YMMV / Thrawn: Alliances

• Alternate Character Interpretation: Thrawn, like someone poking at a loose tooth, picking at the fringes between Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader. When did he first suspect they were one and the same, and when did suspicion become certainty? Does Thrawn keep tugging at the threads because knowledge is an irresistible drug to him, or was he trying to keep Vader off-balance so Thrawn would have more power in their relationship than he would otherwise, and was this an attempt to keep Vader's lethally capricious temper from harming his crew? When Thrawn replies to Vader's final assertion that Anakin is dead with "I know," does he really believe the Dark Lord, or has he simply accepted that Vader will not acknowledge his past no matter how much Thrawn presses the issue?
• Funny Moments:
  • Anakin insisting on calling Thrawn by his full name, only for the latter to repeatedly correct him in his attempts, soon resulting in Anakin agreeing to just use his core name.
  • Rather than a part of the narrative, the funniest moment in the book is left for the dedication at the end of the novel.
  For all those who’ve ever wondered if they were teamed up with the wrong person...
• Heartwarming Moments:
  • When the stormtroopers rescue the kidnapped navigators, they take the time to take off their helmets and reassure the children (as best they can, what with the language barrier) that they're there to help, rather than just snatching them up as you might expect Vader's personal legion to do.
• Memetic Mutation: Anakin trying to pronounce Mitth'raw'nuruodo.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character:
  • Some were let down when it turned out that the mysterious antagonistic species was a brand new species as opposed to a canon version of the Yuuzhan Vong, though there are similarities.
    • Especially with the first two clues of extra strangeness being a devastated planet with missing moons (though it's quickly pointed out the planet wouldn't be there anymore if the moons had collided with it) and strange alien weapons that fire swarms of insects that burst into quick-setting concrete. The Vong were fond of dropping moons on troublesome planets, and the strange weapon recalls a mix between their Thud Bugs and Blorash Jellies.
  • Chiss fans were hoping for Ar'alani and/or Thrass to show up or be mentioned as major points, as well as Eli and/or Pellaeon. Ar'alani is at least mentioned, but that's about it.
• Unexpected Character: Padmé shows up in a main role, which was unexpected since it hadn't been previously indicated that she was involved in Anakin and Thrawn's past encounter.