In May of 1991, the “Star Wars” EU novel “Heir to the Empire” was published. While it wasn’t the first book to be published that expanded the galaxy far, far away, it was the first in a new wave of novels that would set the stage for a renewed interest in the property in terms of storytelling. Part of this success came from author Timothy Zahn‘s creation of the character Grand Admiral Thrawn. And if your’e a fan of Thrawn, you’ll soon be able to enjoy his presence in collectible form thanks to Hot Toys and Sideshow Collectables.
Thrawn is a distinctly unique character in that he was so beloved from his appearance in the books that he was made an officially canon character. When Disney bought out the right to the Lucasfilm catalog, they pushed all of the “Star Wars” expanded universe novels into a “Legends” continuity. But come time for the need of a villain for “Star Wars: Rebels,” and they contacted Zahn to bring his creation into the official main continuity, played by Lars Mikkelsen.
If you haven’t read Zahn’s trilogy, we highly suggest it.
Mikkelsen was also hired to play Thrawn in live-action, starting with “Ahsoka.” It’s this appearance that the 1/6th scale figure is based off of. It’s fantastically detailed, especially in the facial features. In fact, the two eyeballs are separately rolling, allowing you to change the direction of Thrawn’s penetrating glare. He also looks stunning in his white Grand Admiral uniform.
The figure also comes with an assortment of accessories including swappable hands to allow Thrawn to grip some of the other things he comes with. And what can Thrawn hold besides the fate of the universe in his hands? Well, mostly a blaster and a datapad. Also included his a hologram display of an Imperial Star Destroyer, presumably the Chimaera.
You can pre-order the figure via Sideshow Collectibles now. There’s no official release date listed, just a delivery window of Oct 2024-Mar 2025.
