Grand Admiral Thrawn (full name: Mitth'raw'nuruodo) is a fictional character and a major antagonist in the Star Wars universe. He first appeared in Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogy — Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising and The Last Command — published between 1991 and 1993. In these books, set five years after Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Thrawn has assumed command of the remaining forces of the Empire and is planning to battle the New Republic. He has subsequently appeared in numerous other Expanded Universe works, including five more novels by Zahn.
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. He is a tactical genius who has made extensive study of military intelligence and art, and is willing to retreat instead of making a stand in a losing battle.
Thrawn is his "core" name, reminiscent of the Scots word "thrawn", meaning "twisted or crooked". His full name is only known to a few select individuals of the Empire and the New Republic.
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
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—Voltaire [François Marie Arouet] (1694–1778)