Timothy Zahn, a celebrated author of science fiction, is most recognized for his contributions to The Thrawn Trilogy. These novels continue the narrative after the events depicted in Return of the Jedi, introducing iconic figures like Grand Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade Skywalker. Beyond numerous shorter works, Zahn has also penned various other novels that delve into the character of Thrawn, including Outbound Flight and The Hand of Thrawn Duology within the Star Wars Legends continuity, as well as the Thrawn and The Ascendancy Trilogy series within the current canon timeline.
Heir to the Empire, Timothy Zahn's initial contribution to the Star Wars universe, picks up the story following the events of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. Subsequently, he published Dark Force Rising as a direct continuation, and later concluded the saga with The Last Command. He then authored a duology comprising Specter of the Past and Vision of the Future.
Zahn's repertoire also includes several standalone novels such as Outbound Flight, which recounts one of Thrawn's first significant victories, earning him the respect of Darth Sidious. Other notable works include Scoundrels, Survivor's Quest, Allegiance, and Choices of One. Furthermore, he lent his writing talents to several comics and short stories, such as Star Wars: Mara Jade – By the Emperor's Hand.
Later, Zahn embodied Talon Karrde from The Thrawn Trilogy in the Star Wars Customizable Card Game. Due to Karrde's more voluminous hair compared to his creator, Zahn had to resort to using hair extensions. He also participated in creating the Copero flashpoint within Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Before his engagement to write a ninth Star Wars novel, Zahn had formulated various concepts, including narratives centered on the Skywalker family, further exploits of the Hand of Judgment, and deeper explorations of Thrawn and Mara Jade Skywalker's histories. During Celebration III, Zahn expressed his desire to craft a novel set after Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, featuring Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, and a young Ben. However, the possibility of that novel in that time period was removed when Mara died in Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice. Yet, in a subsequent interview with TheForce.net, Zahn conveyed his continued aspiration to develop a novel about the Skywalker family with Mara, Ben, and Luke, or to recount additional stories, but it would need to be set prior to Star Wars: Legacy of the Force.
In response to a fan's inquiry at Celebration III, Zahn indicated his interest in further work with Thrawn, specifically involving a novel threat that only a clone of the grand admiral could address. This clone would grapple with self-doubt due to expectations of matching the original Chiss's excellence. Zahn mentioned at a Philadelphia book signing his desire for the Thrawn clone to collaborate with Ben Skywalker. In a Facebook Q&A in 2013, Zahn revealed a trilogy proposal presented to Lucasfilm, featuring a book about Thrawn and the Chiss species, another about Jade preventing an assassination attempt on Darth Vader, and the third installment in the Hand of Judgment series. The working title for this trilogy was The Maestro Trilogy.
The announcement of the new Canon continuity on April 25, 2014 relegated all of Zahn's previous works to Legends status. Despite this, Zahn remained involved in Star Wars, with Thrawn's reintroduction in Star Wars Rebels Season Three, specifically in the episode Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow by Dave Filoni. Zahn was selected to author Thrawn, a novel detailing Mitth'raw'nuruodo, Thrawn's ascent through the ranks of the Galactic Empire, from Lieutenant Commander to Grand Admiral. It was released on April 11, 2017.
The novel was followed by Thrawn: Alliances, a story about Anakin Skywalker and the Chiss's victory over the Separatists on Mokivj, and Darth Vader and the Grand Admiral's discovery of a significant threat to the Empire, the Grysk Hegemony. It was released on June 26, 2018. Subsequently, he released Thrawn: Treason, the concluding part of the trilogy, in which Thrawn, aided by Admiral Ar'alani, defeated the Grysk Hegemony and Balanhai Savit. It was released on July 23, 2019.
On September 1, 2020, Zahn launched Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising, the initial book in the Star Wars: The Ascendancy Trilogy, which focused on Thrawn's time within the Chiss Ascendancy. Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good, the second book in the Ascendancy Trilogy, was released on April 27, 2021. Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil, which concluded the Ascendancy Trilogy, was released on November 16, 2021.
For Thrawn's appearance in the Disney+ series Ahsoka, Zahn was regularly consulted by Filoni and other creatives to ensure the character was written perfectly.