Grand Admiral Thrawnhas been a core part of theStar Warsuniverse since the 1990s, but one of his later storylines got quite a bit goofy in one specific way: his secret base.Star Warsis pretty tonally consistent across all of its movies, with even the outliers likeStar Wars: Episode I -The Phantom MenaceandThe Empire StrikesBackstill having a generally consistent amount of goofiness and seriousness.The novelsSpecter of the PastandVision of the Futureby Thrawn creator Timothy Zahn, however, introduce one of the silliest locations inStar Wars.
During the year 19 ABY, 10 years after Thrawn’sStar WarsLegendsdeath, theNew Republic’s heroes wind up on the trail of something known as the Hand of Thrawn. It’s revealed that the Hand of Thrawn was actually a fortress that was the headquarters of Thrawn’s very own Empire of the Hand, a coalition of forces loyal to him for fighting threats in theUnknown Regions. The fortress itself is where this genuinely serious story gets very goofy.
It’s A Fortress That Looks Like A Hand
InVision of the Future, upon Luke Skywalker andMara Jade’s escape from the Hand of Thrawn in a stolen starfighter, they looked back at the fortress. Seeing its five towers – four tall ones, and one shorter one – they suddenly realized why it was called the “Hand”;the fortress is literally shaped like a hand. All this time, the mystery of the Hand of Thrawn was not metaphorical, but literal.
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It’s unknown which came first in-universe, the name or the layout, but nonetheless,this base known as the “Hand of Thrawn” is literally a giant hand. Unfortunately, due to the fact thatVision of the Futureis a novel without a visual adaptation, and because the Hand didn’t appear anywhere visually, there are no images of it. This means that to what extent the fortress actually does look like a hand is up to the reader’s imagination.
Will The Hand Of Thrawn Appear In Star Wars Canon?
Thrawn’s Secret Empire
Because Thrawn has now been established as such a major player in theNew Republic Eraof canon, it’s interesting to consider if the Hand of Thrawn will appear in canon.Largely, though, it actually has – from a certain point of view. The Hand was established by Thrawn during his time in the Unknown Regions, his return from which being the campaign that canon is adapting withAhsokaand future stories.
With that in mind, Thrawn’s base on Peridea really is something of a canon version of the Empire of the Hand, but used differently and at a different point in time. In fact, viewers even saw Thrawn with a fortress inAhsoka, though it sadly wasn’t shaped like a hand. No matter what, it’s important to read and cherish these Legendsstories, as they are incredibly important to the identity ofStar Warsand how it will continue to develop in the future.
Grand Admiral Thrawn
The only alien to ever ascend to the rank of Grand Admiral, Thrawn is a strategic genius who hails from an isolationist race known as the Chiss. Thrawn’s motives are enigmatic, but his tactical brilliance made him a vital asset for the Empire. Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger successfully defeated Thrawn during the Battle of Lothal, resulting in Thrawn’s exile to the distant planet Peridea in another galaxy, but the Grand Admiral has now returned.
