How Marchion Ro Defeated The Jedi Order In 'The High Republic'
*Spoilers for The High Republic*
The Nihil have proven themselves to be one the most significant threats the Jedi have ever seen. Since their debut in Charles Soule's Light of the Jedi, their offensive against the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic itself has been extensive and ruthless. At the head of their operations is Marchion Ro, one of the last of a race known as the Evereni. As explained in Charles Soule's Eye of the Storm comic miniseries, Ro comes from a culture built on betrayal and distrust.
Growing up on the Gaze Electric and following the death of his grandmother, Shalla, and the mysterious death of his father, Asgar Ro, Marchion Ro inherits the position of Eye of the Nihil and leads the space marauders on a path of destruction. While his motives for hating the Jedi remain largely unknown, he is indeed committed to this cause, as we see him lead a full-on war campaign against the Jedi Order throughout the many novels and comics that make up Phase One of The High Republic.
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Beginning with the aforementioned Light of the Jedi, we see Ro coordinate a galaxy-wide catastrophe that comes to be known as the Great Hyperspace Disaster. This involved the Nihil sending debris and ships, at least one of which held civilian hostages, into hyperspace travel routes at various systems. This resulted in countless casualties and the temporary halting of hyperspace travel in the Outer Rim. But Ro wouldn't stop there.
While the Jedi and Republic recovered from and investigated the calamity, the Nihil attacked a fleet of starships belonging to Garello Technologies in the Ab Dalis system. At the same time, emergences began to appear across the galaxy as more debris from the disaster fell out of hyperspace and headed for populated planets and vessels. By overwhelming the Jedi with multiple threats at once, Ro paved the way for him to make his ultimate strike against the Jedi.
Following the events of Light of the Jedi, Ro traveled to the planet Rystan and retrieved a frozen creature known as the Great Leveler. This creature was of an ancient race known as the Nameless, which had the power to destroy a Jedi's sanity and kill them, turning them to stone in the process. Once the Great Leveler was unfrozen, it went on a rampage and killed Jedi Master Loden Greatstorm before Ro took control of it and sealed it away in a box.
The Great Leveler would later be unleashed again by Tempest Runner Lourna Dee, nearly killing Jedi Knights Keeve Trennis, Terec, and Ceret. But this would just be the beginning of Ro's use of the Nameless, as he would go on to unleash a swarm of the creatures on the Republic's prized space station Starlight Beacon. This, along with the Nihil's continuing attacks, soon led to the space station's destruction, weakening the Republic's defenses even further.
At this point, Ro has nearly decimated the Republic and left the Jedi beaten and broken. He and the Nihil have also claimed their own corner of the galaxy, preventing any Republic forces from entering their territory. While the Jedi haven't been destroyed, they are certainly at a disadvantage, as Ro and his Nihil continue to expand their reach and lay siege to their enemies. Marchion Ro's relentless siege on the Jedi has solidified him as one of the most formidable villains to ever cross their paths. As Phase One wraps up, it will be interesting to see how Ro's plans unfold and how the Nihil plays into what may very well be one of the Jedi's greatest challenges.