Can Darth Nihilus drain a planet without orbital bombardment?
Apparently, it's becoming a commonly held belief that Nihilus can't drain a planet on the fly like once thought, but instead needs to attack it with an orbital onslaught first, via a quote in the Complete Star Wars encyclopedia. But others, view the quote in a completely different manner, and suggest it's not mutually exclusive.
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Quote from SW encyclopedia?
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Shadilay my brothers and sisters. With any luck we will throw off the shackles of normie oppression. We have nothing to lose but our chains! Praise Kek!
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In the meantime, Darth Nihilus led his Sith forces from his flagship, the Ravager, drawing more and more power from worlds that he blasted into ruin.
--TCSWE
There is not a single source that states or depicts as such, and instead anyone not in urgent need of glasses can tell from Unseen, Unheard that orbital bombardment is not involved.
Logically, it doesn't make a bit of sense. Blasting the planet with orbital bombardment would kill a significant amount of the populace, given the destructive power a turbolaser sports alone.
He never used the Ravager. Other sources say ancient Sith like Nihilus can destroy worlds with a thought, which backs up him life wiping planets like Katarr in unseen unheard.
__________________ "Vader's pulse and breathing were machine-regulated, so they could not quicken; but something in his chest became more electric around his meetings with the Emperor; he could not say how. A feeling of fullness, of power, of dark and demon mastery -- of secret lusts, unrestrained passion, wild submission -- all these things were in Vader's heart as he neared his Emperor. These things and more."
Unseen, Unheard has him first bombing Katarr, though. Well either that, or he TKs the surface of the planet, but that'd be ridiculous because that'd make Nihilus > every other SW character bar the Ones.