The Fallen Star: Marchion Ro unleashes the storm in new excerpt from next Star Wars: The High Republic novel

Claudia Gray’s The Fallen Star cover. Photo: StarWars.com.
Claudia Gray’s The Fallen Star cover. Photo: StarWars.com.

Less than two weeks from the arrival of Star Wars: The High Republic: The Fallen Star, and fans are clamoring for teases to what happens next to our beloved Jedi. But in a new excerpt shared by The Wrap, it’s all about the chief antagonist of the High Republic: Marchion Ro, the Eye of the Nihil.

Claudia Gray’s The Fallen Star kicks off the final wave of literature in the first phase of the High Republic initiative that began in January 2021 with Charles Soule’s Light of the Jedi. Over the last year of book releases, the golden age of the Jedi and the Republic has been pushed to its limits with devastating tragedies and heartbreaking losses, including the brutal attack by the Nihil on the Republic Fair in Cavan Scott’s The Rising Storm.

During the High Republic, the Jedi and the galaxy’s governing body are just trying to promote peace, diversity and collaboration among the many worlds and rims of the galaxy. The Nihil, however, seek chaos and carnage.

The first excerpt from The Fallen Star, shared a couple of weeks ago, teases a little bit of hope and optimism for the reeling Jedi Order, which is now on the offensive after the death of one of their own. In the first pages of the novel, the Jedi seemingly have a solid, thorough plan to eradicate the Nihil menace following the tragedies on Valo and Grizal.

In the new excerpt shared by The Wrap, Marchion Ro looks over a star map of Outer Rim planets he’s chosen for his next move — all with “good communications systems that would allow them to reach officials on Coruscant within minutes” and “all very, very far from Starlight Beacon.”

Marchion Ro then commands his underling to “begin” and his Storm of Nihil raiders descend on the planets. Some escape the attack, but even that is still part of the Eye’s plan.

"“Some people needed to escape – because the Nihil needed them to run straight to Starlight Beacon…”"

Read the full excerpt on The Wrap. 

As Phase I of The High Republic concludes, it has fans wondering and worrying about who will survive “when the light of the Jedi goes dark.” 

In teaser posters for the next wave, the Starlight Beacon is repeatedly seen covered in flames and debris — an image that doesn’t bode well for the grand outpost in the Outer Rim. As if The High Republic hasn’t broken our hearts enough, things are about to get even darker in the next phase. And there are more than two dozen Jedi and other characters who could be next on the chopping block.

Star Wars: The High Republic: The Fallen Star releases on Jan. 4, 2022.

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