The Star Wars Shows Have a Real Hard Time Keeping Thrawn in Character
We couldn’t have been happier to see Thrawn make the jump to the screen and then live action. But sometimes his characterization feels wrong.
I know that it won’t be an unpopular opinion when I say that Grand Admiral Thrawn is one of my favorite villains–if not characters–in Star Wars. I’d hazard a guess that I’m not even the only one reading this right now with multiple pieces of Thrawn-related-merch in the room with them.
So why is it that when one of our favorite characters comes on screen, sometimes it feels a little off? I think, in short, the shows have a hard time keeping his characterization consistent.
Allegiances and Background
Something that I think is really important to understanding this character is that his primary loyalty and allegiance isn’t to the Empire; it’s to the Chiss Ascendancy. If you’re not familiar, they’re the military and navy of this Chiss homeworld, Csilla, which is way, way out in the outer rim.
They, by and large, have a policy of keeping to themselves and minding their own business, but general unrest and threats in the galaxy lead to Thrawn leaving home and basically offering his own guidance in the face of potential outer-rim threats in exchange for help if Chiss space should face threats from the Unknown Regions.
It’s a little-known political agreement. But at the end of the day, it was an agreement made with the goal of protecting Csilla and helping the Ascendancy as much as possible.
That and the Empire was clearly seen as one of the strongest allies in the galaxy.
Thrawn’s Leadership Skills & Personality
You won’t pick up on this unless you’re reading the books and getting a more inside look at how the character thinks, but Thrawn is blunt and snarky in a way that comes across as a little mean but is also very funny. Unfortunately, this doesn’t translate very well to a TV show where you spend less time in a character’s head. This is honestly a huge loss, but if you’ve seen the shows and read none of the books and aren’t sure why people love this character so much, this may be exactly why.
What we do see in the books and what should translate well to the screen is his unmatched leadership. The Empire is rife with alien racism, and Thrawn still managed to climb through the ranks at a rapid pace. And along the way, he earns the unwavering respect of his subordinates because he’s a darn good leader. And if a character shows the potential and interest in learning, he’ll make sure they understand tactics at his level. He collects protégés for a reason. Captain Pellaeon is still singing the Admiral’s praises and preparing for his return a decade later for a reason.
Sometimes They Get It Right and Sometimes…
We see a little of this in Ahsoka. Especially where all of the troopers are chanting his name as he is finally introduced in live-action. The ones that did survive likely did due to his leadership. But he is also quick to throw away a loyal protégé and characters who could otherwise be strong allies later.
And perhaps most egregiously, in Rebels we see Thrawn snap at and physically accost one of his own subordinates when things aren’t going to plan. This is incredibly out of character for somebody who also said, “No one is immune from failure. All have tasted the bitterness of defeat and disappointment. A warrior must not dwell on that failure, but must learn from it and continue on,” and “Leadership is a role and a task that should never be aspired to lightly. Neither should loyalty be given without reason.” It just didn’t show good leadership or the ability to take failure with grace and learn from it.
That said, I still enjoy seeing Thrawn make appearances in Star Wars. Whether it’s in books, comics, or on the screen, I usually try to stick to the “I’m just happy to be here” sort of mentality. But sometimes it feels like maybe they should have Timothy Zahn scan over a few scripts and note that the character he created is acting like somebody else entirely.
What do you think of how Thrawn is portrayed in the shows? What is your favorite Thrawn moment or quote? Have you read any of his books, or are the shows your first introduction to the character? Let us know in the comments!
May the Force be with you, adventurers!
