Shalla Ro

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Shalla Ro

Shalla Ro was anEverenifemale of theRo family who led theNihilpirate group as theEye of the Nihil during theHigh Republic Era. She was thedaughter of the Nihil'sfounder, and had a son namedAsgar Ro with anEvereni male. Asgar laterfathered his own son,Marchion. Shalla believed that the Nihil should be careful about their expansion, and she used strategy and caution while leading the Nihil. She thought that Marchion represented the metaphorical "tip" of the blade of Evereni survival who would fight theGalactic Republic andJedi Order, achieving vengeance for the Ros. Shalla's cautious approach brought her into conflict with Asgar, who believed that the Nihil should expand faster. In252 BBY, Asgarkilled Shalla over their differing opinions and took the title of Eye for himself.

Biography[]

Eye of the Nihil[]

Shalla Ro was anEvereniwoman who lived during theHigh Republic Era and was thedaughter of anEvereni woman who created theNihilpirate group.^[2] At some point,Marda Ro,^[4] Shalla's grandmother,^[5] created arecording for her descendants, including Shalla, about a portion of Marda's life.^[4] Herself a member of the Nihil,Tempest RunnerKassav Milliko, stated that the Nihil had a "history" with her. At some point, she had a son namedAsgar with anEvereni male. Asgar went on to have his own son,Marchion Ro.^[3] Just as Shalla had been taught by her grandmother, she taught Marchion thatJedi could not beimprisoned by bars, but instead by inflicted pain on them.Mari San Tekka, aForce-sensitivehyperspaceprospector with the ability to locate unconventionalhyperspace routes known as "Paths," who was heldcaptive by the Ro family, was asked manytimes by Shalla to explain her abilities to her, but San Tekka could not clearly explain it.^[5] Due to her desire for caution with regard to Nihil expansion, Ro hesitated to overuse San Tekka'sabilities.^[2] During Marchion's childhood,^[3] Shalla and Asgar told Marchion stories aboutPlanet X, thehomeworld of theNameless creatures.^[6]

In252 BBY,^[1] Shalla led the Nihil,^[2] holding the title ofEye of the Nihil.^[3] Thatyear,^[1] she and Asgar had a discussion about the future of the Nihil aboard theirflagship, theGaze Electric. Shalla stated that all the Evereni who survived under persecution were like blades and Marchion was akin to the blade's point. She admired that Marchion had gravitated to San Tekka and had befriended her, which would allow Marchion to use her in the future. Shalla further stated that Marchion would eventually have to battle mightily with theGalactic Republic andJedi Order, and that Asgar would need to instruct him to continue to "sharpen" him.^[3]

In response, Asgar stated that the Nihil needed to be more active and needed to act soon, as San Tekka was more than acentury old. Asgar further stated that Marda would not have let the Nihil sit idle for long. Shalla responded that, unlike Asgar, she had seen what the Jedi could do and that the Nihil would continue to be patient. Shalla then suggested that Asgar go out intothe galaxy, like hisfather andgrandfather before him, and start gettingkills, to which Asgar expressed his assent.^[3] Thinking he would make a more decisive and better leader of the Nihil than Shalla,^[2] Asgar responded by pushing Shalla over a railing, causing her to fall and die on impact with the floor.^[3]

Legacy[]

Following Shalla's death, Asgar departed theGaze Electric in a smallerstarship. Nihil Tempest RunnerPan Eyta, thinking that it was in fact Shalla Ro, commented that it was Shalla coming to incite the Nihil in order to make money for Shalla. Asgar landed and departed the vessel, to which Kassav asked where Shalla was. Asgar responded that Shalla was dead and that it was time to change the Nihil. Kassav opined that Shalla had a history with the Nihil and served as an effective leader, and that, with her gone, it would be easier to simply kill Asgar. Asgar offered to have Marchion fight against any Nihil ships and, if he won, the Tempest Runners would listen to Asgars. Using the Paths provided by San Tekka, Marchion won the contest, and took the title Eye of the Nihil;^[3] contrary to Shalla's strategy of slow growth, he greatly expanded the organization during his tenure as Eye.^[2]

Following the death of his father in242 BBY, Marchion became Eye of the Nihil,^[2] and fought greatly against the Jedi Order and Republic^[5] just as Shalla predicted.^[3] San Tekka sometimes thought that Marchion was Asgar or Shalla.^[5] In232 BBY,^[2] Marchion cited Shalla's teachings on how to take Jedi prisoner when the Nihil capturedJedi MasterLoden Greatstorm captive in theraid on Elphrona.^[5] Between231 BBY and230 BBY,^[7] Marchionbreachedthe Veil, a barrier that prevented ships from landing on the Planet X, by first sending in Nihil ships, thus causing the Veil to focus on destroying them. Marchion subsequently used theCloudshipIkoru to breach the Veil, exactly like the stories that Shalla had told him predicted.^[6]

Personality and traits[]

Shalla Ro was an Evereni woman withblackeyes, blackhair with red streaks, and slate-gray skin^[3] who was 1.65meters (5ft 5 in) tall. She was a cautious strategic individual as she attempted to grow the Nihil stealthily. She was skilled at making contact and commanding others to do her orders.^[2] According to Kassav, she was a survivor who had good ideas who was also "mean as hell."^[3]

Equipment[]

Shalla wore a reddress with aRo family heirloomnecklace and turquoise-coloredearrings.^[2]

Behind the scenes[]

Shalla Ro was first mentioned, albeit unnamed, in the2021 novelThe High Republic: Light of the Jedi, written byCharles Soule^[5] for theStar Wars: The High Republic multimedia project'sPhase I.^[8] She first appeared and was identified as "Shalla" in a flashback in thefirst issue of the2022comic miniseriesStar Wars: The High Republic: Eye of the Storm, written by Soule, illustrated byGuillermo Sanna, and published byMarvel Comics^[3] onJanuary 12, 2022.^[8] The2023 reference bookStar Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia later identified her surname as "Ro."^[2]

Appearances[]

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• "A Closed Fist Has No Claws" —The High Republic: Tales of Light and Life(andaudiobook)(Indirect mention only)
• The High Republic: Light of the Jedi(andaudiobook)(First mentioned)
• The High Republic: Eye of the Storm 1(First appearance)(In flashback(s))(First identified as Shalla)
• The High Republic: Eye of the Storm 2(Mentioned only)
• The High Republic: Temptation of the Force(andaudiobook)(Mentioned only)
• The High Republic: Trials of the Jedi(andaudiobook)(Appears as a ghost or spirit)

Sources[]

• Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia(First identified as Ro)
• Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy

Notes and references[]