Yuuzhan Vong

Homeworld: Unknown

Description: The Yuuzhan Vong are a fictional race of sentient beings that rise as a threat to the New Republic in the Star Wars New Jedi Order series of novels. They are the only known alien species in the Star Wars universe to have originated outside the Star Wars galaxy. The Yuuzhan Vong are a race of religious zealot masochists. They genetically engineer and grow all of their organic technology and view mechanical technology as blasphemy. They endeavor to improve their physical capabilities through organ grafting. Notably, the Yuuzhan Vong are not included in the Force, something the Jedi have found very mysterious, since all living things are supposed to have, in some way or another, a Force energy signature from other species.

The Yuuzhan Vong function in a caste system. They range from the powerful two-person Supreme Overlord caste to the lowly oppressed worker caste. Below is a list of the major castes. Their economic system isn't really mentioned, but appears to be a command economy, and their political system is obviously a form of theocracy or autocracy.

The highest caste is led by the Supreme Overlord, who commands all of the other castes. At the time of the Yuuzhan Vong War, the current Supreme Overlord is Shimrra. Or so the Yuuzhan Vong think. Only the Supreme Overlord has direct communication with Yun-Yuuzhan, the Creator and Supreme God of the Yuuzhan Vong. The Supreme Overlord caste consists of the following ranks, in descending order:

* Supreme Overlord * Heir

The shapers are the scientists who supervised the biotechonology of the Yuuzhan Vong. The shaper caste consists of the following ranks, in descending order:

* Master Shaper * Adept * Savant

The priests are the servants of the many lesser deities of the Yuuzhan Vong. The priest caste consists of the following ranks, in descending order:

* High Priest, High Priestess * Priest, Priestess * Seer * Savant

The warrior caste serves as the armies of the Yuuzhan Vong and is one of the largest castes. They are well trained, deadly, and are more aggressive than the other castes of the Yuuzhan Vong. The caste's most famous warrior is Tsavong Lah, the warmaster at the beginning of the Yuuzhan Vong War. Their chief weapon is the amphistaff, which resembles a deadly serpent capable of spitting venom or coiling around foes. The warriors are devotees of the Slayer, Yun-Yammka, and seek honour in combat. They wear the living vonduun crab armour which is capable of resisting blaster fire and lightsabers. The warrior caste consists of the following ranks, in descending order:

* Warmaster * Supreme Commander * Commander * Subaltern * Warrior

The intendant caste is responsible for the Yuuzhan Vong economy. The most famous intendant is Nom Anor, the most infamous enemy of the Jedi. The intendant caste consists of the following ranks, in descending order:

* High Prefect * Prefect * Consul * Executor

The worker caste is the largest, yet lowest, caste, and serves mainly as servants and laborers. The worker caste includes Shamed Ones (Yuuzhan Vong whose bodies have rejected implants and modifications), Chazrach (a low intelligence reptillian race enslaved by the Yuuzhan Vong), and shaped slave races from the Star Wars galaxy. The worker caste consists of the following ranks, in descending order:

* Workers * Shamed Ones * Slaves

The Yuuzhan Vong are refugees from a distant galaxy. Their homeworld was destroyed so long ago that its name has been forgotten. Their homeworld was a sentient planet and almost all their technology was organic. They were a peaceful species living as symbionts with their homeworld until they were subjugated by a technologically advanced species. Eventually the invaders were driven back and the Yuuzhan Vong struck back fiercely, conquering the invaders and in the process becoming warlike. They then subjugated other alien civilizations in a crusade to rid their galaxy of technology, including the reptillian Chazrach, which became slave soldiers. After that, they fought among themselves in several civil wars that destroyed their homeworld and ruined their entire galaxy. The Yuuzhan Vong then left their galaxy in massive Koros-strohna worldships and travelled to the Star Wars galaxy in a journey that would take about a thousand standard years.

There is evidence that the Yuuzhan Vong had scouted the galaxy since before the Mandalorian Wars; four thousand years before their initial invasion, Canderous Ordo encountered a "living asteroid that spat fire" and escaped towards the edge of the galaxy. However, the Yuuzhan Vong began probing in force four thousand years later, several years after the Battle of Naboo. They attacked Zonama Sekot in an attempt to steal its advanced biological technology, but the living world defeated them and Old Republic Jedi Vergere offered herself in exchange that Zonama Sekot be left undamaged. The Yuuzhan Vong accepted her, and Vergere lived with them for 50 years. During this time, she revealed information about her galaxy while learning their secrets. Also during those years, the Yuuzhan Vong remained hidden from the galaxy, though they sent a number of Intendants to scout the galaxy. A notable Intendant assigned to this task was Nom Anor. After the Galactic Civil War which saw the New Republic defeat the remnants of the Empire, the Yuuzhan Vong saw their chance to invade the weakened galaxy.

On the distant world Rhommamool, the invaders, through Nom Anor disguised as the leader of the Red Knights of Life, stirred up a rebellion between Rhommamool and its neighbour Osarian. The same agent was also responsible for infecting Mara Jade Skywalker and a hundred others with a fatal Yuuzhan Vong disease. As a result, the Praetorite Vong took over Helska IV and brought down Sernpidal's moon upon the planet, killing millions, including the famous Wookiee Chewbacca. The Yuuzhan Vong also encountered the Jedi, whom they considered the worst of a galaxy of infidels.

The Yuuzhan Vong then began attacking worlds in their path with much ease. Bimmiel, Dantooine, Dubrillion, and Obroa-Skai are among the many worlds captured, while Ithor was turned into a fireball and rendered uninhabitable. Then arose the problem of refugees from shattered planets that the government could not ignore. The New Republic began to blame the Jedi for starting the conflict with the aliens. Knowing that the Jedi were their worst enemies, they offered the galaxy a ceasefire in exchange that all of the Jedi be handed over to them. Then in a shock tactic, the invaders launched an attack on the other side of the galaxy at the planet Fondor which was close to the capital Coruscant itself. During the Battle of Fondor, the Yuuzhan Vong suffered heavy losses when Centerpoint Station was fired by Han Solo's cousin Thrackan Sal-Solo.

The Yuuzhan Vong eventually struck a deal with the Hutts that allowed them to pass through Hutt Space unmolested. But the Hutts were betrayed, and their worlds were attacked. The Peace Brigade, an organization which supported the Yuuzhan Vong, was formed through Yuuzhan Vong agents. This organization also helped the Yuuzhan Vong capture Jedi. Then, on Yavin 4, Yuuzhan Vong of the oppressed Shamed caste came to admire the Jedi after a shamed Yuuzhan Vong named Vua Rapuung helped Anakin Solo rescue fellow Jedi Tahiri Veila, and as a result, a heresy was formed that infiltrated all levels of Yuuzhan Vong society, particularly the Shamed caste. With Coruscant rapidly becoming surrounded, the Yuuzhan Vong create fearsome Voxyn beasts that hunt Force sensitive individuals. A Jedi strike team lead by Anakin Solo soon destroyed the Voxyn breeding facility over Myrkr, though most of the team was slain, including Anakin Solo. Above Coruscant, the Yuuzhan Vong captured the planet after a long battle and had it terraformed, and became Yuuzhan'tar, the Yuuzhan Vong homeworld.

Following the conquest, the New Republic was reorganized as the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances (or Galactic Alliance or GFFA for short) and Borleias became the capital world. The terraforming of Coruscant was sabotaged by the Jedi Knight Jacen Solo. The Galactic Alliance, having moved to Mon Calamari, prepares to attack the weary Yuuzhan Vong. The Alpha Red Project, which would destroy the Yuuzhan Vong and their organic technology is destroyed by Vergere. The Yuuzhan Vong are lured into the Deep Core moon Ebaq 9, and the task force is destroyed. There, Tsavong Lah is slain by Jaina Solo and Vergere sacrifices herself to eliminate the rest of the invaders.

In the Force Heretic series of the New Jedi Order novels, the Galactic Alliance heroes Han Solo, Leia and Twin Suns Squadron head out to find powerful allies while the Jedi Luke Skywalker begins a mission to find the legendary living planet Zonama Sekot. The Jedi stumble upon a Yuuzhan Vong attack against the Imperial Remnant and help fight the invaders off, thus gaining a powerful ally. Meanwhile, the Yuuzhan Vong Nom Anor disguised as the prophet Yu'Shaa begins stirring up the heresy on Yuuzhan'tar formerly Coruscant posing as a Shamed One after fleeing the wrath of Supreme Overlord Shimrra for suggesting the disastrous Ebaq 9 mission and gains many followers among the worker caste.

Luke's team then heads into Chiss space to obtain information on the Unknown Regions and hopefully Zonama Sekot. Meanwhile, Han and Leia's team heads to Bakura, where they thwart a Ssi-Ruuk invasion. The Jedi search the Chiss libraries for their missing planet. Later, the Jedi locate their Zonama Sekot, but so too have the Yuuzhan Vong. Sekot drives off the attackers as the Jedi land on its surface. Meanwhile Han Solo and Leia attempt to bring a communication station to the Unknown Regions back online while the Jedi negotiate with the living world to help them in the war.

In The Final Prophecy, Yuuzhan Vong operatives steal one of Zonama Sekot's organic starships and the Shaper Nen Yim discovers that Sekotan technology is similar to Yuuzhan Vong technology and that her people have gone terribly astray. Nom Anor disguised as Yu'Shaa along with Nen Yim and the priest Harrar arrive in Zonama Sekot where they find out that many of the species from their galaxy are found on the planet. A plot by Nom Anor to destroy the living world is foiled. In The Unifying Force, Han and Leia rescue hundreds of high-ranking Alliance prisoners facing sacrifice to the enemy's gods. The Galactic Alliance prepares a fleet to defend Mon Calamari from the invaders while another Alliance fleet engages the Yuuzhan Vong at Coruscant. In the end, Supreme Overlord Shimrra is slain and the Yuuzhan Vong lose the war. They surrender and are placed under the living planet Zonama Sekot's jurisdiction.

Zonama Sekot is revealed to be the seed of the long-dead original Yuuzhan Vong homeworld. One of the surrender terms the Galactic Alliance placed before the Yuuzhan Vong was that they were to help rebuilt Coruscant. The Galactic Alliance moves its capital to Denon though it would be moved to Coruscant again after the rebuilding is complete. The Yuuzhan Vong invasion was the most devastating crisis the galaxy had faced. The cost of the actions of the Yuuzhan Vong was very dear to the Star Wars galaxy. The number of deaths over the known galaxy that resulted from the invasion was estimated at about 365 trillion sentients. That would be equal to 61 thousand Earth-type worlds with a population of 6 billion each.