53 pages 1 hour read

Heir to the Empire

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1991

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Summary and Study Guide

Overview

Heir to the Empire is the first book in the Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn. It is a science fantasy novel with elements of dystopian literature set in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, and it takes place approximately five years after the Rebellion’s defeat of the Empire in George Lucas’s film The Return of the Jedi.

Heir to the Empire follows Luke Skywalker, Leia Skywalker, and Han Solo as they help build the New Republic, the government that has been established since the fall of the Empire. The novel also follows the antagonist, Grand Admiral Thrawn, who controls the remains of the Empire.

This guide uses the Ballantine Books 20th Anniversary Edition (2011) on Kindle.

Plot Summary

Five years after the Rebel defeat of the Empire in George Lucas’s film Return of the Jedi, the rebellion has established itself as the New Republic, and the power and size of the Imperial army has weakened. The New Republic believes they have accounted for all remaining Grand Admirals, one of the highest positions in the Imperial army, but the novel opens onboard the Chimaera, a Star Destroyer under the command of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Thrawn is the only non-human to ever be awarded the rank of Grand Admiral in the Empire, and he has taken over control of the military with plans to regain Imperial power and defeat the Rebels.

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