Being a massive fan of Star Wars, it’s been a real privilege to have deepened my personal connection to it over the years, something that has been an unexpected benefit of running this website. I’ve been able to work on some projects spun from various licenses; had my own home movies used in Target’s promotional commercials leading up to the release of The Force Awakens; and I was able to take part in the Global Media Event for that very film – the first-ever Star Wars film to be released under Disney’s ownership of Lucasfilm. That said, there is one big connection that I do not have, and one that I’ve been asked about more times than I can remember – and it’s gone back to the early 1990s. No, I am not related to Star Wars author Timothy Zahn, creator of Grand Admiral Thrawn. In fact, we’d never actually met until he made an appearance at Count-I-Con in Lake County, Illinois last year. To make it completely official, he signed a copy of his Heir to the Empire 20th Anniversary Edition hardcover to our entire family with “no relation” tacked on the end. So why bring this up now? At Star Wars Celebration Orlando, there was a whole lot of Grand Admiral Thrawn action happening, and you’re going to be seeing a lot more of the blue-faced Imperial in the months ahead.
Having just released his latest novel, THRAWN, through Del Rey Books last week, Zahn made an appearance at #SWCO to promote the title – perfectly-timed with the announcement that Star Wars Rebels will conclude with its upcoming fourth season, one that finds the Grand Admiral hot on the trail of our Rebel heroes. Additionally, Hasbro recently issued a Star Wars Rebels 3.75″ action figure of the character (we have yet to find one), and has revealed that Grand Admiral Thrawn will soon come to Star Wars The Black Series… twice. This summer, visitors to San Diego Comic-Con can pick up an incredible SDCC-exclusive version of the figure, while a standard edition will hit retailers this fall.
STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES 6-INCH GRAND ADMIRAL THRAWN (SDCC Exclusive) (Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $49.99/Available at Comic-Con International in San Diego)
Seeing as Thrawn is a collector of interesting artifacts himself, the SDCC packaging is just a creative and fantastic addition. While I doubt this will wind up in our collection here at Rock Father HQ (not attending SDCC), it’s most certainly a sight to behold.
For the latest news from the Star Wars Galaxy, including Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Phil Lord & Christopher Miller’s Han Solo: A Star Wars Story, Disney XD’s Star Wars Rebels, and all of the newest toys and more, check out TheRockFather.com/StarWars!
