With yesterday’s announcement that Star Wars: Episode 7 is on the way, speculation as to where the plot is headed is in full swing. While we can’t tell you exactly what the story will entail, we can tell you this: The next trilogy will not be based on Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy, like many had assumed.
The Thrawn Trilogy, also known as the Heir To The Empire Trilogy, is a series of novels that picks up the story 5 years after the events of Return Of The Jedi. The series introduces characters such as Mara Jade, Talon Karrde, and Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Mara Jade is an assassin who is sent to avenge the death of the Emperor by killing Luke Skywalker, but before killing him she falls for his blue eyes and blonde curls and they end up marrying. Luke is also trying to cope with the fact he’s the only Jedi left, and attempting to change that fact.
Princess Leia and Han Solo are also heavily involved, popping out a pair of twins. The name Thrawn refers to an admiral with imperial sympathies who takes over as leader of the enemy faction.
The series was generally well received by fans, and was even voted into NPR’s top 100 science fiction and fantasy books in 2011.
So that’s a quick overview of what some fans thought the story would be, but as reported by E Online, a source from Lucasfilm says that is not the direction the new trilogy will go, and it is indeed an original story.
So basically you can forget everything you know or don’t know about the Thrawn Trilogy. It’s all irrelevant. However, this does not pose the question of where the story is headed.
There have been rumors that the new films will pick up somewhere between 20 and 40 years after the events of Return Of The Jedi, possibly leaving the story open to appearances by Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill as their original characters. That hasn’t been close to confirmed, so don’t get your hopes up quite yet, it’s just one possibility to think about.
Where do you think the story should head? Are you disappointed that Star Wars: Episode 7 won’t follow the Thrawn Trilogy? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
