Jedi Bibliothek has our first look at the new covers for Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy. This time, they’re a triptych!
They are, without a doubt, a vast improvement over the very dated originals. And that’s certainly a lot of the eponymous Grand Admiral Thrawn, which makes sense as his forthcoming Rebels appearance is the catalyst for the long-overdue refresh.
The new artwork is by Rick Kelly, we learned from Del Rey’s Tom Hoeler. The official Star Wars Books page has also shared the new covers.
I am sad to see that our namesake Mara Jade didn’t make the cut this time. Sure, Thrawn is becoming canon and she isn’t, but she is a major character in these books – and one of the most popular Legends characters ever. Did they just not want to get our hopes up?
In any case, here’s hoping that the new look gets more people reading. Legends or not, Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising and The Last Command are some of the best Star Wars novels on the shelves.
The new covers are expected to begin appearing in stores late next month, as the existing paperbacks are restocked.
Thrawn makes his Rebels debut on September 24 , with a new canon Timothy Zahn novel coming in April.
I loved those books but I was way more interested in C’baoth, Jade and Rukh than Thrawn.
ROFL, total opposite. Well, I like Mara (Mara/Luke 4EVAH) but C’baoth was clearly just an old nut and I honestly forget about the Noghri except to loathe Rukh after the fact. Meanwhile, everyone up to and including Zahn Himself knows how I feel about Thrawn. (Still mad about the end of The Last Command.)
And here…I’m mostly thinking…did the artist actually paint Leia as visibly pregnant? Because obviously it’s rather critical to the plot but it’s not something that gets depicted a lot.
The artwork has a vague is-she-or-isn’t-she-pregnant vibe going. That top is flowy enough to be maternity wear (I do not miss those lol).
Needs more Mara, but yes, a definite improvement.