Thrawn's Timeline | Star Wars Guide

Thrawn (Mitth'raw' nuruodo) was born in 59 BBY.

Thrawn, born Kivu'raw'nuru with the core name Vurawn and known during his early Chiss military career as Mitth'raw'nuru, was a Chiss male officer of the Chiss Ascendancy who became a Grand Admiral in the Imperial Navy during the Galactic Empire. Distinguished by blue skin, glowing red eyes, and an angular face, he was renowned as a brilliant, methodical, and ruthless strategist who believed victory required deeply understanding an enemy's philosophy, art, and culture. After defending the Ascendancy's borders in the Unknown Regions, he allied himself with the Empire, rose swiftly through its ranks under mentors and rivals alike, and was tasked by Governor Arihnda Pryce with crushing the growing rebellion on Lothal. His campaign against the Spectres ended when the purrgil dragged his flagship, the Chimaera, into hyperspace along with Ezra Bridger, stranding him in the distant galaxy of Peridea. Years later he returned to known space amid the events of the Ahsoka series, remaining one of the Empire's most formidable surviving commanders.

Homeworld: Rentor

Species: Chiss

Force Sensitive: No

~59 BBY - Birth on Rentor

Thrawn is born a Chiss of the Ascendancy on the world of Rentor, given the name Kivu'raw'nuru. The year is not stated in canon and is an estimate drawn from later context.

~19 BBY - Rise in the Chiss Ascendancy

Adopted into the Mitth family and serving as a naval officer, Thrawn defends the Ascendancy against threats in the Unknown Regions, displaying the tactical genius that defines his career.

~19 BBY - Encounter with Anakin Skywalker

During the Clone Wars, Thrawn crosses paths with Jedi General Anakin Skywalker while pursuing a shared threat, an alliance he later recalls.

~18 BBY - Defection to the Galactic Empire

Exiled to the fringes of Chiss space, Thrawn is discovered by Imperial forces and brought before Emperor Palpatine, joining the Empire alongside translator Eli Vanto.

~5 BBY - Promotion to Grand Admiral

Through a string of decisive victories, Thrawn ascends the Imperial hierarchy to become one of only twelve Grand Admirals in the Imperial Navy.

~4 BBY - War against the rebels of Lothal

At Governor Arihnda Pryce's request, Thrawn takes command of efforts to dismantle the rebel cell on Lothal, studying his enemies and hunting the Spectres and the wider rebellion.

~2 BBY - Uncovering Project Stardust and the Bendu

Thrawn presses his campaign against the rebels, contends with the mysterious Bendu on Atollon, and oversees Imperial development projects while closing in on the Lothal resistance.

~1 BBY - Vanishing over Lothal

During the liberation of Lothal, Ezra Bridger lures purrgil to seize Thrawn's flagship, the Chimaera, and jump to hyperspace, carrying Thrawn and Ezra to the distant galaxy of Peridea.

~9 ABY - Return from Peridea

Stranded for years, Thrawn is located by Morgan Elsbeth's allies; during the events of the Ahsoka series he boards the Chimaera and escapes Peridea, returning toward the known galaxy as a renewed threat.

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⚡ Thrawn's Timeline

Key Events in Thrawn's Star Wars Story