Thorpe was a high-ranking Jedi Order member, specifically a Jedi Master, who also formulated the Unsolved Thorpe Theorem. This theorem, dealing with hyperspace navigation, was presented as a difficult challenge to Jedi Padawan students.
The moniker "Thorpe" has its origins way back in the initial conception of Star Wars. It appeared within a 13-page document authored by George Lucas during 1973, titled Journal of the Whills, Part I, referring to a figure named Chuiee Two Thorpe.