Grand Admiral Thrawn

Mysterious strategic mastermind of the Imperial Navy.

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Career

After the fall of the Empire, the scattered remnents of the Imperial Navy fled into the Unknown regions beyond the edges of known space. The suddenness of the defeat left many capable leaders in despair, and this remnent would have fractured and fallen in the wastes, if not for the foresight and ambition of one quietly brilliant outsider, Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Thrawn, despite his alien herritage, rose rapidly in the ranks of the Imperial Navy, although he was largely relegated to less prestigeous posts in the regions outside of the comforts and glamour of the core worlds. Here Thrawn distinguished himself as a brilliant tactician and strategic mastermind, boldly seizing victories others would consider beyond reach. These deeds reached the ear of the Emperor, and soon Thrawn had ascended to the rank of Grand Admiral, the highest possible rank in the Imperial Navy, the only alien to ever hold the post.

In addition to his brillient performance on the battlefield, Thrawn grew a loyal following amongst the men of his fleet with a reputation for inspiring the very best performance from his men. Thrawn demanded, and achieved, superlative efficiency and performance from the crews under his command, giving him an even greater advantage during Fleet exercises. Earning him grudging respect amongst the most skillful, but a secret hatred amongst the "political" Admirals that Thrawn despised.

A continuing point of friction between Thrawn and his peers in the Navy (besides his alien, Chiss heritage) was his openly critical view of the brutally ridgid hierarchy that was widely enforced throughout the Fleet. Despite the raw power of the Imperial War-machine and it's hardware, Thrawn felt that the men of the Fleet were its most valuable asset. Thrawn eschewed the capricious and harsh punishment meted out for mistakes of inexperience, or worse, mere breech of protocol. Thrawn encouraged an atmosphere of strict professionalism, but open communication on the bridge of his Flagship, Chimaera. He even went as far as allowing his Executive Officer to question orders openly on his bridge, if done so respectfully and intelligently. Thrawn considered these moments ripe opportunity to hone the knowledge and skill of the entire staff, and he encouraged his officers to follow his example with the men under their command, stating, "any crewman on this vessel might turn the tide of battle at a critical moment".

It must be understood, however, that Thrawn was not seen as a soft commander. Loyalty and more-so, excellence, were well rewarded, but sloth or incompetence were eradicated without remorse. Not a few "comfortable" officers were broken to enlisted status for even minor mistakes that Thrawn considered negligent. "An entire engagement will turn on the fall of a torpedo or the timely activation of a thruster." he maintained.

Thrawn was an outspoken critic of many of the methods employed throughout the Fleet, and for this reason even more than his alien herritage, he remained stranded on the edges of the galaxy, and far from the political centers.