This High Republic Romance Might Have Helped The Nihil Rise To Power (And It Isn't The One You Think)
Image Source: CultureSlate
The High Republic is well known for its romances, from those between the Jedi and fellow Jedi or people external to the Order, to those between members of houses alike in dignity, like the San Tekkas and Grafs, to the villains, with Marchion Ro and Ghirra Starros having a complex affair of push and pull. But there is one romance which might be responsible for helping the Nihil become the threat they became, and no, it isn’t Marda Ro and Kevmo Zink. Neither is it that push and pull of Marchion and Ghirra. Instead, it is the romance between Alak and Raf Thatchburn.
Some might be pausing, and quickly consulting their High Republic character encyclopedia with some confusion. These two characters are not major figures in Phases 1 or 3, instead only appearing in Phase 2’s main The High Republic Adventures comic, which was only eight issues total. But, those eight issues are critical for getting a glimpse at the wider galaxy, spoken of only in passing by certain characters.
RELATED:
Image Source: CultureSlate
Alak was a former member of the Scarlet Skulls, an assassination organization that he helped destroy after choosing to save a girl who would grow into the young woman known as Quiet Shan. He was also unique for being a heavily mechanized human cyborg, missing half of his body, with his torso covered in blue tattoos. By the time he met with a young Sav Malagán, he was a member of Maz Kanata’s crew and could often be found around her castle.
Inspector Raf Thatchburn, meanwhile, was a human pirate hunter. Noted as being one of the best operatives of the Galactic Antipiracy Command, he was also a cyborg with a breathing apparatus permanently over half of his face, and also suffering from a damaged or missing eye. His constant companion was the Corellian hound Tanteek, who defended her owner but also warmed up to Sav Malagán specifically. In the years before Sav knew both men, Raf and Alak ended up bonding over their mutually terrible childhoods that resulted in their cybernetic status, and began to fall in love. Given their opposing professions, though, there was always some friction in their relationship.
Image Source: Wookieepedia
Around the time of the Battle of Jedha, Sav Malagán accidentally added to the friction by triggering a fight between the two using an object thrown with the Force. The Jedi Padawan later saved the anti-pirate inspector from the Dank Graks. Over the following days, up to and after the Battle, Raf’s feelings toward Alak began to change due to different events, and he chose to fully commit himself to the pirate cause. He promised he would leave his job, and join Alak as a pirate, allowing them to be together more contently.
But much like several other elements of Phase 2, by the era of Phases 1 and 3, we don’t hear anything about the organization Raf Thatchburn was a member of, the Galactic Antipiracy Command. It seems likely that it was originally some kind of special department spun out of the Republic Defense Coalition, which was later folded back in or dissolved. But the timing of all this is critical. Just in the years where the proto-Nihil began to emerge from Marda and the raiders that started to gather around her, one of the best anti-piracy operatives in the galaxy was taken off the board to be with the love of his life in a role that no longer helps uphold the law and keep order in the galaxy.
Now, Maz’s piracy and the exact operations of her crew are a little mysterious. All of them seem like good people, or are at least generally kind, with Alak specifically noted as apparently helping save a planet from invasion. Later, in Phase 3, we see the remnants of Maz’s crew combined with some of the former Dank Graks as a new pirate outfit who are very wary of the modern Nihil. So, we’re not saying that Alak and Raf’s love led to the Nihil being directly helped by Maz Kanata. But instead, it is the absence of a major anti-piracy organization’s greatest agents that might have affected things in just the wrong kinds of ways.
Consider the way Raf Thatchburn left. Did his colleagues know that he was romantically involved with a pirate? Did they approve, or disapprove? After he left, did he maybe lure other agents away from Command, not out of maliciousness but because he found love and a new life through the change in profession and wanted to spread the good word? The shock of one of the galaxy’s best anti-piracy agents turning to piracy surely would have caused some reaction among his former colleagues and the halls of power. Maybe his high profile defection, regardless of the reason, was a nail into the coffin of an organization suddenly robbed of a key asset. The loss of the organization as a whole is also a bad sign. While there is a healthy debate between when and where special and general organizations are best effective, the loss of a specifically anti-pirate organization right around the time of a newly rising criminal outfit that behaved much like pirates was not good. Without Raf there to advocate for its continuation, maybe the organization was shuttered at just the worst time as well, in a cruel twist of irony.
Image Source: Wookieepedia
Exactly how much Raf Thatchburn’s departure from the Galactic Antipiracy Command affected the organization is up to personal interpretation, as what is presented here is just speculation. But it would not surprise us if this particular thread is revisited at some point in the future, and it would fall within our line of thinking. The High Republic showed us that many elements of Phase 2 came to strongly tie into those of Phases 1 and 3. While this is just one small romance among a host of others, it matters, possibly for unexpected reasons, but that’s how so much of High Republic storytelling has played out. Maybe, if we ever get the story of Mari San Tekka’s kidnapping and how Marda Ro was involved, Raf and Alak will play a role and could do some damage to her plans. But until we know for certain, it would appear their love story ultimately, accidentally, helped Marda’s descendants and the organization they came to lead.
READ NEXT:
Source(s): The High Republic Adventures (2022), Tales of Light and Life
Latest News
Featured
