#thrawn ascendancy greater good

[jewishcissiekj]

In honor of Twitter dying again, here are some Chiss tweets I made a while ago

I need to make more tbh

[oenimo]

It’s funny reading my Thrawn ascendancy hard copies because I bought them like, very new, I think they’re all first editions, so I keep finding typos

And hilariously, they are most often in words Zahn himself made up

[heirtotheempire]

Well folks I'm returning to this post and adding more commentary since I finally finished Lesser Evil (yippee!)

Most of this still stands in my eyes. The Syndicure is a xenophobic government, they fear any change, they're so paranoid and up their own asses that they cannot fathom another species being as smart and aware as they think they are.

But, the same goes for the Expansionary Defense Fleet. Most of them have to be convinced to work with Thrawn, and it tends to be under the notion that if they don't help, the whole Ascendancy would fall. Less of a 'Hey, helping people is cool!' and more just duty fulfillment, unorthodox as it is at times.

Roscu was absolutely amazing btw. Adore her, love her, one of my faves. And I think she gives a very good perspective, being a family-oriented Chiss who doesn't automatically support Thrawn. IMO she represents the average Chiss naval officer. She's committed to the 'attack only when provoked' policy, listens to her superiors, but also is aware enough to recognize what benefits what she cares about- even if that does end up with her disobeying orders. She's not loudly xenophobic, I'd argue most Chiss aren't, but the way she acts makes it clear she only ever deals with aliens when her duties call for it. Any other interaction would be way out of her comfort zone, and most likely something she'd actively avoid (that's speculation, but hey it's my post!)

It is easy to look at the Nikardun, Agbui, and Grysks and think "Well they're all baddies, so of course they want to take down the Chiss. They want power!" But, it is important to look beyond that and ask what could motivate people to take stand against the Chiss.

Could it be that the Chiss, in isolating themselves and showing aggression to those who do not follow their strict way of life, are a threat? Are THEY the baddies in the eyes of these groups?

Of course, this is once again speculative. And it doesn't mean Jixtus and his goons are good guys either. But I doubt these groups just randomly started hating the Chiss out of the blue (lol). I'd love to see insight into the perspectives of other species who are aware of the Chiss, to see why their fear or hatred emerged. Who knows, maybe the Ascendancy is covering up far more than just the Starflash incident and true population count.

As I read through the Ascendency trilogy, it is becoming more and more clear that the Chiss Ascendency is as hateful as the Empire. And it's odd how few people call that out. I think it is because Zahn does a fantastic job at hiding it through Chiss POV, but even then, the Chiss are still incredibly xenophobic and controlling. Yes, this includes Thrawn, he isn't the saint that so many people like to paint him as and frankly could be argued as worse.

I keep thinking about Ar'alani admitting she never saw non-Chiss as people. She is brilliant and kind, but only to other Chiss. We view her in a purely positive light because the POVs in these books are primarily Chiss, who agree with her. Of course her mindset is normal amongst Chiss, of course it isn't questioned, of course Ar'alani herself never questions it despite her experience off-world. It takes a direct and pretty personal interaction for her to think twice, and even then it is difficult for her to accept the humanity of a non-Chiss. They are lesser in her eyes. They are lesser in the eyes of most, if not all, of the Chiss.

It is fascinating, it really is. It's an interesting look into a xenophobic society without the initial hate from the reader. Because xenophobia is born out of misunderstanding and perpetuated systems of ignorance. If a similar situation was told but through the eyes of Imperial officers, fewer people would be willing to see the nuances. Because Empire=Bad and anyone associating with it is also Bad, right?

But, propaganda and cycles of ignorance are also to blame. Not every Imperial Officer was born hating aliens. Hell, even TARKIN started out incredibly sympathetic to alien species according to the canon novel by James Luceno. But his family taught him otherwise, just as the Chiss Ascendency teaches its own children see other species as lesser.

This mentality from the Ascendency is also seen in Thrawn: Treason with how Eli Vanto is treated simply for being human. The majority of officers hate his existence, insist he must prove himself (despite being at a lower rank than he was at when with the Empire), and are distrustful of him. Very similar to how Ronan treats Thrawn in the same novel.

This isn't, like, a call to love Chiss characters any less, but it's a bit odd to imply that Thrawn, or any other Chiss, would be against the Empire for the same reasons the Rebellion is. The Ascendency doesn't like the Empire because it could encroach on their rule, their space- not because it's xenophobic and oppresses too many people to count. The two systems are remarkably similar, which may be part of why Thrawn was inclined to help the Empire. It is familiar, and a system Thrawn himself has never opposed, even without taking Legends into account.

(SIDE NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT BRING UP SPOILERS FOR GREATER GOOD OR LESSER EVIL ON THIS POST. I AM STILL READING THOSE BOOKS AND WOULD LIKE TO ENJOY THEM SPOILER-FREE)

[jetcorax]

he'll burn himself down

gotta love a good fall from grace

magali villeneuve, greater good cover

lesser evil by timothy zahn

greater good by timothy zahn

lesser evil by timothy zahn

luke ross and nolan woodward, thrawn (2018)

thrawn: alliances by timothy zahn

pat olliffe, andrea di vito, and rachelle rosenberg, thrawn: alliances (2024)

star wars: rebels, "family reunion - and farewell"

thrawn: treason by timothy zahn

chaos rising by timothy zahn

star wars: rebels, "family reunion - and farewell"

[mintelsa]

did i … fully render something ? who am i

based on my last sketch !

[autismmydearwatson]

My review of Thrawn Ascendancy

[amandamadeathing]

Made this meme. If I knew what he looked like, Supreme General Ba'kif would be holding the rein right in the middle.

I'm always going to render Admiral Ar'alani in "dazzling white" from head to toe.

[klazje]

bringing the essentials to college (both thrawn trilogies)

[jorrmund]

Mid Captain Samakro after his shift...🫡

[anastasiiaosypova]

Sposia

[ascendancyzine]

Hi everyone!

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of support and excitement! It is because of this that I am looking for some mods to help me get this thing going!

If you are interested in serving as a mod for this zine, please fill out this form.

This zine is, first and foremost, for fun! And, due to the inclusion of romantic and platonic ships and entire cast of characters, it is necessary that anyone interested in being a mod maintains an open mind. This is a celebration of our favorite characters and everyone is welcome!

[jewishcissiekj]

Thrawn is Che'ri's dad and Thalias is her older sister TO YOU.

To me Thalias is Che'ri's mom and Thrawn is the cool uncle maybe and Samakro is her dad/brother. We're not the same.

[loveoaths]

the thrawn books are wild because sometimes they’re about duty and sometimes they’re about timothy zahn’s raging hardon for thrawn being the coolest nerd ever and SOMETIMES they’re about a sad old lady wanting to kill herself and thrawn saying “hurry up and do it already we’ve got places to be” then not understanding why everyone is booing him

literally thrawn.

[is-that-sand-in-my-waffles]

Thurfian wakes up every day and consciously chooses to be a hater and honestly? Good for him.

[wallflowers-garden]

baylan may be serving a greater good… but what about a lesser evil?

[mintelsa]

scribbling more of my thrawn character interpretations ~ add these chiss girlies to the collection