Timothy Zahn is not slowing down. In “An Hour with Timothy Zahn” on Sunday at 4PM in Hyatt VI-VII, the Dragon Con Literary Guest of Honor talked with moderator Van Allen Plexico about canon, fandom, and what the future might hold.
Zahn published his first book in 1983. Since then, he has published 16 Star Wars books which, he says, is how most people find him. A year ago, this April, he published his 70th book. Not bad for a guy who has been writing longer than most of us have been alive.
Zahn grew up reading mysteries and science fiction and that influenced him to fill his stories with, what he calls, puzzle boxes. “I enjoy the action,” he said. “I visualize what I’m doing and hopefully the reader can follow that.”
When Plexico commented on how Zahn makes villains sympathetic, Zahn talked about redemption. “Redemption is always possible,” he said. Villains don’t always take that route, but it’s available. “No one wakes up in the morning and says, ‘I’m going to be evil today.’” He wants the reader to understand the villain’s motivation.
Like many Star Wars fans, when Plexico first encountered Zahn in the three volume trilogy that followed Return of the Jedi in 1991, “it was like water in the desert.”
When told that he “restarted” Star Wars, Zahn disagrees. He insists that he stuck a fork in the pie crust and showed how much fan steam was still in there. “Quiet fans look exactly like no fans at all,” he said.
Zahn spoke of luck when asked how the Star Wars books came together. At the time, he’d only been with his publisher for six weeks, and he was one of a cadre of writers presented to Lucas Films. His editor at Bantom almost didn’t recommend him because she didn’t want him distracted from his other projects. “Very literally, I was at the right place at the right time.”
When he got the gig, Lucas gave him a few guardrails. He could start three to five years after Return of the Jedi, and he could not use anyone who’d been killed.
He’d submit an outline, write a book, and receive three to five pages of notes. “Lucas Films was extremely easy to work with which is why there are sixteen books and not three.”
When Plexico asked if Zahn ever felt limited by telling the Star Wars story, Zahn’s reply sounded more like common sense than creative frustration. Writing in the Star Wars universe was restrictive in the way basketball is restrictive. You’ve got the court and the rules, but the number of games is limitless.
Grand Admiral Thrawn is one of his most complex and beloved characters, and, while the Thrawn trilogy was a blank slate, Zahn leaned on the world building of West End Games. They’d created ship names, ship types, ground vehicles, planets, and backgrounds. He didn’t have to reinvent the wheel—a gift. He incorporated their world building, and they got to see their ideas placed in the lore.
Speaking for many in the audience, Plexico asked what inspired Thrawn.
Zahn didn’t want to do what had been done. Star Wars already had a Death Star, a super weapon, a Darth Vadar, an Emperor Palpatine. He decided the most dangerous villain would inspire loyalty and trust. He would be a tactical strategic genius, would not make emotional decisions that were unnecessarily costly, and would listen to suggestions. Is Thrawn a villain? Zahn insists that it depends on your point of view. “He has one goal,” Zahn said. “To protect the Chiss.” If your goals align with the Chiss goals, you were an ally.
In other words, if Thrawn were to face Lex Luthor in a battle royale, Zahn insisted Thrawn wouldn’t fight. Thrawn would recognize Luthor as a resource and try to find an agreement.
Zahn describes himself as the architect of a greenhouse. When he writes, he knows where he is going. He develops an outline and understands where the character arc will end up. Characters start as cardboard cut outs and take on flesh and bone as he outlines and writes. “My subconscious is working ahead and it comes up with better ways to do things as I write.”
Future projects include an upcoming Kickstarter for a Cobra graphic novel, and he promised the crowd he’d include a QR code on his Facebook page. When asked if he had more ideas in the Star Wars universe, he said the Lucas Film people come to you, you don’t go to them. But if his phone did ring, he has at least twelve new story lines to pitch.
