Boolan

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Boolan was an Ithorian male who lived during the High Republic Era. In 382 BBY, he was a member of the Path of the Open Hand cult and was one of its Littles. He was the son of Path member Tragor. During the Night of Sorrow, The Mother, one of the leaders of the Path, tasked Boolan with planting thermal detonators throughout the caves at the Path compound, but he was stopped by Path members Yana Ro and Marda Ro.

Boolan eventually became a Baron and an infamous Nihil scientist who operated as Eye of the Nihil Marchion Ro's Minister of Advancement. He led the Children of the Storm, Jedi hunters who captured Force users for him to experiment on. He also became obsessed with the Nameless and their connection to the Force.

Biography

Early path

"I was there when your father died, little one. There was nothing we could do."
"It was the Jedi!"
"No. No, it wasn't. Go to the others. Tell them Marda said to run away. This isn't for them. It isn't for any of you. Go now, Boolan."
―Marda Ro and Boolan, during the Night of Sorrow[1]

In 382 BBY,[6] Boolan was a member of the Path of the Open Hand cult and was one of its Littles. He was assigned alongside fellow Littles Tromak and Naddie to deliver food to Ric Farazi, a journalist who was visiting the Path compound on the planet Dalna and had fallen ill. When Jedi Knight Oliviah Zeveron and Jedi Padawan Matthea Cathley discovered Farazi also while investigating the Path, Boolan, Tromak, and Naddie found them in Farazi's hut, immediately recognizing them as Jedi and as the enemy, Boolan blaming them for the rains and for Farazi's illness. When Farazi collapsed and passed out due to her condition, Boolan and the others ran to the other Path members screaming that the Jedi had killed her.[1]

Boolan was a member of the Path of the Open Hand (group pictured) and served its Mother Elecia Zeveron (center).

Boolan was a member of the Path of the Open Hand (group pictured) and served its Mother Elecia Zeveron (center).

Later, during the Night of Sorrow, Boolan was tasked by the Mother Elecia Zeveron, one of the leaders of the Path, to plant thermal detonators throughout the caves at the compound the Path was operating from. The Mother hoped to blame the catastrophe on the Jedi and escape unscathed. However, he was discovered by Yana Ro, a Path member who had grown weary of the cult and the Mother, who confiscated the detonators from Boolan. Eventually Yana was discovered by her cousin Marda Ro, who thought that Yana had been planning to plant the bombs. Marda refused to believe that Yana wasn't planting the bombs until Boolan reappeared and Yana pointed a blaster at his head, threatening his life unless he revealed who ordered him to place the detonators. Boolan admitted that he had been ordered by the Mother alongside littles Utalir and Tromak, though Tromak had refused, the Mother telling him that it was the only way to get back at the Jedi for his father's death. Marda told Boolan that she had been there when his father died and that it wasn't the Jedi's fault, urging him to go find the other Littles and tell them to stop planting the bombs. He ran away from her, chanting 'The Force will be free.'[1]

Minister of Advancement

Joining the Nihil

"Of course I can help you with the Nameless. They're fascinating creatures. I would give almost anything to work with them. But you must understand, I have many ideas. So many ideas."
―Boolan, to Marchion Ro[7]
Boolan is visited by Marchion Ro.

Boolan is visited by Marchion Ro.

At some point, Boolan became an infamous scientist[2] and performed biological and medical experiments that were against the Galactic Republic's restrictions, causing him to be imprisoned in a prison near Ryloth.[7] Following the Destruction of Starlight Beacon in 230 BBY,[8] the Evereni leader of the Nihil pirates, Marchion Ro[7] — a descendant of Marda Ro[8] — recognizing Boolan's name from a list of inmates, visited the Ithorian at the prison. Though Boolan recalling that he had encountered other Evereni upset Ro to the point where he threatened the Ithorian, the Eye asked Boolan to help him refine and empower the Nameless, a species that preyed on Force-sensitives which Ro was using as a weapon against the Jedi. After gleefully agreeing, Boolan requested funds, equipment, the prison guards as test subjects, and asked that he be named a Baron.[7]

Ro and his aide Senator Ghirra Starros then created three new Nihil ministries, naming Boolan the leader of the Ministry of Advancement.[7] Boolan formed the Children of the Storm, which was made up of captured Force-sensitives that he experimented on and turned into Jedi hunters.[9] Becoming obsessed with the Nameless, the Children captured more Force users for Boolan to experiment on.[2] One of the individuals that the Ithorian subjected to his experiments was Master Cibaba, who Boolan approached with a serrated blade while he was lying upon a board, converting the Azumel into a Jedi hunter that operated in the company of a Nameless.[10] He also took on Umbaran Niv Drendow Apruk as his protégé, the boy contributing to Boolan's experiments on the Nameless[11] while also conducting his own research with material that Boolan provided.[12]

Driggit Parse (pictured above) encountered Baron Boolan when the Nihil conquered her homeworld and asked him how to become part of the marauder organisation.

Driggit Parse (pictured above) encountered Baron Boolan when the Nihil conquered her homeworld and asked him how to become part of the marauder organisation.

Boolan and his protégé were present with the Nihil when their forces invaded Valo,[11] a planet that had been victim to a previous terrorist strike earlier into the conflict.[13] There, the Minister of Advancement oversaw the execution of Jedi that his subordinates had captured, having them brought to the front courtyard of the local temple, where Boolan waited for them, stroking a Nameless that proceeded to consume the Living Force from each prisoner, reducing them to lifeless husks. With the completion of this task, the Ithorian and his monstrous companion entered the interior of the temple, where the pair encountered a young Valon named Driggit Parse, who Boolan first mistook for another member of the Order. Walking with a relaxed pace, the Nihil leader proceeded to sic his Force Eater on the unarmed girl with a gesture, but recalled the creature after its lack of effect on Parse proved that she was not a Force-sensitive. Questioning the reason for her presence at the building, Boolan waited with patience as the human made two failed attempts to respond, then laughed to her claims about having come to witness the slaughter of the Jedi, who Driggit expressed her alleged contempt for. Complimenting Parse for her answer, the Minister of Advancement praised her as one of the young intellects that the Nihil were on the lookout for as recruits to their organisation, which the Valon sought to join, asking Boolan for information on how to become a member. The Nihil subsequently occupied Valo and both Boolan and Niv Drendow Apruk were involved with the hunt for surviving Jedi that had been able to escape into the woodlands around Lonisa City, allowing them to capture Jedi Master Aebal and bring the Rodian before the Minister. With a tone that implied the tenderness Boolan felt for his acolyte, the Ithorian ordered Niv to conduct the execution with a Nameless that the Umbaran summoned to devour Aebal. Unbeknownst to the Nihil, their murder was witnessed by the youngling Gavi, who was hiding nearby.[11]

Less than a week before the anniversary of Starlight Beacon's destruction, Boolan was present at the Nihil headquarters on Hetzal Prime when Ghirra Starros marvelled at the accomplishments achieved through the ministries established beneath herself, Boolan and the Mirialan General Abediah Viess, who the Ithorian stood alongside besides the throne in Hall of the Eye.[7] However, despite his position, Boolan was despised by his fellow ministers and Senator Starros toyed with the idea of forming an alliance with Viess to assassinate the baron on at least one occasion.[14]

Activities on Banchii

In 228 BBY,[15] Baron Boolan was able to intercept a message that alerted him to a mysterious occurrence from the planet Banchii, where reports claimed the corpse of a human settler that was petrified from infection with Drengir spores had been seemingly revived. Intrigued, the baron proceeded to contact Niv Drendow at his laboratory inside the Occlusion Zone, though the Umbaran took some time to answer, which Boolan questioned, dismissing the research that his protégé was conducting as "frivolous experiments". Relaying the intelligence that he received about the presence of the so-called "ghosts" that were on Banchii, Boolan ordered Niv to investigate the situation, noting that the connection between the Drengir and the dark side of the Force made them a subject of interest while establishing that his instructions were non-negotiable. Though his student was uninterested, Boolan demanded that he undertake the mission regardless and hinted that further resistance would leave Drendov to suffer the same fate as his experiments. When the Umbaran relented, the pleased Boolan proceeded to dispatch a ship to transport Niv and the Nihil he had assembled for the mission before disconnecting the call. Jedi Master Savina Besatrix Malagán also set out to secure a journal that the former Jedi Azlin Rell — a survivor from the Night of Sorrow — had written to prevent Boolan from finding it, fearing the possible danger that could emerge if the Minister of Advancement was able to access knowledge that Rell had documented.[12]

Behind the scenes

Boolan first appeared in the 2023 novel The High Republic: Path of Vengeance, written by Cavan Scott.[1] The Databank lists Boolan's height as 1.7 meters,[2] however Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia lists his height as 1.96 meters.[8]

The fourth issue of the 2023 comic miniseries Star Wars: The High Republic – Shadows of Starlight—which was written by Charles Soule, illustrated by David Messina and Jethro Morales, and published by Marvel Comics[7] on January 3, 2024[16]—establishes that Boolan was recruited by the Nihil five months after Starlight Beacon's fall,[7] which, according to The High Republic Character Encyclopedia and the first issue of Shadows of Starlight, corresponds to 229 BBY.[17][8] This conflicts with flashbacks of the junior novel The High Republic: Escape from Valo—written by Daniel José Older and Alyssa Wong[11] and published on January 30, 2024[18]—which depicts Boolan as a member of the Nihil at the time of the attack on Valo. The novel establishes that the attack took place a year before its events. As the events of Escape from Valo take place a year after Starlight Beacon's destruction[11] in 230 BBY,[8] the attack must also take place in 230 BBY.[19] The audio drama The High Republic: Tempest Breaker, written by Cavan Scott, later referenced Boolan's recruitment by Ro[20] during Shadows of Starlight 4.[7]

Appearances

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Sources

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 The High Republic: Path of Vengeance
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 StarWars-DatabankII Baron Boolan in the Databank (backup link)
  3. ↑ The High Republic (2023) 8
  4. ↑ The High Republic: The Eye of Darkness
  5. ↑ StarWars-DatabankII Niv Drendow Apruk in the Databank (backup link)
  6. ↑ Star Wars: Timelines
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 The High Republic – Shadows of Starlight 4
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia
  9. ↑ The High Republic (2023) 6
  10. ↑ The High Republic Adventures – Saber for Hire 4
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 The High Republic: Escape from Valo
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 The High Republic: The Edge of Balance, Vol. 3
  13. ↑ The High Republic: The Rising Storm
  14. ↑ The High Republic: Temptation of the Force
  15. ↑ Star Wars: Timelines dates Starlight Beacon's destruction to 230 BBY. The implementation of the Guardian Protocols, which Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia places in 229 BBY, took place one week after Starlight Beacon's fall according to The High Republic – Shadows of Starlight 1. As The High Republic Adventures (2023) 4 takes place one year and two weeks after the destruction of Starlight Beacon, it must be set in 228 BBY. Since the events of The High Republic Adventures (2023) 6 are set immediately following the fourth issue and depict the expansion of the Stormwall, the expansion must have taken place in the same year. Meanwhile, the events of "Tales from the Occlusion Zone: No Big Deal" include the Stormwall's expansion and also depict the start of Pikka Adren's pregnancy. A later story, "Tales from the Occlusion Zone: Sparks Fly," states that Adren is eight months pregnant during its events, indicating that it is set eight months after "No Big Deal," and therefore one year, eight months, and two weeks after the fall of Starlight Beacon. "Sparks Fly" is set during the Battle of Eriadu, an event that begins in The High Republic Adventures Phase III - The Wedding Spectacular. As StarWars.com Star Wars: The High Republic Chronological Reader's Guide on StarWars.com (article) (backup link) places The High Republic: The Edge of Balance, Vol. 3 between the events of "No Big Deal" and The Wedding Spectacular, its events must also be set in 228 BBY.
  16. ↑ Marvel-TemplateLogo Star Wars: The High Republic - Shadows of Starlight (2023) #4 on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)
  17. ↑ The High Republic – Shadows of Starlight 1
  18. ↑ StarWars.com SWCE 2023: 9 Things We Learned from the Star Wars: The High Republic Panel on StarWars.com (backup link)
  19. ↑ The events of The High Republic: Escape from Valo take place one year after the destruction of Starlight Beacon, which equates to 229 BBY per Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia. The novel establishes that the attack on Valo took place one year before, meaning it must have taken place in 230 BBY.
  20. ↑ The High Republic: Tempest Breaker


The Nihil leaders (229 BBY, 228 BBY)
Eye of the Nihil: Marchion Ro
Ministers: Ghirra Starros
(Minister of Information) 		General Abediah Viess
(Minister of Protection) 		Tempest Runner Baron Boolan
(Minister of Advancement)
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