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In the Star Wars: The High Republic subseries, the Nihil may have killed multiple Padawans and Younglings. Here’s how they might have survived.
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Star Wars: The High Republic: The Fallen Star and Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #12, on sale now.
Anakin Skywalker’s slaughter of the Jedi Temple’s Padawans and Younglings in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith remains one of Star Wars’ most horrific moments and truly cemented Anakin’s turn to the dark side. In the Star Wars: The High Republic subseries, Marchion Ro, the leader of the Nihil, has been terrorizing the Outer Rim, and his latest scheme might have brought about a similar massacre. In Claudia Gray’s Star Wars: The High Republic: The Fallen Star, the Nihil destroyed the Starlight Beacon with a series of bombs and possibly multiple Great Levelers, creatures that attack Force-sensitive people, devour their fear, and turn them to dust. The elephant in the room is that the station also housed many young Jedi, and their fates currently are unknown.
In Star Wars: The High Republic: The Fallen Star, many Jedi and civilians died during the destruction of the entire top half of the Starlight Beacon. If the Padawans and Younglings were in the top half of the station, their best chance for survival would be evacuation. In the Jedi’s flagship, the Ataraxia was able to launch from the top half of the station, making such a thing a real possibility.
The presence of the Padawans and Younglings among the evacuees may remain unconfirmed for two reasons. First, many readers already assume their rescue was a given. Second, the creators might be holding back to avoid spoiling the events of the upcoming issues of Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures and Daniel José Older’s forthcoming young adult novel, Star Wars: The High Republic: Midnight Horizon.
If the Padawans and Younglings were not among the evacuees, all hope is not lost. The layout of the Starlight Beacon suggests another way that survival remains possible. A map released in Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #11 (by Daniel José Older, Harvey Tolibao, Jake M. Wood, and Rebecca Nalty) shows that Jedi Quarters located right next to the Medical and Science Research tower near the middle of the station. The Quarters and the Medical tower which Padawan Bell Zettifar jettisoned to safety could have been attached. If so, Zettifar might have saved the Padawans and Younglings in the process.
There is also a possibility that most of the young Jedi were not on the station at the time. The Padawans and Younglings have been sent off station for missions in the past; the series’ premiere arc featured them traveling to provide aid. Before the attack on the Starlight Beacon, the Jedi already were organizing the Padawans into teams to investigate the Nihil’s activities, specifically under the command of Krix Kamerat, Marchion Ro’s protege and on Corellia, as seen in Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #12 by Daniel José Older, Harvey Tolibao of Magnus Art, Pow Rodrix, Rebecca Nalty, Jake M. Wood, Riley Farmer, and Heather Antos. Depending on timing, most Padawans and Younglings might have avoided the destruction entirely. Still, the possibility remains that this attack ended the lives of many of the Jedi Order’s youngest members. Marchion Ro and the Nihil have not shied away from killing in the past.
If Ro is responsible, the Padawan and Youngling deaths could prove his biggest mistake. The Jedi thus far have done their best to avoid vengeance in their dealings with the Nihil, taking prisoners alive whenever possible. However, given Marchion already revealed his identity to the galaxy, it would be nearly effortless for the Jedi Order to target him for the murder of so many children.
Overall, the deaths of the Padawans and Younglings of the Starlight Beacon would be a tragedy similar to Anakin’s slaughter of the Younglings. The writing throughout the Star Wars: The High Republic subseries has been excellent, and Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures is the subseries’ emotional core. The Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures team has shown the Jedi at their best throughout, creating a warm, loving environment for the Padawans and Younglings to thrive. Since the audience has gotten to know them so well, losing them would prove all the more painful.
As it stands, the destruction of the Starlight Beacon already resonates precisely because this home and safe haven is gone. With this deep wound, Marchion Ro might have inadvertently given an entire new generation of Jedi even more incentive to end the Nihil’s attacks. In many ways, he may have just become the author of his own decimation.
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