The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett were just the first of many Star Wars shows coming to Disney+. While fans have been greatly enjoying the storylines thus far, some are wondering if Star Wars is trying to bring back the classic story, Heir to the Empire, in its new canon. The story was one of the best tales in the now “Legends” canon of Star Wars. It took place after the fall of the Empire and introduced people to the character of Grand Admiral Thrawn. With some of the recent developments in The Mandalorian and upcoming shows, fans hope that this is the path that Star Wars is headed down.
Heir to the Empire was published in 1991 and was written by Timothy Zahn. The story began five years after the fall of the Empire, much like The Mandalorian, and featured Luke, Leia, and Han. With Luke leading the New Jedi Order and Han and Leia leading the New Republic against the rising tide of Imperial Remnants. It was an amazing continuation from the Original Trilogy. The book introduced some fantastic characters and extremely intriguing plot points. It became a bestselling book and a beloved piece of Star Wars literature. Fans of the series would be ecstatic if parts of it were being adapted into the plot of the Disney+ shows of that same era.
Heir to the Empire Takes Place Not Long After Return of the Jedi
The story features some incredible elements that would certainly please many Star Wars fans. Grand Admiral Thrawn is gathering the remnants of the Empire in the far reaches of the galaxy. At his side is his faithful sidekick Rukh, who was in Star Wars Rebels, and a mad clone of a Jedi master named Jorus C’baoth. He also has access to a vault of the Emperor’s most terrible weapons. Everything kicks off when Luke Skywalker is captured by a group of smugglers. As he escapes from them, he is chased by Mara Jade, current smuggler and former right hand of the Emperor. At first she wants to kill Luke for the Emperor’s death, but she realizes that her survival depends on him. Then Thrawn shows up and attempts to capture Luke, too. The smugglers beat back the Imperials, and Han Solo discovers where some of Thrawn’s operations are taking place.
When Jorus finds out that Leia is going to have twin children, he decides that he will train them in the force and leave Thrawn behind. Unfortunately, due to his isolation and madness he ends up training the children in the ways of the dark side. Because of who her twins may be, Leia is hunted across the galaxy. A species called the Noghri hunt her until one them is captured. Leia finds out that they used to serve the Sith and decides to travel to their homeworld. As Thrawn throws his first of many attacks at the New Republic, he is beaten back and suffers his first major defeat. The story continues to spread out of a few different books. The New Republic faces massive threats from Thrawn and his fleet, Mara Jade works as a spy but eventually joins the New Republic and reveals the location of Thrawns base. Leia has her children, Luke and Mara battle C’baoth in Mount Tantiss, and a clone of Luke Skywalker is revealed, and Thrawn is killed by his own bodyguard.
How Heir Could Be Adapted Into the Current Star Wars Universe
Many elements of this story are already in play in the Disney+ shows. The timeframe is right: Thrawn is known to be hiding in the far reaches of space. The Imperial remnants are gathering strength, and they are trying to make Force-sensitive clones. Even more than that, Mount Tantiss — the place of the final conflict in Heir to the Empire — is mentioned and seen in The Bad Batch. The pieces have all been laid out for the shows to create their own version of this iconic story. Ahsoka Tano or Ezra Bridger could take the place of Luke Skywalker. Both characters have a long history with Thrawn and would be familiar with his tactics. Din Djarin and the other Mandalorians of the shows could act as the people that the Imperials are attacking instead of the New Republic. Thrawn could see the rise of Mandalore as a threat to his plans and decide that they are currently a bigger threat than the New Republic, especially since Grogu is a Mandalorian foundling.
This would draw most of the main members of the shows into the conflict. If Thrawn is seeking Grogu in order to create Snoke, or even restore the Emperor’s power, than it would make sense that Din would be deeply involved in the conflict. Alongside Ahsoka, the two could form a strategy to take down Thrawn. It’s possible that, with de-aging technology, Luke could be brought into the battle and meet Mara Jade, but it seems unlikely. The Ahsoka series could introduce C’baoth as she searches for Ezra and Thrawn, allowing him to play a similar role in Mount Tantiss. While it wouldn’t be a perfect adaptation, it would certainly be able to include most of the core elements of the story, simply with different characters. This would help to satisfy long-time Star Wars fans, and encourage new ones to explore some great Star Wars books.
Thrawn is undoubtedly the major villain of the Disney+ era of Star Wars. He has the potential to be dangerous, intimidating, and even have some fans empathize with him and his goals. His presence in live action can dominate the screen, and it’s what many fans have been hoping for since 1991. His conflict can help to establish a new era for Star Wars, and it could even help to clarify some of the more confusing points regarding the Emperor from the sequels. Finding a way to adapt Heir to the Empire is a fantastic way to pay homage to Star Wars‘ history, while still forging ahead with new stories.
Din Djarin, Ahsoka Tano and even Bo-Katan can also easily slide into roles in the Heir to the Empire story. They can help take the place of some characters while still maintaining what makes that story so incredible. Seeing it brought to live action would be an awe-inspiring experience that could help cement the Disney+ era of Star Wars as some of the best storytelling of the franchise.
You can watch The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett now on Disney+.
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