Timothy Zahn unveiled a frightening, new galactic threat in the new Thrawn Trilogy – The Grysks from The Unknown Regions.
We don’t know much about the Grysk species. But we learned from Thrawn that they are a significant threat to the known galaxy for many reasons.
In both Thrawn: Alliances & Thrawn: Treason, Thrawn and his crew encountered the mysterious species trespassing on Imperial Space. The Grysks were planning operations to make navigation in the Unknown Regions nearly impossible for anyone but them. They were also secretly stealing supplies destined for the Death Star.
The Grysks possess Star Destroyer-sized warships, new technology such as cloaking ability, and they even employ psychological warfare. Using their targets’ fears against them, they break them to the point of unwavering loyalty to the Grysk cause.
Who Created Starkiller Base?
The creation of Starkiller base is still a mystery. While on the surface it looked like another Death Star, it was very different. When you consider what the Grysks were up to, Starkiller base fits into their plans perfectly. The Grysks were employing devices to close off hyperspace lanes into their territory, and stealing force-sensitive navigators. Then they began stealing supplies meant for the death star (perhaps they even knew about the Death Star).
If their strategy was to make incursion into their territory impossible, then the next strategy would be to employ a long-range weapon to fire from their territory. Perhaps the Grysks had designed Starkiller base, and the Emperor somehow included gaining access to it in his contingency plan.
The Grysks in Episode IX
So much of the focus in Star Wars in the last couple years has been on the Unknown Regions. The entire Aftermath and Battlefront series focused on the Contingency Plan to escape to the Unknown Regions. Additionally, the first adventure with the Grysks in the Thrawn trilogy started at Black Spire Outpost on Batuu. This is the same planet that Disney chose to make its flagship for its parks. The future of Star Wars is obviously very invested in these new story lines, and Batuu represents the bridge from the old and the new.
There is already speculation about Snoke being a Grysk…. And that the Resistance and the First Order will end up teaming up to fight the Grysks in The Rise Of Skywalker. However, I suspect that their role in Episode IX will still be one of foreboding. What if in resolving the Skywalker Saga, the Grysk threat is uncovered enough to provide the bridge to the future of Star Wars? They are enough of a menacing threat to dedicate an entire new story line.
Either way, I have no doubt that the Grysks have a much larger role to play in the future of Star Wars.
