Star Wars Releases New Details About The High Republic Villains

Star Wars will begin a whole new era in 2021 when The High Republic line is released as novels and [...]

Star Wars will begin a whole new era in 2021 when The High Republic line is released as novels and comics. That storyline will take us back 200 years before the events of the Star Wars prequels and their Skywalker Saga, to a very different time in the galaxy. The Sith Empire has been defeated, The Jedi Order is strong as a universal peacekeeping force, and the Galactic Republic is taking shape. However, this time of great peace and prosperity in the galaxy wasn't without its fair share of evil. Now we're getting a better look and some new info about the villains of Star Wars The High Republic!

Here's the breakdown of new Star Wars foes The Drengir, The Nihil, and one particular member of The Nihil, Marchion Ro, in some new Star Wars The High Republic concept art - courtesy of StarWars.com:

The Nihil

The High Republic novel Light of the Jedi will introduce the Nihil. Writer Charles Soule describes the villains as such: "The Nihil are brutal, savage marauders, based in the Outer Rim. They're the stuff of nightmares, able to appear anywhere almost at will. They use bizarre, intimidating tactics — chemical weapons, poison — anything that might kill you, they'll use."

Star Wars High Republic Villains The Nihil
(Photo: Lucasfilm)
Star Wars High Republic Villains The Nihil (Maskless)
(Photo: Lucasfilm)

Marchion Ro

The Nihil will have one particularly distinguished member named Marchion Ro - also known as "The Eye of the Nihil." This central figure will pull a bunch of raiders into something far more dangerous for the Jedi to face:

"Marchion Ro holds an important post within the greater Nihil organization — he is the Eye of the Nihil. As was his father before him," Soule says. "He doesn't give the orders — that's up to the Tempest Runners — but in a very real way, everything revolves around him. The things that make the Nihil more than just a bunch of Outer Rim raiders all come from Marchion. He is also, in every sense, a bad guy. And it's been fantastic building someone around which to focus the darker elements of our High Republic story."

Star Wars High Republic Villains Marchion Ro
(Photo: Lucasfilm)

Drengir

Finally, Star Wars The High Republic will introduce some true monsters in the form of the Drengir. We'll see the plant creatures debut in Marvel Comics' The High Republic series, and as writer Cavan Scott tells it: "As the Jedi struggle to deal with the aftermath of the Great Disaster, a new creeping terror rises from the ground beneath their feet. The Drengir are sentient plant-life who are looking to reap a terrible harvest across the galactic frontier."

As it turns out, the idea for the Drengir came from a Star Wars icon - concept artist Ian McCaig himself!

"Iain had been sketching monsters and there was one creature that was covered in vines and creepers," Scott recalls. "It sparked off the inspiration for what became the Drengir and I quickly fired off a document outlining what could be their culture and background to the rest of the group, drawing on research I'd been reading about how real-world plants thrive and communicate with each other."

Star Wars High Republic Villains The Drengir
(Photo: Lucasfilm)

What do you think of these new Star Wars villains? Let us know in the comments!

Star Wars The High Republic launches in 2021.

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