Review: Outbound Flight (Audio Version)

By Alberto Calderón

Spoilers!

Originally released in 2006, Outbound Flight by Timothy Zahn has joined the Star Wars Essential Legends Collection. This review covers the audio version with narration by the incomprable Marc Thompson.

Taking place five years after the Battle of Naboo, Zahn gives us a Thrawn that has yet to be introduced to the Republic or the Jedi. On the Republic side, Jedi Master Jorus C’baoth is hellbent in getting his deep space exploration project, Outbound Flight, approved and on its way to a new galaxy.

Timothy Zahn

The crew of the smuggling freighter Bargain Hunter, lead by Captain Dubrak Qentto, Jorj Car’das and Maris Ferasi stumble into the Unknown Regions while escaping from the Hutts and into the arms of the Springhawk and one Commander Mitth’raw’nuruodo of the Chiss Ascendancy Expansionary Defense Fleet.

There is something about listening to a Star Wars audiobook and getting transported into the middle of the story and action when John Williams music rings in your ears, the sound of starships jumping into hyperspace and especially when the hum of a lightsaber makes the hair on your arms stand up. This version of Outbound Flight melds classic Star Wars themes along with some from the Prequel Era but it feels like it’s own score and not just a mixture of songs that don’t mesh well together.

And then there’s Marc Thompson. His Thrawn is iconic. Obi-Wan Kenobi sounds just like Ewan McGregor without being a full-on copy and giving voice to Anakin Skywalker at a point we haven’t heard him before. Marc gives Anakin a sort of impatience in his cadence. Like the brash fourteen year old he is at this point. He talks fast because he wants to act fast. He talks back because he’s a teenager that believes he knows better.

Marc Thompson

After capturing the crew of the Bargain Hunter, Thrawn does what he does best, learn from his “enemies”. He knows that these aliens might pose a threat to the Chiss Ascendancy in the future and convinces Car’das to teach him Basic, the main language of the Republic.

I have said that after six Canon Thrawn books I needed a break from the character and Timothy Zahn’s writing style, but this felt fresh and new. It felt like meeting Thrawn for the first time and even though I knew he always had a surprise up his neatly laundered sleeves, each one of Thrawn’s genious revelations were a treat. Seeing him break down a whole civilization by just looking at a few paintings is always an experience.

I think some of my returned adoration for the character had to do with the fact that we spent a large part of the story away from Thrawn and with short-fused Jedi, Master C’baoth and his Padawan Lorana Jinzler.

For Jorus C’baoth nothing was more important than the approval from the Senate and the Jedi Council of his pet-project, Outbound Flight. An expedition to another galaxy with the goal of setting up a colony while also exploring any possible threats in the Unknown Regions and hopes of finding more Force-sensitive individuals. As the story moves one we find out that Jedi C’baoth had other things in mind for the colonists. Things that traditional Jedi might believe are too close to the dark side of the Force.

“Respect and fear are two sides of the same coin.”

Jedi Master Jorus C’baoth

Enter Obi-Wan Kenobi, the perfect Jedi to push back at some of C’baoth more extreme ideas. Unfortunately for Kenobi, Darth Sidious doesn’t want Anakin anywhere close to Outbound Flight as he has his own sinsiter plan for the exploratory voyage.

After a dispute on the planet Barlok was resolved too neatly by Jorus, Jedi Council member Mace Windu tells Obi-Wan that he has some concerns about C’baoth and his extreme methods and sends the Jedi Master and his Padawan to Outbound Flight in order to keep an eye on C’baoth. But Chancellor Palpatine and Darth Sidious both had plans for C’baoth’s journey and the multitude of Jedi aboard.

Back in Chiss space, Thrawn confronts the nomadic Vagaari and is able to secure one of their artificial gravitational field which can not only pull starships out from hyperspace but also keep them from jumping into hyperspace. But whenever Thrawn toes the lines of confrontation he has to deal with other Chiss and we meet fan favorties Admiral Ar’alani and Thrawn’s brother, Thrass.

“I believe you but intent alone is meaningless. Your actions are what will determine your fate.”

Commander Mitth’raw’nuruodo

Eventually Thrawn runs into Sidious’ puppet Kinman Dorianna and Trade Federation Vicelord Siv Kav when he uses the newly acquired grav field to keep the Trade Federation’s flagship from escaping after soundly defeating their droid starfighter army.

With Outbound Flight and the Vagaari fleet unknowlingly on their way to Thrawn’s artificial grav field, we learn that Master C’baoth had secretly invited families into the group of colonizers solely because their children had some affinity for the Force and he wanted to take them into his new “Jedi Academy” even without their parent’s permission.

This, along with his other decisions aboard the starship place his padawan, now Jedi Knight, Lorana Jinzler in the center of the discourse between the non-Force users, which C’baoth deemed as inferior, and the rest of the Jedi. Although Lorana is overshowed by the presence of her master, she is able to find herself in the Force when it is needed the most.

“We are the Jedi, the ultimate power in the universe. We will do as we choose. And we will destroy any who dare stand in our way.

Jorus C’baoth to Commander Thrawn

Master C’baoth completes his fall to the dark side when he uses a Jedi telepathic link to take over the mind of the Vagaari and later Force chokes Thrawn, who is only saved by a radiation wave bomb that denotates inside Outbound Flight.

At the end Darth Sidious and Doriana achieve their purpose of destroying Outbound Flight, Jorus C’baoth and a large contingency of Jedi Masters. Thrawn, for his part, met Sidious, has an idea of the power and technology of the Republic and what they fear. A threat from the Unknown Region that Sidious has felt through the Force and that the Chiss called the Far Outsiders.

The audiobook version of Outbound Flight is a great addition to fans of the novel or Star Wars audiobooks in general. If you are new to Thrawn thanks to the TV series, this is a pretty good introduction to book Thrawn.

Overall: 3.75 out of 5 Probe Droids

Thanks to Penguin Random House Audio for the advance copy and be sure to pick up your copy when it releases December 19th, 2023.