Another thing I think could be a weakness of Thrawn’s, and really Star Wars in general, that I’d love to see exploited more (though I doubt it will be) is the Planet of the Hats.
In Star Wars, most species are pretty static – they all seem to follow the same general patterns and cultures, which I think is a major waste on Star Wars’s front. As much as people are shaped by the culture they grow up in, there are equally those who define themselves outside of such, and especially in a place as vast and varied as the GFFA, there’d be a lot of cultural mixing and variety. The sheer vastness of the galaxy would confound attempts at a single, solid culture – is that zabrak from Iridonia, Dathomir, Coruscant? Is this twi’lek from Ryloth, Tatooine, Ord Mantell, a thousand other systems? They’re all going to have their differences; so how does one define a single ‘zabrak’ or ‘twi’lek’ culture?
As a weakness, I could see it as stemming from Thrawn’s background – in the Ascendancy series, we meet the xenophobic, culturally isolated Chiss, surrounded by the other xenophobic, culturally isolated governments of the Chaos. It’s ripe for producing that kind of one-size-fits-all view of other cultures. Thrawn is better than most Chiss, but there’s still a mindset, which he’s unlikely to consider a problem, especially when it’s helped him to so many victories – until it hits him in the face.
Thrawn can analyze the art of a species for cultural weaknesses, but I’d love to see him scramble after he realizes his Mon Calamari opponent is fighting like a weequay pirate crossed with a Mandalorian shock trooper.
Interestingly, I also think it’s a weakness of the Grysk, which I’d love to see exploited – for conquerors that depend on a deep understanding of their opponent’s motives, the sheer variety of the galaxy would massively slow them down. A twi’lek from Ryloth will have different pressure points than a Mandalorian twi’lek, or one from Tatooine. And that’s just one species – add in the sheer numbers, mixed cultures, and it’s going to be a job and a half. Unless, of course, they’re facing the Imperial Navy – humans all, raised and trained in the same culture. Except for Thrawn… who is, in the end, only one man.
