I don't think I read Outbound Flight until a few years ago (Phantom Menace put me in a bit of Star Wars avoidance for a while, so I fell way behind in the EU - I finally finished NJO last summer, and am debating going further into the future), and I loved how Zahn managed to write his own prequel that tied Thrawn, Car'das, Palpatine, the Vong, etc. together.