It has become very clear in all of the High Republic material so far that the Nihil pose a serious threat to the Republic. The marauders were involved in the Great Disaster and a number of subsequent and related encounters. The Republic doesn’t know a whole lot about them, but they know enough to recognize that they’re dangerous.
But in the latest chapter in High Republic storytelling, Claudia Gray’s Into the Dark, the Jedi encounter an even more mysterious threat: the Drengir! And these plant creatures are the subject of the latest video short focusing on the characters from this era:
I’m very intrigued by both the Nihil and the Drengir and can’t wait to learn more about them. Specifically with the Drengir, we know that they seek meat to devour and are strong with the dark side of the Force. They had warred against the mighty Amaxines long before and had won, but the Drengir were apparently so powerful that the Sith essentially imprisoned them on an abandoned space station, holding back their power through the Force. But when the Jedi arrive on the station in the wake of the Great Disaster, they mistakenly assume that the dark side presence emanated from the statues… but then discover that the statues were actually what held the darkness back. So they accidentally set the Drengir loose, and thus later had to fight against them.
But the Drengir are a formidable foe, able to heal and regenerate themselves remarkably quickly. So far we’ve only seen them in two locations, seemingly trapped there, but in the latest issue of The High Republic comic, it looks like we’re about to see another one. And if that’s the case, it means that they are spread throughout the galaxy, which would be less than ideal news for the Jedi.
So while the Sith aren’t going to show up in the High Republic, since they’re in hiding during this time period, the presence of the dark side lives on.
Star Wars Thoughts 