Timothy Zahn (born September 1, 1951) is an American science fiction and fantasy author, best known for his extensive contributions to the Star Wars Expanded Universe, particularly the Thrawn trilogy. Beyond Star Wars, Zahn has authored several original sci-fi and fantasy series, as well as numerous short stories.

Timothy Zahn

Photo by Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

Early Life and Education

Zahn grew up in Lombard, Illinois, and attended Glenbard East High School. He has been a science fiction enthusiast since childhood. He pursued higher education at Michigan State University and later worked toward a doctorate in physics at the University of Illinois.

Career

Zahn’s novella “Cascade Point” won the 1984 Hugo Award. He is the author of the Blackcollar trilogy and the Cobra series, which currently includes nine novels. His work in the Star Wars Expanded Universe comprises fourteen novels, with thirteen featuring Grand Admiral Thrawn:

  • Thrawn Trilogy
    • Heir to the Empire (1991)
    • Dark Force Rising (1992)
    • The Last Command (1993)
  • Hand of Thrawn Duology
    • Specter of the Past (1997)
    • Vision of the Future (1998)
  • Standalone Novels
    • Outbound Flight (2006)
    • Choices of One (2011)
  • New Thrawn Trilogy
    • Thrawn (2017)
    • Thrawn: Alliances (2018)
    • Thrawn: Treason (2019)
  • Thrawn Ascendancy Trilogy
    • Chaos Rising (2020)
    • Greater Good (2021)
    • Lesser Evil (2021)

The Thrawn trilogy played a pivotal role in reviving interest in the Star Wars franchise during the early 1990s, with all three novels reaching The New York Times Best Seller list.

In 2014, Zahn collaborated with David Weber on the Manticore Ascendant series, set within the Honorverse. In 2023, he served as a creative consultant for the Disney+ miniseries Ahsoka, assisting the creative team in accurately portraying Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Note: This post is based on publicly available information from Wikipedia.