Thrawn has achieved the rank of Admiral, commands the Star Destroyer Chimaera, but must contend with a tenuous alliance with the Emperor’s other favored servant…Darth Vader.

Timothy Zahn’s book Thrawn Alliances continues the story of the popular alien who rose through he ranks of the Imperial Navy under the supervision of Emperor Palpatine. The storyline from the previous book titled Thrawn after our titular character. While you won’t need to have read any of the previous novels to enjoy Alliances I do highly recommend them. These books serve as prequels to the original Heir to the Empire trilogy from the 1990’s.

Alliances covers two interconnected storylines, one in the book’s “present” and one in the “past.” We follow a brash Jedi Knight, Anakin Skywalker, who forms an alliance with a blue skinned alien he meets named Thrawn in one arch. The parallel story, occurring in the present, has Darth Vader and Admiral Thrawn tasked by Palpatine to solve a mystery involving a disturbance in the Force.

Stories involving interconnecting timelines can be a challenge to pull off. They can be difficult to follow as the story yo-yo’s from past to present. Zahn is able to tackle the challenge effectively and keep the story flowing. I personally didn’t have any trouble following the plot and felt it worked well.

You see the differences in personality in Anakin and Vader. Both their outward dialogue and internal monologues reflect their state of mind. Anakin is searching for Padme after she goes missing on a covert operation. Anakin, being a General in the Republic Army during the Clone Wars, is more concerned about Padme’s safety than the fate of the Republic. It demonstrates the strong feelings for her that will lead to his eventual downfall.

Meanwhile in the “present” Vader and Thrawn, technically on the same side, are at odds on how to conduct the mission the Emperor has tasked them with. This disturbance in the Force is serious enough to assign a Sith Lord, an Imperial Admiral, and a Star Destroyer to investigate. Vader and Thrawn have very different ways to go about completing their mission. There is frequent thinly veiled friction between the two.

One of the interesting details in Alliances is the question of loyalty. Thrawn has earned the trust and loyalty of his crew. Commodore Faro is Thrawn’s second in command aboard the Chimaera. Vader at times is taken aback when Faro gives her opinion to Thrawn. Vader sees it as questioning a superior but Thrawn encourages his crew to question, learn, and grow. Thrawn leads through respect and capability. He sees faults but instead of harsh punishments he looks to cultivate strong leaders.

Vader on the other hand commands respect through power and to no small extent fear. Commander Kimmund leader of the First Legion, Vader’s personal Stormtroooper force, was as loyal to Vader as Faro was the Thrawn. Kimmund made sure that anything Vader needed was provided and that the First Legion was ready at a moments notice for action. The First Legion were elite, personally selected recruits from the 501st Legion. No one joked about bad aim with these Troopers. They were unquestioningly loyal to the Empire, and Lord Vader.

Vader is loyal to his master, Emperor Palpatine, and by extension the Empire. Thrawn’s loyalties are a deeper question. Thrawn is an alien from the Chiss Empire. Vader sees the Chiss as a potential threat even though Thrawn insists the Chiss and the Galatic Empire could be allies. Thrawn does not hide the fact that he is loyal to his own people by blood and loyal to the Galactic Empire by oath. Here again Vader sees a conflict, you can only have one master. Adding to the intrigue the events of Alliances reveal Thrawn might have a personal interest in completing their mission. In response Vader lets it be known that he has no qualm killing an Imperial Navy Officer, even one favored by the Emperor.

In the Anakin/Thrawn storyline Anakin is prone to rush in as any delay keeps him from find Padme. In contract Thrawn acts at a measured pace, analyzing situations before acting. This methodical approach often feels too slow for Anakin’s taste but Thrawn’s tactics prove effective. Anakin does, albeit grudgingly, come to appreciate them.

While Thrawn’s personality remains fairly consistent over the book Anakin/Vader is not. I’ve seen stories about Anakin and other’s about Vader but in Alliances you have both personalities woven into the same narrative. I won’t reveal details of how this plays out but Zahn’s handling of this aspect of the book was unique and added a depth to the complex relationship between Thrawn and Vader.

I am tempted to go into more detail about this intriguing story but it would spoil the ending and many of the surprises. There is a myriad of characters, both major and minor, that Zahn brings to life. Personally I enjoyed the story and highly recommend Thrawn Alliances for any Star Wars fan.

Presently two more books are available in the series titled Thrawn Treason and Thrawn Ascendancy. More are apparently in the works so we’ll see where Timothy Zahn takes us next!

If you have any opinions, comments, or thoughts on Thrawn Alliances feel free to share them in the comments below!

Oliver Greytome