Boolan was an Ithorian male who lived during the High Republic Era. In 382 BBY, he was a member of the Path of the Open Hand cult and was one of its Littles. He was the son of Path member Tragor. During the Night of Sorrow, The Mother, one of the leaders of the Path, tasked Boolan with planting thermal detonators throughout the caves at the Path compound, but he was stopped by Path members Yana Ro and Marda Ro.

Boolan eventually became a Baron and an infamous Nihil scientist who operated as Eye of the Nihil Marchion Ro's Minister of Advancement. He led the Children of the Storm, Jedi hunters who captured Force users for him to experiment on. He also became obsessed with the Nameless and their connection to the Force.

Biography[]

Early path[]

In 382 BBY,^[6] Boolan was a member of the Path of the Open Hand cult and was one of its Littles. He was assigned alongside fellow Littles Tromak and Naddie to deliver food to Ric Farazi, a journalist who was visiting the Path compound on the planet Dalna and had fallen ill. When Jedi Knight Oliviah Zeveron and Jedi Padawan Matthea Cathley discovered Farazi also while investigating the Path, Boolan, Tromak, and Naddie found them in Farazi's hut, immediately recognizing them as Jedi and as the enemy, Boolan blaming them for the rains and for Farazi's illness. When Farazi collapsed and passed out due to her condition, Boolan and the others ran to the other Path members screaming that the Jedi had killed her.^[1]

Later, during the Night of Sorrow, Boolan was tasked by the Mother Elecia Zeveron, one of the leaders of the Path, to plant thermal detonators throughout the caves at the compound the Path was operating from. The Mother hoped to blame the catastrophe on the Jedi and escape unscathed. However, he was discovered by Yana Ro, a Path member who had grown weary of the cult and the Mother, who confiscated the detonators from Boolan. Eventually Yana was discovered by her cousin Marda Ro, who thought that Yana had been planning to plant the bombs. Marda refused to believe that Yana wasn't planting the bombs until Boolan reappeared and Yana pointed a blaster at his head, threatening his life unless he revealed who ordered him to place the detonators. Boolan admitted that he had been ordered by the Mother alongside littles Utalir and Tromak, though Tromak had refused, the Mother telling him that it was the only way to get back at the Jedi for his father's death. Marda told Boolan that she had been there when his father died and that it wasn't the Jedi's fault, urging him to go find the other Littles and tell them to stop planting the bombs. He ran away from her, chanting 'The Force will be free.'^[1]

Joining the Nihil[]

At some point, Boolan became an infamous scientist^[2] and performed biological and medical experiments that were against the Galactic Republic's restrictions, causing him to be imprisoned in a prison near Ryloth.^[7] Following the Destruction of Starlight Beacon in 230 BBY,^[8] the Evereni leader of the Nihil pirates, Marchion Ro, recognizing Boolan's name from a list of inmates, visited Boolan at the prison. Though Boolan recalling that he had encountered other Evereni upset Ro, the Eye asked Boolan to help him refine and empower the Nameless, a species that preyed on Force-sensitives which Ro was using as a weapon against the Jedi. After gleefully agreeing, Boolan requested funds, equipment, the prison guards as test subjects, and asked that he be named a Baron.^[7]

Ro and his aide senator Ghirra Starros then created three new Nihil ministries, naming Boolan the leader of the Ministry of Advancement.^[7] Boolan formed the Children of the Storm, which was made up of captured Force-sensitives that he experimented on and turned into Jedi hunters.^[9] Becoming obsessed with the Nameless, the Children captured more Force users for Boolan to experiment on.^[2] He also took on Umbaran Niv Drendow Apruk as his protégé, the boy contributing to Boolan's experiments on the Nameless.^[10]

Behind the scenes[]

Boolan first appeared in the 2023 novel The High Republic: Path of Vengeance, written by Cavan Scott.^[1] The Databank lists Boolan's height as 1.7 meters,^[2] however Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia lists his height as 1.96 meters.^[8]

The fourth issue of the 2023 comic miniseries Star Wars: The High Republic: Shadows of Starlight—which was written by Charles Soule, illustrated by David Messina and Jethro Morales, and published by Marvel Comics^[7] on January 3, 2024^[11]—establishes that Boolan was recruited by the Nihil five months after Starlight Beacon's fall,^[7] which, according to The High Republic Character Encyclopedia and the first issue of Shadows of Starlight, corresponds to 229 BBY.^[12][8] This conflicts with flashbacks of the junior novel The High Republic: Escape from Valo—written by Daniel José Older and Alyssa Wong^[10] and published on January 30, 2024^[13]—which depicts Boolan as a member of the Nihil at the time of the attack on Valo. The novel establishes that the attack took place a year before its events. As the events of Escape from Valo take place a year after Starlight Beacon's destruction^[10] in 230 BBY,^[8] the attack must also take place in 230 BBY.^[14]

Appearances[]

• The High Republic: Path of Vengeance (First appearance)
• The High Republic: Path of Vengeance audiobook
• The High Republic: Shadows of Starlight 4
• The High Republic: Escape from Valo (In flashback(s))
• The High Republic: The Eye of Darkness
• The High Republic Adventures (2023) 4 (Mentioned only)
• The High Republic (2023) 1 (Indirect mention only)
• The High Republic (2023) 6 (Mentioned only)
• The High Republic (2023) 7
• The High Republic (2023) 8
• The High Republic (2023) 9
• The High Republic: Defy the Storm
• The High Republic: Defy the Storm audiobook
• The High Republic: Temptation of the Force
• The High Republic: The Edge of Balance, Vol. 4

Sources[]

• Jedi Master Keeve Trennis Returns in Marvel's Star Wars: The High Republic #1 – Exclusive Reveal on StarWars.com (backup link)
• Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia
• Inside Star Wars: The High Republic: New Faces of the Nihil on StarWars.com (backup link)
• Inside Star Wars: The High Republic: The Nameless Strike Back in Phase III on StarWars.com (backup link)
• The High Republic Authors on Authors: Daniel José Older and Alyssa Wong on StarWars.com (backup link)
• The High Republic Authors on Authors: Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland on StarWars.com (backup link)
• "Imperial March" Begins with a Galaxy of New Toys, Apparel, and More on StarWars.com (backup link)
• Baron Boolan in the Databank (backup link) (First pictured)
• Niv Drendow Apruk in the Databank (backup link)

Notes and references[]

The Nihil leaders (229 BBY)
Eye of the Nihil: Marchion Ro Ministers: Ghirra Starros (Minister of Information) General Abediah Viess (Minister of Protection) Tempest Runner Baron Boolan (Minister of Advancement)
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