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This is my non-spoiler review of Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising by #TimothyZahn and @DelReyStarWars and recommended by @ForceCenterPod. This is my favorite #Thrawn book yet, and I am excited to share Three Big Themes from the story plus some Quick Hits and a Final Thought.
1) Order and Chaos: As the title suggests, a major theme of the story is the balance between Order and Chaos, Yin and Yang, left brain and right brain, safety and risk-taking, stability and adaptation. Some of the discussions would be right at home in a Jordan Peterson
lecture or an Ian Malcolm monologue from Jurassic Park: Lost World. To live a healthy and thriving life as an individual, a group, or a nation, one must walk the path between Order and Chaos with one foot in each. One foot in Order so that you can maintain your integrity and
stability, but one foot in Chaos so that you can learn and adapt to the changing world around you. But is Thrawn an agent of Order, of Chaos, or of Balance? Different characters have wildly different opinions of what he represents for the Mith family and for the Chiss nation.
A favorite quote involves the inherent pitfall of *avoiding* the dangers of change and adaptation: “A cautious path merely guarantees a slow slide to irrelevance.” Every generation must accept the gift of their culture, and then revivify it to keep it fresh and alive.
2) Duty, Destiny, Family, and Nation: Thrawn and his closest companions all grapple not only with finding the balance between Order and Chaos, but also between their duty to family, duty to nation, personal loyalties, and individual destiny.
Walking through this story with the characters, I felt the interplay of the deeply cosmic and the deeply personal and how they can bring fulfillment with one another at times, but at other times tear a person in two. Thrawn is a profoundly #Stoic soul, and he used a foundational
Stoic thought to help guide him through this labyrinth of values and priorities. He said, “the key to a satisfying life is to accept those things that cannot be changed and make a positive difference with those that can.” So he flowed like water into the pursuits where he could
make a difference, and around those where he could not. Another Stoic concept felt strongly in this story is Sympatheia, which is the recognition that everyone is connected and therefore no one is unaffected by our actions, for good or ill. We are used to seeing this theme
presented in Star Wars, especially by Jedi when discussing the Force, but it is just as true for a Chiss naval officer or for you or for me.
3) Values Determine Perceptions: Thrawn famously can predict a culture’s military tactics by making careful observations of their art. In Chaos Rising, this talent is explored in great detail. And what it comes down to is the fact that we do not see the world as neutral
observers, in the way a video camera does. The world is infinite and our senses and reasoning are limited, so by necessity we seek out and interpret information in a highly focused manner based upon our personal system of values. What Thrawn does, is he looks at the creations
of a culture, or even of an individual, and seeks to glean their value system from what they have made. He then analyzes the situation at hand from their point of view. The result is similar to seeing your opponent’s cards in a game of poker.
This is why Thrawn is always two steps ahead and can appear to be all-seeing and all-knowing on the battlefield.
4) Quick Hits:
- After reading all four New Canon Thrawn books, I cannot believe that he is one of “the bad guys.” In fact, he appears to be one of the most moral characters I have encountered.
- Wonderful tie-in to the Alliances adventure on Batuu with one Anakin Skywalker.
- After reading all four New Canon Thrawn books, I cannot believe that he is one of “the bad guys.” In fact, he appears to be one of the most moral characters I have encountered.
- Wonderful tie-in to the Alliances adventure on Batuu with one Anakin Skywalker.
- Great exploration of the unique lives of the Chiss Skywalkers.
- Fun clues as to the origins of the Unknown Regions, or the “Chaos” as the Chiss call it.
- My theory: Thrawn is an Aspie, 100%. And that is the answer to why he is so brilliant with tactics but not politics.
- Fun clues as to the origins of the Unknown Regions, or the “Chaos” as the Chiss call it.
- My theory: Thrawn is an Aspie, 100%. And that is the answer to why he is so brilliant with tactics but not politics.
- Enriching discussion in this story regarding In-Group/Out-Group Morality vs Universal Morality.
- As much exciting space combat action as you always hope for in a Thrawn story.
- As much exciting space combat action as you always hope for in a Thrawn story.
Final Thought: people keep saying they want a fresh Star Wars story separate from the Republic, Empire, Rebellion, Resistance, First Order, Jedi, Sith, etc. Well, this is it! Chaos Rising is my new favorite Timothy Zahn book, and one of my favorite of all Star Wars stories!
