

Zahn stated at a book signing in Philadelphia that he would like the clone of Thrawn to team up with Ben Skywalker. The clone would become unsure of himself due to the people expecting him to be as good as the original Chiss. Zahn answered a fan's question at Celebration III, he shared that he would be interested in working more with Thrawn if it involved a new threat that only a clone of the grand admiral could solve. But it would have had to be before Star Wars: Legacy of the Force. Zahn said he still wanted to do a novel about the Skywalker family with Mara, Ben and Luke or to tell more tales. But the possibility of that novel in that time period vanished when Mara died in Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice. At Celebration III, Zahn said he would like to write a novel set after Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, featuring Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, and a teenager Ben. Planned works īefore Zahn was hired to write a ninth Star Wars novel, Zahn had planned a number of ideas including stories of the Skywalker family, more adventures of the Hand of Judgment and more of Thrawn's and Mara Jade Skywalker's backstories. He was also involved in the writing of Copero flashpoint in Star Wars: The Old Republic. As Karrde had much more hair than his creator, Zahn needed to use hair extensions. Zahn later portrayed Talon Karrde from The Thrawn Trilogy, for the Star Wars Customizable Card Game. Talon Karrde (portrayed by Zahn, right) with Mara Jade (portrayed by Shannon McRandle) and Corran Horn (portrayed by Michael Stackpole). He also contributed to the script of several comics and short stories such as Star Wars: Mara Jade – By the Emperor's Hand.

Scoundrels, Survivor's Quest, Allegiance and Choices of One. Zahn also wrote various standalone novels, such as Outbound Flight, which told one of Thrawn's first victories, which gained him the respect of Darth Sidious. He later wrote a duology which consisted of Specter of the Past and Vision of the Future. He later released Dark Force Rising as a sequel to the former, and later concluded the trilogy with The Last Command.

Timothy Zahn's first book in the Star Wars franchise was Heir to the Empire, which followed the events after Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. " I wandered around the house for the next couple of hours, lost in a fog of excitement, anticipation, and panic, wondering if I could possibly come up with a story that would do justice to George Lucas's vision." ―Timothy Zahn
