Thrawn: Alliances 2 is the second issue of the 2024 comic miniseries Star Wars: Thrawn: Alliances comic adaptation adaptation of the book of the same name. The issue was written by Timothy Zahn and Jody Houser, and published by Marvel Comics on February 28, 2024.
Publisher's summary
THE ADAPTATION OF THRAWN: ALLIANCES CONTINUES! As THRAWN and DARTH VADER carve their way through the galaxy, get a glimpse of their early partnership as THRAWN and ANAKIN are on the hunt for PADMÉ. JODY HOUSER and original THRAWN: ALLIANCES novelist TIMOTHY ZAHN continue to plot the course of Thrawn's rise with PAT OLLIFFE and ANDREA DI VITO!
Plot summary
The Present: The permacrete trap
In the dim light of the Batuu cantina, Thrawn and Vader find themselves encircled. Thrawn identifies a rhythmic click-code used by the Darshi to coordinate their strike. While Vader remains skeptical of Thrawn's traditional Chiss fighting stick, the Admiral’s efficiency in disabling attackers matches the Sith’s brutal elegance with a blade.
The battle shifts from the cantina to the streets, where Vader is overwhelmed by a sudden, jagged surge in the Force: confusion, anxiety, and a raw, unfocused darkness. The source is obscured within the new settlement houses. The Darshi deploy a speculative weapon - a swarm of insect-like drones that coat their targets in quick-setting permacrete.
Vader, momentarily encased in the grey shell, eventually shatters the restraint through sheer Force of will. He executes the remaining smugglers, but the "disturbance" he sensed has vanished - slipping into unconsciousness or death.
The Past: Macabre deceptions
Following a near-fatal gas attack, Thrawn and Anakin Skywalker regroup. Thrawn's analysis is unsettling: the attackers knew exactly how to target a Jedi. He reveals Chiss legends of the "Sith" - warriors defined by their lethal cleverness - and suggests Anakin’s specific death was the goal.
To bypass a scout and prevent a comms report, Anakin resorts to a grim tactic: using the Force to manipulate a smuggler's corpse like a puppet, feigning a successful capture. The ruse allows them to reach Anakin’s starfighter, but the victory is short-lived. Sabotage triggers an explosion, forcing Anakin to eject and join Thrawn on the ground.
=Technological discovery
The pair investigates the wreckage and nearby cargo, uncovering crates of Quadranium. This heavy-duty armour plating indicates a shift in the stakes; they are no longer dealing with simple pirates, but a Separatist-backed operation. Thrawn's forensic approach - having bugged the local bartender - reveals that the thieves are terrified their "employers" will discover their incompetence.
The Precipice: Mokivj
The scene shifts to Padmé Amidala in orbit of Mokivj. Her ship is crippled under the sudden attack of a Vulture droid. Isolated and out of time, she retreats to an escape pod. Her final thoughts are not of politics or the mission, but a micro-personal regret: the haunting realization that Anakin may never find her, and her fate will remain a permanent, silent "What If."
Media
Cover gallery
Collected in
Appearances
| Characters | Organisms | Droid models | Events | Locations |
| Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
Characters
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Organisms
Droid models
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Events
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Locations
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Organizations and titles
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Sentient species
Vehicles and vessels
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Weapons and technology
Miscellanea
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Sources
Ken Lashley's New 'Star Wars' Black History Month Variant Covers Spotlight Mace Windu, Adi Gallia, & More on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)
