So who do you think the "Mystery" admiral was at the end of Aftermath?

I sincerely hope it's not Thrawn. I love Thrawn and all, and would love to see his triumphant return to the EU.... however I do NOT want Chuck Wendig writing him. His dialouge already doesn't seem like Thrawn.

Why it might be thrawn - The shroud of mystery behind the guy. He is obviously a man of significant power and influence. He's also a fan favorite. This would be a good time (chronologically) to introduce him. He would make a good arch villain for this Trilogy.

Why it probably isn't Thrawn - He is too cruel. Killing people as a "test", and if you didn't die then you passed the test? Thrawn wasn't so bloodthirsty with his own people. He valued life a touch more than that and I don't think he'd do something like that. Also, I think the Author wants you to THINK it's thrawn so you buy the 2nd book. I will NOT buy the 2nd book unless it's by a different author regardless.

Also - it sounds like Boba Fett is alive and well - but has discarded his old armor - so that's interesting. Wonder if he's got his old ship?

They are probably going the Clone Wars route where any military member opposing the good guys must be vicious and cruel and the only sympathetic people in the antagonist force are civilians, politicians or only become sympathetic after being back stabbed by their former superiors.

I hope it's not him either but I did notice that the book also discussed (a couple of times I think) how Palpatine explored beyond the galaxy and established relationships and such out there. And that certainly sounds like the backstory for how those two got together.

I really want it not to be Thrawn. Really, _really_ want it not to be. Thrawn is best in moderation, and is very hard to write properly.

But man. The fact that the Fleet Admiral refused to start talking until he'd finished whistleling a specific song? That screams "obsessed with art!" in the way Thrawn is.

I agree with orevious posters. Thrawn needs better writting. The plan itself, could be devised by Him but sacrificing people and ships does not.

In Heir to the Empire, he preferred to handle Rebel fleet with Chimaera only to avoid showing true numbers, in case anybody survives. Again, Thrawn was not a person to waste resources.

Now, despite all that. I want Thrawn

I haven't read Lost Stars, but the guy who is in charge of the Imperials at the battle of Jakku is named. Is this the same person?

I haven't seen anyone suggest the same, which makes me think the answer is no because that conclusion would be a little obvious.

I haven't read Lost Stars, but the guy who is in charge of the Imperials at the battle of Jakku is named. Is this the same person?

Grand Moff Randd

I haven't seen anyone suggest the same, which makes me think the answer is no because that conclusion would be a little obvious.

The mystery guy is named Fleet Admiral. So a military rank, moff is not a member of military, though he supervises forces in his area.

Thrawn loved art, but wasn't obsessed to the point he had to finish a song, before starting a conversation.

He would do it if it was meant to let a subordinate wsit longer to learn respect.

Thrawn could be cruel if needed, destroying an entire civilization. But never cruel for just being cruel.

He would be if there was no other way and then would contemplate the issue for a long time after.

After all a succesfull campaign is almost an artform by itself...

I think people are misremembering Thrawn. Or, at least how he was presented in the Thrawn Trilogy. Before Zahn got all fanficcy with him.

My best guess is that it's Snoke.

My best guess is that it's Snoke.

I think the interludes were the best part of the book:

-Han and Chewy saving the wookies on Kashyyk

-Reformation of the Senate

-Mando armor on Tattooine

So effing legit

Yea about that armor.... Did he make it or did the Jawas just pull it from a Sarlaac dung heap?

Yea about that armor.... Did he make it or did the Jawas just pull it from a Sarlaac dung heap?

Laughs as this reminds him of a time in an Star Wars Mush where I was part of a group of Mandalorians and Bounty Hunters who found themselves trapped in the Sarlacc after the ROTJ Sail Barge incident.(The Mandalorians were allied with the Alliance and joined Luke's party during the fight. The Bounty Hunter was aiding Jabba's forces and I'm not sure how he got in the Sarlacc. My character had been koed during the battle and knocked into the pit when the Sail Barge blew and my PC's Clan leader who was there and thought my PC was dead went in voluntarily to retrieve my PC's armor and body.)

We bombed our way out of the Sarlacc but blew a giant hole in his bowls en route and got caught in a flood of Sarlacc Dung. By the time we reached civilization we stunk so badly that the local population gave us a complimentary outdoor shower.

Yea about that armor.... Did he make it or did the Jawas just pull it from a Sarlaac dung heap?

Well, considering... I don't believe it's revealed in this new timeline yet.

Legends, yes, he made it. Blew a second hole in the Sarlacc (after a fair bit of weird stuff) and Dengar found him while picking for scraps around the sail barge. There were jawas involved, mostly them falling into the 'second pit of sarlacc' and warning Dengar away from it.

So... there's a possibility, however unlikely, that they are keeping this close to the original legends storyline thus giving hope to all that their favorite moments (and most hated moments) remain possible.

Now that I've lobbed that grenade over the fence, I'll let you guys toss it back and forth before somebody realizes I didn't pull the pin.

So... there's a possibility, however unlikely, that they are keeping this close to the original legends storyline thus giving hope to all that their favorite moments (and most hated moments) remain possible.

Now that I've lobbed that grenade over the fence, I'll let you guys toss it back and forth before somebody realizes I didn't pull the pin.

That's the thing about Legends, of course- and myths also. If one storyteller comes up with a terrific yarn, others are able to take that same material and weave it a bit differently. Maybe the new fabric doesn't quite match up to what had come before. But maybe- just maybe- the new stuff is even better than it's source.

That's why I _love_ that Disney chose the call the previous stories "Legends". In 50 years, perhaps there will be another reboot and these stories will be called " myths". And then the cycle will begin again.

My best guess is that it's Snoke.

Snoke is mo-cap, so probably not. He probably has some Thrawn elements,

I didn't mean Thrawn = Snoke. Just that the character at the end of the book is likely Snoke. There was no indication of the nameless fleet admiral's appearance, so it very well could have been a species that requires mo-cap to portray.

Though admittedly such an un-human alien in the ranks of the imperial navy seems odd.

It could also be Hux, though moving from a Fleet Admiral to a General seems strange. I'm assuming this character will have a role in the new movie, otherwise I can't see why they'd hide his name from us.

That's actually a really good point. There are only a couple of names that would mean anything.

I'm thinking based on (SPOILERS), mon mothma's 90% military reduction, the empire walls itself off in the unknown regions, and reinvents itself as the first order, then lashes out and kicks the crap out of the new republic after a long period of Peace, and rises to become the dominant power, challenged by what's left of the new republic in the form of the resistance

I'm thinking based on (SPOILERS), mon mothma's 90% military reduction, the empire walls itself off in the unknown regions, and reinvents itself as the first order, then lashes out and kicks the crap out of the new republic after a long period of Peace, and rises to become the dominant power, challenged by what's left of the new republic in the form of the resistance

I think it's more likely that the First Order is up to no good , and the Resistance breaks with the New Republic in order to try and stop them- or at least mitigate the harms.

I'm thinking based on (SPOILERS), mon mothma's 90% military reduction, the empire walls itself off in the unknown regions, and reinvents itself as the first order, then lashes out and kicks the crap out of the new republic after a long period of Peace, and rises to become the dominant power, challenged by what's left of the new republic in the form of the resistance

I think it's more likely that the First Order is up to no good , and the Resistance breaks with the New Republic in order to try and stop them- or at least mitigate the harms.

Yeah these ideas seem super likely. Especially with some of the Imperial leadership wanting to go hide in the outer rim. And the one guy wanted to learn more about the dark side, which could explain why the First Order just feels more culty to me than the Empire did.

I'm thinking based on (SPOILERS), mon mothma's 90% military reduction, the empire walls itself off in the unknown regions, and reinvents itself as the first order, then lashes out and kicks the crap out of the new republic after a long period of Peace, and rises to become the dominant power, challenged by what's left of the new republic in the form of the resistance

From what I understand the New Republic is basically doing the same thing in canon as it did in Legends with the cutdown. They aren't disbanding those forces they are just returning the bulk of their military assets and personnel to local defense forces and thus local control but keeping a military controlled by the central government that is much larger then that controlled by the Old Republic government while also being much smaller then the central government's military under the Empire

I'm thinking based on (SPOILERS), mon mothma's 90% military reduction, the empire walls itself off in the unknown regions, and reinvents itself as the first order, then lashes out and kicks the crap out of the new republic after a long period of Peace, and rises to become the dominant power, challenged by what's left of the new republic in the form of the resistance

I think it's more likely that the First Order is up to no good , and the Resistance breaks with the New Republic in order to try and stop them- or at least mitigate the harms.

I'm liking the potential for a Cold War parallel.

Sure, the NR isn't involved with the Resistence. *wink, wink, nudge, nudge*

The Resistance could be opposed to the NR but that seems super unlikely. In Moving Target (One of the YA Journey to the Force Awakens Books) Leia is a general in the Resistance. And in Aftermath Mon Mothma is the Chancelor of the New Republic.

I can't see those two being actively opposed to one another.