emerge from the Expanded Universe", and Brian Truitt of USA Today named the character "one of Star Wars fandom's favorite villains". Comicbook.com called Thrawn "arguably the most popular character in the Star Wars Legends universe" in 2017, and Linda Hansen-Raj wrote that the character "carries a lasting legacy as one of Star Wars greatest and most complex antagonists." In 2014, GamesRadar's Sam Ashurst called Thrawn "hugely popular amongst fans, partly because of his tactical genius, partly because of his progressive attitude to his employees but mainly due to the fact he's got a blue face" and "easily the coolest villain in the Expanded Universe", noting Thrawn's loss as one of the major consequences of Lucasfilm's abandonment of the old expanded universe for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Emmet Asher-Perrin of Tor.com noted in 2016 that as "one of the most popular Expanded Universe villains" and "one of the most threatening antagonists that the Star Wars universe had on hand", the character's removal from canon continuity "had many fans crying foul". In 2008, Jesse Schedeen of IGN credited Thrawn and the Thrawn trilogy with "kickstarting" the Star Wars expanded universe", and in 2015 Empire suggested that Thrawn's character helped "revitalize and legitimise" the expanded universe when it was failing. Eric Goldman wrote for IGN in 2008, "Diabolical, brilliant and ruthless, Thrawn was an excellent Star Wars villain, following in the footsteps of the likes of Grand Moff Tarkin," adding that "his status as the highest ranking non-human in the Empire was a very interesting aspect". In 2006, Zahn called Thrawn and Mara Jade his favorite of the characters he created. Zahn said in July 2016, "A writer never knows which characters are going to click with the readers, and it was highly gratifying to me that Thrawn captured the imaginations of so many people over the past quarter century." The character has been on many "top" lists of Star Wars characters, praising his villainy and character. In a list of fifteen Star Wars villains, Schedeen placed Thrawn as second best, beaten by Darth Vader, focusing on his greatness as a commander and tactician. In 2008, IGN ranked him as the tenth best overall Star Wars character, noting his influence in the expanded universe, and UGO listed him as the third greatest expanded universe character the same year. Empire listed Thrawn fifth in their list of the 25 best of the more