The High Republic: Eye of the Storm 1 is the first issue of the comic book miniseries Star Wars: The High Republic: Eye of the Storm. The issue was written by Charles Soule, illustrated by Guillermo Sanna and Jim Campbell, and published by Marvel Comics on January 12, 2022.
Publisher's summary
ACT ONE: Ro. The Truth. The Lie. The Kill. In which we reveal the true origins of MARCHION RO, the Eye of the Nihil and sworn enemy of the Jedi Order. In which the lie at the heart of his family is exposed. In which the doom of the High Republic begins…with a single kill.
Plot summary
Scene I: The Truth
Aboard the Gaze Electric after the "Fall," Marchion Ro introduces himself to the reader. He recounts the history of the Evereni people, who grew up on the tempest world of Everon, which was covered by storms. Instead of dominating their natural environment, the Evereni embraced motion and lived in a mobile flying cities. Regarding themselves as their planet's stewards, the Evereni took care of their planet under the belief that Everon would take care of them.
However, Evereni civilization was devastated by a once-in-millennium vortex that unleashed massive storms that destroyed several Evereni mobile cities. From the Great Storm, the Evereni learnt that they could not trust their homeworld. In the years following the Great Storm, the Evereni placed their faith in governing institutions to manage their remaining resources. However, their political leaders made decisions out of selfishness and fear, leading to distrust in institutions. Limited food and resources led to killings and centuries of warfare.
The Evereni were reduced to a starving remnant who could barely take care of themselves. Scarce resources led to family members killing each other, causing the Evereni not to trust in their own families. The Evereni remnants eventually pulled their resources into building starships to leave their forsaken homeworld. By that time, their culture no longer had a word for trust. The only things that the species understood were desire, wants, needs and goals.
When the Evereni encountered other intelligent life in the galaxy, their inability to trust each other led them to attack other alien species. As a result of their attacks on starships, the Evereni were deemed outlaws and hunted, reducing their numbers farther. The surviving Evereni learnt to lie, deceive and manipulate others to their purpose. While the Evereni still clung to the belief they were caretakers, they now only cared for themselves. The comic shows an Evereni woman offering to share wine with a group of aliens by a campfire. When her hosts die from poisoning, she steals their belongings.
Scene II: The Lie
Twenty years before the Great Disaster, a younger Marchion Ro introduces himself to Mari San Tekka, the hyperspace savant who resides in a life-support tank. For decades, the Ro family has kept her alive to help them navigate through hyperspace. When San Tekka asks the boy where he would like to go, Marchion tells him that she can take them anywhere. Meanwhile, Marchion's father Asgar Ro speaks with his mother Shalla Ro. Shalla regards Marchion as the point of a blade that has been sharpened over a thousand generations of survival. Shallla is pleased that Marchion has befriended San Tekka, whom she regards as their most important asset.
Shalla believes that Marchion is the Evereni species' best chance of defeating the Galactic Republic and the Jedi. Shalla counsels Asgar to ensure that his son outlasts them. Asgar says that their son will need the help of the Nihil but Shalla believes that San Tekka is not ready. Asgar counters that San Tekka is about 100 years old and will die if they do not put her to use. He says that he has been working with San Tekka to develop her skills and believes their Path engines will work.
Asgar expresses impatience with Shalla's unwillingness to attack the Republic and the Jedi, and accuses her of cowardice. Shalla is angered by her son's challenge and warns him not to underestimate their enemies. She warns that they will only get once chance to strike their enemies and warns that generations of hard work will be destroyed if they choose their moment poorly. When Shalla suggests that Asgar leave and venture into the galaxy, Asgar throws his mother to her death. Marchion sees his grandmother's corpse while San Tekka asks what is going on.
Later, Tempest Runner Kassav Milliko tells Pan Eyta that he shot several Nihil crew attempting to dessert. Eyta thinks that Milliko should have allowed them to desert because he thinks that the Nihil under Shalla's leadership has reached a dead end. Shortly later, Asgar arrives on the Gaze Electric. After confirming the death of his mother, he proposes changing the way they do things. Milliko challenges Asgar's leadership of the Nihil, prompting Asgar to enact a leadership contest pitting his son Marchion against the other Nihil.
If they succeed in shooting down his ship, they will claim everything including the Gaze Electric. If he wins, they will have to submit to his leadership. Eyta thinks that Asgar is being suicidal and bluffing. However, Asgar responds that he is serious about the bet and adds that they will be challenging his son and heir, Marchion.
Later, the other Nihil assemble their starfighters against Marchion's starfighter. Asgar warns his son that if he loses, their family's hopes will die with him. Marchion says he understands. Asgar then orders Mari to activate their Battle Paths. With the help of San Tekka and the path engine on his starfighter, Marchion is able to run circles around the other Nihil by jumping rapidly into hyperspace and exiting. He takes out several starships, prompting Eyta and Milliko to sue for peace and submit to Asgar. Having made his point, Asgar orders his son to cease hostilities. When Marchion initially refuses to obey, Asgar threatens to deactivate the battle paths.
Following the dogfight, Asgar tells the other Nihil that he has a technology that allows the Nihil to vanish into hyperspace by making microjumps. When Eyta asks how it works, Asgar replies that this is his family secret that he will use as leverage over them. When Eyta asks if he wants to be their boss, Asgar says he is not interested in running a crew and instead delegates this responsibility to his lieutenants. Asgar says that he will rule from behind the scenes as the Eye of the Nihil. When Milliko questions Asgar's leadership style, Asgar describes his late mother Shalla as a caretaker who united the storm. He promises to bring the lighting as the Eye of the Nihil. As their numbers grow, the Nihil recruit more leaders such as Lourna Dee.
Scene III: The Kill
Ten years later, Marchion murders his father Asgar by stabbing him several times. In his final moments, Asgar asks his son if he is just going to sit there and watch. When Marchion reacts with silence, Asgar compliments his son before passing away. Marchion takes his father's helmet.
Later, he meets up with Tempest Runners Milliko and Dee, who acknowledge him as the new Eye of the Nihil after learning he has killed his father. Dee asks if Marchion is ready to fight the Republic and the Jedi, Marchion says that he needs to return to the Gaze Electric to do some work. When Milliko remarks that Marchion is not his father, Marchion agrees. Milliko says that they respected his father for being a survivor, having contacts, god ideas and a vision. Shalla brought them together while Asgar brought them the Battle Paths. Milliko asks if Marchion shares his ancestors' vision. Donning his father's helmet, Marchion confirms that he has a vision, which consists of destroying the Jedi.
Media
Cover gallery
Collected in
- Star Wars: The High Republic Vol. 3 – Jedi's End
- Star Wars: The High Republic Phase I – Light of the Jedi Omnibus
Appearances
| Characters | Organisms | Droid models | Events | Locations |
| Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
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Organisms
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Events
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Locations
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Weapons and technology
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Sources
Star Wars: The High Republic Show: New High Republic Wave 3 Cover Reveals, Starlight Beacon Model Unveiled, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link) (Posted on StarWars.com)- The Fallen Star and Other Book Covers Revealed on the Star Wars: The High Republic Show on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Marchion Ro's Origin Revealed and More in Marvel's January 2022 Star Wars Comics – Exclusive on StarWars.com (backup link)
- "Launchpad" — Star Wars Insider 206
- "Launchpad" — Star Wars Insider 207
- Embrace the Tempest in Marvel's Star Wars: The High Republic: Eye of the Storm #1 - Exclusive Preview on StarWars.com (backup link)
- "Launchpad" — Star Wars Insider 208
- Star Wars: The High Republic Show: The High Republic at New York Comic Con, Phase II Begins Now, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link) (Posted on StarWars.com)
- The Darker Side: An Exploration of the Occult in Star Wars on StarWars.com (backup link)
- "Charles Soule: Luminous Legacy" — Star Wars Insider 231
- Star Wars: The High Republic Chronological Reader's Guide on StarWars.com (article) (backup link)
