In the newly revealed Star Wars: The High Republic, the Jedi from the golden age of the Council on Coruscant will go face-to-face with fresh villains known as the Nihil.
After so much speculation, Lucasfilm finally announced Project Luminous as a publishing initiative for a new line of Star Wars books and comics that’ll take fans to the High Republic era and showcase the Jedi at the height of their power. While we don’t know how this new narrative will play into Disney’s plans for the future of Star Wars on the big screen, the first few pieces of concept art and story details in the trailer for this new project are intriguing.
Specifically, fans even got to get a first look at the new villains who’ll disturb the peace and justice that the Jedi of old are trying to establish in the galaxy. This band of warriors called the Nihil were described as ‘space Vikings’ and some folks are now wondering if they’re in any way related to Darth Nilihus, who was a character in Knights of the Old Republic.
Granted, these bandits don’t seem like Force-sensitive beings at first glance, but they can still serve the Dark Side as enthusiasts. Let’s not forget, where there are Jedi, there are Sith to oppose them. And if you didn’t get a proper look at these new villains in the trailer, check out some of their concept designs below:
There’s a catch, though; Darth Nihilus currently resides in the non-canon part of Disney’s Star Wars, referred to as Legends, so odds are, we may not see him make an appearance in these new novels and comics. Besides, Knights of the Old Republic takes place thousands of years before the Skywalker Saga, whereas Project Luminous will take us 200 years before Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Still, the Mouse House could introduce an iteration of the character. It’s their property, after all.
At any rate, we’re excited to learn more about Star Wars: The High Republic and Lucasfilm’s new narrative when the first novel, titled Light of the Jedi, debuts on September 8th, 2020.