Charles Soule's Star Wars: The High Republic novel Light of the Jedi introduced readers to a terrifying new threat in Marchion Ro. Like his father before him, Marchion is the Eye of the Nihil, the leader of a powerful group of anarchist marauders operating during the High Republic Era. Although much of his history currently remains shrouded in mystery, the origins of the new Star Wars villain will be revealed in an upcoming 2-part series, Eye of the Storm, written by Charles Soule with art from Guillermo Sanna.
Around 200 years prior to the events of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Marchion Ro and the Nihil raid planets with their Path engine hyperdrives, allowing them to effectively appear and disappear anywhere across hyperspace routes inaccessible to conventional systems. Sending a Nihil Stormship into the path of the Legacy Run freighter, Marchion Ro orchestrates the Great Hyperspace Disaster; debris is dispersed across the Outer Rim Territories at seemingly random points in space, causing widespread destruction and provoking Lina Son, Supreme Chancellor of Galactic Republic, to temporarily restrict hyperspace travel. His real intentions, however, are to unravel the Jedi Order, who have a long history with his family.
A solicitation for the upcoming miniseries was released on the Star Wars website and teases that "the lie at the heart of [Ro's] family" will be exposed, and the "doom of the High Republic" will begin "...with a single kill." It is unclear, however, whether this murder refers to something that has yet to happen, or whether it relates to a momentous turning point in Ro's past. Either way, readers will soon learn more about the man who brought about the dissolution of the High Republic Era, laying the foundation for the political corruption witnessed in the main Star Wars films.
The Eye of the Nihil has already proven a challenge to the Jedi Order, who have been working with the Galactic Republic to settle disputes and maintain relative peace across the galaxy. Tempest Runner Lourna Dee even manages to kidnap Jedi Master Loden Greatstorm, imprisoning him on the Gaze Electric with a system that shocks the prisoners if he attempted to call on the Force. While Ro clearly despises the Jedi, he is not afraid to use their powers and technology for his own benefit. The Ro family have kept the force-sensitive Mari San Tekka alive for nearly a century in a medical capsule, using her Path-detecting abilities to rise to power - Mari's descendant, Lor San Tekka, would later gift a hyperspace map to the Resistance in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Ryan Brown's cover to Eye of the Storm #1 shows an unmasked Marchion Ro wielding Greatstorm's yellow-bladed lightsaber, which he used to execute farmer Ottoh Blythe in Light of the Jedi.
Before Darth Vader and Kylo Ren reshaped the galaxy with the Dark Side of the Force, the Jedi of the High Republic Era found a sworn enemy in the Eye of the Nihil. However, as neither a Jedi nor Sith, Marchion Ro is a different kind of threat altogether; a ruthless marauder armed with the skills and knowledge to manipulate the powers of his opponents to his own ends - and control over the ultimate Force predator, the Great Leveler. Whatever set Marchion Ro down the path of anarchy, the upcoming miniseries is sure to offer some shocking revelations about the ever-expanding Star Wars universe. Star Wars: The High Republic - Eye of the Storm #1 will be published by Marvel Comics on January 12, 2022.
Source: Star Wars