Profiles Of Villainy: Marchion Ro

Star Wars

Jul 23

Marchion Ro surrounded by rain and lightning. — Image Source: Wookieepedia

The villainy of Marchion Ro cannot be overstated. This twisted Evereni man, deeply shaped by an upbringing that prepared him for an ultimate, higher purpose, unleashed chaos and suffering across the galaxy. His plans led to the deaths of millions, perhaps even billions, and throughout it all, he simply did not care who he hurt, so long as he felt something. This ultimate villain of The High Republic has left his mark on the fanbase and will surely be remembered for years to come for his menace and evil deeds.

WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Trials of the Jedi.

Background

Marchion Ro was born to Asgar Ro and an unknown mother. At this time, the Ro family had helped establish the loose raiding coalition known as the Nihil, though it had little direct sway over the criminals. At the time, their family was led by Shalla Ro, Asgar’s mother, and the two differed in opinion about how to run the family, and how to influence the Nihil. Shalla preferred a slow, steady approach, while Asgar had a more aggressive mindset.

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Marchion Ro, as a boy, looks over a Nihil rally as his father takes a bigger role in the group. — Image Source: Wookieepedia

Marchion, meanwhile, was trained into a lethal weapon with an array of skills and was capable of defeating adult fighter pilots in a live-fire scenario, though his effort was aided by a Path Engine. He also suffered considerable trauma, being present for the murder of his grandmother by Asgar, and doubtlessly exposed to other brutalities as Asgar took a bigger role in shaping the Nihil. The one bizarre friendship he had was with Mari San Tekka, old even when he was young, though it might be better to classify that as an understanding by his young mind that she was valuable to his family.

Later, as Marchion matured, he took a subservient role to his father, who often belittled him and no longer appeared to see much value in him. Asgar had turned the Nihil into a fearsome force, supplying them with Paths and Path Engines for a cut of each raid’s haul, but he did not lead them. Instead, he served as a small-stakes partner, the Eye of the Nihil, while the Tempest Runners each had substantial crews of their own. It was a tense but fruitful relationship, until one night. When Lourna Dee was denied her own plans for the Nihil by a dismissive Asgar, she brutalized him and left him for dead.

Asgar Ro, dying of his wounds, pleading for help from his son Marchion. — Image Source: Wookieepedia

It was Marchion who found the wounded Asgar, and despite the man’s begging, Marchion resolved to kill his father. Asgar realized this, and congratulated his son on following the Evereni ways, and was then kicked to death by Marchion. Having dispatched his father, the formerly quiet and sullen Marchion became electric and began to reshape the role of the Eye. The Tempest Runners could not directly stop him, and so, on the eve of the Great Hyperspace Disaster, Marchion stood poised to take on the Jedi and the Republic he had been taught to hate his whole life.

Abilities/Skills

Marchion Ro had many talents, all of which he used as part of his family’s, and later his, lifelong vendetta against the Jedi. First and foremost, he was a skilled fighter and pilot. While he rarely got to show these abilities, he was a brutal individual who could go toe to toe with a Jedi Knight while using a lightsaber. While he was not schooled in conventional methods for wielding one, his family’s long possession of Kevmo Zink’s saber and others from Jedi victims over the years seemingly gave Marchion his knowledge. His piloting skills, meanwhile, were considerable, and he achieved them at a very young age, though later in life he preferred to let droids or others do such manual work for him.

Marchion Ro walking away from an attempted assassination. — Image Source: Wookieepedia

He had less martial skills, however, as despite his intense, aggressive nature, Marchion could be deeply charismatic. His speeches, in a short amount of time, inspired loyalty and devotion in more and more of the Nihil membership, allowing him to grow his power base at the expense of the other Tempest Runners. He even created a bodyguard organization called the She’ar, whose membership was so deeply devoted to him, they would sacrifice their lives for him and helped Marchion carry out some of his most sensitive missions. He could also be very convincing on a one to one basis. We don’t yet know when and exactly how, but he was able to seduce Senator Ghirra Starros, turning her anti-Republic opinions into private pro-Nihil sentiments which led to her spying for the group and carrying out his orders.

This ultimate betrayal came as a surprise to even her daughter, suggesting Marchion’s final skill: subterfuge. While this skill began to weaken the longer he held out in a stalemate against the Jedi and Republic, he was very sneaky. He allowed the Jedi to believe Lourna Dee was the real Eye of the Nihil, and had a mission the Jedi were only dimly aware of for more than a year before he finally made his major moves. Unleashing the Leveler and ensuring it left no trace, except the traces he wanted, also generated more mystery and confusion within the Jedi and Republic ranks.

Acts Of Villainy

Marchion alongside the original Tempest Runners, — Image Source: Wookieepedia

Marchion’s crimes are many, and are extensively categorized across Phases 1 and 3 of The High Republic. However, as a brief overview of his actions, Marchion Ro:

Deliberately caused the Great Hyperspace Disaster to spread chaos, support the Nihil in devastating raids across various targets, and start his conflict against the Jedi.
Organized the terrorist attack on the Republic Fair on Valo that killed perhaps hundreds of thousands and devastated Lonisa City
Brutally tortured and maimed Jedi Master Loden Greatstorm before killing him using the Great Leveler.
Organized the destruction of Starlight Beacon alongside the collection, exploitation, and abuse of the Nameless for use in combat.
Interdicted hundreds of systems with the Nihil Stormwall, leading to the widespread suffering, pillaging, and destruction of many worlds behind these borders.

Conquered the world of Hetzal and made it a personal fiefdom with the enslavement of its inhabitants in the planet’s agricultural facilities.

Sanctioned the ongoing torture and experimentation on multiple living beings by Baron Boolan as part of the Nihil state behind the Stormwall.
Constantly threatened and murdered people, from those at the top of the food chain to individual members of the Nihil, to captured Jedi, to complete innocents in the world around him.

Final Act

Marchion surrounded by his allies at the start of Phase 3 of The High Republic — Image Source: Wookieepedia

Marchion Ro’s worst crimes came over a year after he first formed the Stormwall and created the Nihil Occlusion Zone. Alongside his three Ministers, and countless Nihil running rampant, Marchion suffered the worst fate he could think of: he got bored. After Avar Kriss escaped from behind the Stormwall, Marchion’s focus began to be drawn to the ongoing problem of the Blight, with his experiments and examinations leading him to realize key things about the spreading sickness. While in possession of the Rod of Power, made from two ancient Rods of the Tolemite civilization, he could not be harmed by the Blight, and the Blight also did not impact the Nameless under his control. With this, he offered the Republic his services as savior of the galaxy.

Chancellor Lina Soh ultimately refused him, and with the Stormwall’s integrity weakening and the loyalty of his Nihil waning, Marchion did something completely unexpected: he left. He departed Nihil space, and journeyed once again to Planet X in Wild Space, where he began the most dastardly plan imaginable in a form of biological warfare extreme enough to make him a rival to the Sith: he planned to kill all life in the galaxy. By commanding all the Nameless he had once taken off Planet X to kill each other in a brutal, horrific melee, the Blight across the galaxy rapidly began to spread as the two were deeply linked. As he did this, he also blew up the Gaze Electric, his family’s ship and home for some 150 years, which instantly caused the collapse of the Stormwall. This allowed the Republic Defense Coalition to engage major Nihil forces in an all-or-nothing battle over Eriadu, which the Republic thankfully won.

Marchion during Phase 3 of The High Republic, — Image Source: StarWars.com

But back on Planet X, as the Luminous Nine struggled to prevent any more death, Marchion simply walked off, intent on finding more Nameless to kill so that the galaxy would be dead, and then he could die once all life save his own had been extinguished. His plan was foiled by mystical events across the planet, and he was tracked down by Jedi Knight Bell Zettifar. The former apprentice of Loden Greatstorm, Bell sought justice for his dead Master and engaged the Evereni. Their brutal, savage duel ended in Marchion’s defeat, and his great plan was defeated. Despite this, his actions in accelerating the Blight no doubt killed many millions across the galaxy, with worlds like Estarvera suffering terribly at the unnatural sickness’s sudden spread.

But despite Marchion’s deepest wish, he was not remembered by the galaxy. Held for trial, and sentenced to life in prison, he was flown out to an isolated space station, and left there for decades, where he withered away and died. No one sought his location, and in later years, the Nihil identity was diluted and used by criminals as a cheap way to seek legitimacy while the wider galaxy remembered the Nihil only as pirates. Instead, the impact of Marchion Ro was more personal, both in the hearts of thousands of Star Wars fans who encountered his menace, and in those characters in the fiction who suffered at his hands.

Notable Appearances

Marchion Ro during Phase 1 of The High Republic while wreathed in red light. — Image Source: StarWars.com

Below is a list of some of the notable stories in which the evil Marchion Ro has appeared. We encourage people to check them out if they have any interest in this savage and cunning leader!