The Ro family, also referred to as the Ros, constituted a lineage of Everenis. They played a pivotal role within both the Path of the Open Hand and the Nihil during the High Republic Era. Notable members included Asgar Ro, an Eye of the Nihil, and his son, Marchion Ro.
In the Evereni language, the name "Ro" translated to "to look, to see." A member of the Faer family possessed knowledge of the Ro family, which she passed down to her grandchildren, Vika Faer and Velya Faer. At some point prior to 382 BBY, the Evereni Ro family faced an attack on the planet Genetia, resulting in the deaths of at least three members. This assault was perpetrated by Genetian townspeople who attributed crop failures to the family, a belief rooted in anti-Evereni prejudice that the family recognized. A male member of the family engaged in intense combat to ensure the survival of his kin. Two female members of the Ro family, cousins Marda and Yana Ro, along with their mothers, managed to escape after their mothers murdered a family of Theelins to secure a starship for their departure. They were spared from enslavement by the Hutt Clan due to the intervention of the cult known as the Path of the Open Hand, which paid for their freedom. Subsequently, they sought refuge on the planet Dalna, where they joined the Path of the Open Hand and venerated The Force. However, eventually Yana's and Marda's mothers abandoned their children to the Path.
In 382 BBY, the family—at that time only known to consist of Marda and Yana—became involved with the Jedi and a mysterious rod, when the Path acquired a member of the Nameless species, which they referred to as the Great Leveler. This powerful being, which preyed on Force-sensitives, was revered not as a god but as an agent of balance. Yana Ro obtained the Rod of Seasons, one of three rods capable of controlling the Leveler, which elevated her standing within the Path and renewed her dedication to their cause. The Path of the Open Hand then resolved to use their new weapon against the Jedi, with the Ro cousins departing Dalna aboard the Path's flagship, the Gaze Electric. The Path engaged in large-scale conflict with the Jedi, particularly on Jedha and Dalna. Later generations of "faithful" Ro family members would recall the events on both worlds as evidence that the Jedi were leading the galaxy toward destruction, not balance. The Rod of Seasons and Great Leveler were later believed by Ro descendants to be connected to the misfortunes that had befallen their ancestors.
Eventually, Marda established a group of marauders and pirates that would become known as the Nihil. Driven by the desire to create a lasting legacy for the Ro family, she passed down leadership of the organization. In time, it came under the control of Shalla Ro, whose authority was seized by her son, Asgar Ro, who assumed the title of Eye of the Nihil. Several generations of the family, including Shalla and Asgar, had also held Mari San Tekka, a hyperspace prospector, captive in order to exploit her ability to discover the Paths, which were difficult-to-navigate hyperspace routes. Asgar also operated from the starship Gaze Electric, where he held San Tekka. Upon Asgar's death, San Tekka, the Gaze Electric, and control of the Nihil were inherited by his son, Marchion Ro.
In 232 BBY, Marchion masterminded the Great Hyperspace Disaster and initiated a campaign against the Jedi and Republic, largely driven by a desire for revenge for the injustices suffered by his family in the past. He acquired a fragment of the Rod of Seasons, as well as the starship Gaze Electric, which he used as his flagship. After retrieving the remaining piece of the rod from the Kharvashark Ruins on Vrant Tarnum, Ro journeyed to the planet Rystan with Udi Dis, a Force-sensitive Talortai member of the Nihil. There, he encountered his cousin Kufa, who guided him to a cavern beneath the planet's icy surface. Marchion harbored suspicions that most of his family would attempt to harm him if they were ever reunited, a sentiment not shared by Kufa. Despite the fact that most of the family had abandoned their faith following their defeats against the Jedi, Marchion, in his conversation with Kufa, affirmed that he had never forsaken their rituals. She led him to the Great Leveler, which had been entombed in ice beneath the planet by the Ros. After using Dis to demonstrate the creature's power against Force sensitives, he unleashed the Leveler against the Jedi to exact his family's revenge, and murdered Kufa.
Marchion had been raised to embody his family's vengeance. While he believed it was his duty to fulfill his family's revenge, he also came to believe his will was the only word in the galaxy that mattered. Possibly without even realizing it, Ro, despite sometimes allowing himself to think of revenge, was fighting for himself alone.
The Ro family was conceived for the Star Wars: The High Republic multimedia initiative and made their debut appearance in the 2021 novel The High Republic: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule.