If you think that novel is wordy, you should see my notes 😉
The reason Thrawn was included in my first and second drafts was due to him fulfilling a specific need in the story - I felt the story needed a ‘cold’ antagonist to contrast against Hux and Kylo’s ‘hot’ antagonism. However, as I continued to develop Hux I saw that he could have a cool, calculating side. In addition, the Knights of Ren could be written however I wanted them to be, so putting Thrawn in the mix was overkill. It’s a shame since in theory he’s my favorite character of the lot, but if he doesn’t fully fit the story he must go, especially since there are so many other characters that need our attention.