Star Wars is about to explore the Unknown Regions, in Timothy Zahn's Thrawn: Ascendancy. Introduced in the old Expanded Universe, the Unknown Regions are a vast area of the galaxy that has never been explored. They have given Star Wars writers the opportunity to flex their creative muscles, imagining new races and alien empires who can come into contact with the Jedi.

The Unknown Regions were easily one of the best ideas in the Expanded Universe, and Disney wasted no time incorporating them into the new canon. In Chuck Wendig's novel Aftermath: Empire's End, readers learned Palpatine had become obsessed with the Unknown Regions, which were described as an "unexplored infinity... closed off by a labyrinth of solar storms, rogue magnetospheres, black holes, gravity wells, and things far stranger." That plot thread culminated in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which revealed Palpatine had discovered an ancient Sith redoubt hidden in the Unknown Regions, the planet Exegol. There, he had survived his death in Return of the Jedi, and was biding his time to threaten the galaxy once again.

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Timothy Zahn's upcoming Thrawn: Ascendancy trilogy promises to finally explore the Unknown Regions. Speaking at this year's Lucasfilm Publishing Panel at Comic-Con@Home, Zahn confirmed he'd be revealing just how the Chiss Ascendancy - one of the great powers of the Unknown Regions - operates. According to Zahn, the Chiss Ascendancy will find itself caught in the crosshairs of a terrible new threat, and its greatest champion, Grand Admiral Thrawn, will stand in its defense.

Star Wars Thrawn Ascendancy

The Chiss are a fascinating race, created by Zahn back in 1991 and incorporated back into the canon, but there has never before been an entire series of novels focused on them. This is a unique opportunity for the Star Wars franchise, because the Chiss have charted a lot of the Unknown Regions, and Thrawn has spoken of countless mysterious horrors that are kept at bay by the Ascendancy. The interesting question, though, is just how Zahn's story will relate to the main Star Wars saga. It's possible this story is set during the prequel era, before Thrawn left his people to join the Empire. Alternatively, it could be set after Star Wars Rebels, which ended with Thrawn transported back into the Unknown Regions - and he hasn't been seen since. If the latter is the case, this would be the very period the Empire was exploring the Unknown Regions, with the Emperor building secret strongholds that loyalists could use to establish the First Order.

The Skywalker saga has come to an end, and the Star Wars movies are on hiatus - a pause that's been extended due to the coronavirus pandemic. It's falling to Lucasfilm Publishing to act as trailblazers right now, and they're taking that mission seriously. On the one hand, Lucasfilm Publishing is set to introduce readers to the High Republic Era, 200 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, a smart move that could open up galactic history for future exploration. Now, through Timothy Zahn, they're also introducing readers to strange new worlds and civilizations that add a very different dynamic to the franchise. It's going to be fascinating to see where Star Wars goes next.

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