When Emperor Palpatine sends Darth Vader and Grand Admiral Thrawn to investigate a disturbance in the Force, the assignment sounds simple enough. Then Palpatine names their destination: Batuu. Thrawn admits he’s heard of the planet, while Vader says nothing. There’s a good reason the Emperor is paying attention to both of them.
Thrawn Knew Anakin Before He Met Vader
Thrawn figured out Vader’s identity because he’d already worked with Anakin Skywalker. In Thrawn: Alliances, Palpatine sends him back to the same part of the galaxy where he and Anakin first worked together. This time, Thrawn gets to see how Vader handles some of the same dangers.
Their first meeting above Batuu takes place during the Clone Wars. Anakin is looking for Padmé Amidala, his wife, after she goes missing. He introduces himself as a Republic general, but Thrawn notices something odd right away. A general on military business would usually bring soldiers. Anakin has shown up in a single fighter with an astromech droid. Thrawn guesses the search is personal and offers to help find Padmé in exchange for information about the war.
Soon they’re fighting side by side. When attackers corner them in a cantina, Anakin comes up with a way to lure out the one who got away: make him think one of his partners survived. Thrawn gets to see how Anakin thinks when a plan falls apart and he has to come up with another one on the spot.
Vader Gave Thrawn a Second Look at the Same Man
Years later, Palpatine sends Thrawn and Vader to Batuu. Once again, Thrawn walks into a cantina in the settlement of Black Spire with a Force user at his side. Once again, they come under attack. This time, Vader fights his way out with a lightsaber and the Force. Later in the mission, Thrawn also gets to watch Vader fly a TIE Defender in combat, another chance to compare him with the Jedi pilot he knew during the war.
What makes the comparison more revealing is how Vader reacts when Thrawn brings up Anakin. The mentions irritate him. One comes when Thrawn needs Vader to guide his flagship through dangerous space. The Chiss use Force-sensitive navigators for that job, and their name for them translates as “sky-walkers.” Thrawn tells Vader how surprised he was to meet a Jedi general with that name. Imagine hearing someone tell you the story of how you first met, all while addressing you as if you were someone else.
Vader Finally Brings Up the Name Himself
By the end of the mission, Vader knows what Thrawn has been getting at. “Anakin Skywalker is dead,” he tells him. Thrawn answers, “I know.”
That reply works because both men understand what Vader is asking of him. Throughout the book, Vader thinks of his former self as “the Jedi,” as though he’s remembering someone else’s life. Thrawn has figured out who’s under the armor, and he lets Vader end the conversation there.
Why Anakin’s Name Gets Thrawn’s Attention in Ahsoka
Years later, in Ahsoka’s “Dreams and Madness,” Morgan Elsbeth hands Thrawn a file on the Jedi he’s about to face. One detail makes him pause: Ahsoka trained under General Anakin Skywalker.
Watch Thrawn read Ahsoka’s file and react to Anakin’s name.
Thrawn is trying to buy enough time to leave the planet. If Ahsoka learned to improvise the way Anakin did, chasing her could hand her an opening. He focuses on controlling what he can and later calls his troops back. Every minute they’ve already kept her busy is a minute closer to departure.