was meant to place the character in a role that forced him to become more cautious and responsible. It was also meant to provide him with insight about his relationship with his own master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and show how their relationship matured. Anakin's relationship with Ahsoka was seen as an essential story arc spanning both
21460-455: Was meant to align the character with heroes from mythology in general and not specifically Jesus . After completing principal photography for Revenge of the Sith in 2003, Lucas made changes to Anakin's character by rewriting his turn to the dark side. He accomplished this through editing the principal footage and filming new scenes during pickups in London in 2004. In previous versions of
21608-567: Was nominated for a Critics' Choice Super Award for Best Villain in a Series in 2024. Darth Vader Darth Vader ( / d ɑːr θ v eɪ d ər / ) is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He was first introduced in the original film trilogy as one of the leaders of the Galactic Empire . The prequel trilogy chronicles his transformation from the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker into
21756-454: Was released on July 23, 2019. Set before the finale of Rebels , Thrawn: Treason features Grand Admiral Thrawn crossing paths with Director Krennic as well as the return of Eli Vanto. Chronologically, Thrawn: Treason is set between the Rebels episodes "Rebel Assault" and "Family Reunion – and Farewell." At the 2019 New York Comic Con, a new trilogy from Timothy Zahn was announced, to be entitled Thrawn: The Ascendency Trilogy , or simply
21904-405: Was selected for the role, which appears as "Anakin Skywalker" in the credits. Shaw's presence on set was kept secret from all but the minimum cast and crew, and Shaw was contractually obligated not to discuss any film secrets with anyone, even his family. In the final scene of the film, Shaw portrays Anakin's Force spirit . His likeness in this scene was replaced with that of Hayden Christensen in
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