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Yuuzhan Vong
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The Yuuzhan Vong are a fictional race of sentient beings from the Star Wars Expanded Universe that rise as a threat to the New Republic in the New Jedi Order series of novels.
The Yuuzhan Vong and their Chazrach slaves are one of the few known alien species in the Star Wars universe to have originated outside the Star Wars galaxy. They are a race of religious zealots. They genetically engineer and grow all of their technology organically and view mechanical technology as blasphemy.
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Encyclopedia
The Yuuzhan Vong are a fictional race of sentient beings from the Star Wars Expanded Universe that rise as a threat to the New Republic in the New Jedi Order series of novels.
The Yuuzhan Vong and their Chazrach slaves are one of the few known alien species in the Star Wars universe to have originated outside the Star Wars galaxy. They are a race of religious zealots. They genetically engineer and grow all of their technology organically and view mechanical technology as blasphemy. The Yuuzhan Vong endeavor to improve their physical capabilities through organ grafting. Notably, the Yuuzhan Vong are not able to touch the Force or seemingly be felt through it, something the Jedi find very mysterious, since all living things are supposed to have, in some way or another, a unique Force energy signature distinct from other species. Later it is discovered they were stripped from the Force upon separation from their symbiosis with the sentient planet Yuuzhan'tar.
History
The Yuuzhan Vong are refugees from a distant galaxy. Their homeworld was a sentient planet, and all of their technology was organic. They were a peaceful species living as symbiotes with their homeworld until they were subjugated by a technologically advanced species. Eventually the Yuuzhan Vong struck back fiercely, conquering the invaders and in the process becoming more warlike.
The Yuuzhan Vong then began to subjugate other civilizations in a crusade to rid their galaxy of technology, including the reptilian Chazrach, who became slave soldiers. After that, they fought among themselves in several civil wars that destroyed their homeworld and ruined their entire galaxy. Because of this, their homeworld stripped them of the ability to touch the Force. 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 War: four thousand years before their initial invasion, Canderous Ordo encountered a "living asteroid that spat fire" that escaped towards the edge of the galaxy. However, the Yuuzhan Vong only began probing in force 4,000 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, sending 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 Imperial Remnant, 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 neighbor Osarian. 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 then encountered the Jedi, whom they considered the worst of a galaxy of infidels. Nom Anor then infected hundreds of beings with a fatal disease, including Mara Jade Skywalker. Mara Jade Skywalker was, however, cured with the tears of the Jedi Vergere.
Next, the Yuuzhan Vong began attacking more worlds in their path with much ease. Bimmiel, Dantooine, Dubrillion, and Obroa-Skai were among the many worlds captured, while Ithor (whose baffor trees gave off pollen toxic to the Yuuzhan Vong armour) 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, the Yuuzhan Vong Warmaster Tsavong Lah, offered the galaxy a ceasefire in exchange that all of the Jedi be handed over to them. Many members of the embittered galactic government fell for this ploy, even despite the invaders' attack on the other side of the galaxy at 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, after the station was activated by Anakin Solo.
The Yuuzhan Vong struck a deal with the Hutts that allowed them to pass through Hutt Space uncontested. Knowing they would give information to the New Republic, the Vong gave the Hutts false information, which aided in the attack at Fondor. After that, the Vong attacked the Hutts' worlds. The Peace Brigade, an organization which supported the Yuuzhan Vong, was formed through Yuuzhan Vong agents. This organization helped the Yuuzhan Vong capture Jedi. Then, on Yavin 4, Yuuzhan Vong of the oppressed Shamed caste came to admire the Jedi after a wrongly 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 created fearsome Voxyn beasts that hunt Force-sensitive individuals. A Jedi strike team led by Anakin Solo soon destroyed the Voxyn breeding facility over Myrkr, though most of the team was slain, including Anakin. At Coruscant, the Yuuzhan Vong captured the planet after a long battle and transformed it into Yuuzhan'tar, the Yuuzhan Vong homeworld.
Following the fall of Coruscant, General Wedge Antilles led remnants of the New Republic's Coruscant fleet to hold at Borleias, where the basis for the Yuuzhan Vong's eventual defeat was formed. Jaina Solo, greatly assisted by a humbled Kyp Durron and Chiss-raised Colonel Jagged Fel, misled the Yuuzhan Vong by pretending to be the Vong goddess Yun-Harla, leading to many rash battle maneuvers by their enemies, including Czulkang Lah, father of Warmaster Tsavong Lah. This compounded the Anakin Solo-founded heresy in the ranks of the Shamed Ones, which would eventually lead to vulnerability in the Vong ranks.
Beyond the Borleias system, Han and Leia Organa Solo started a series of rebel bases across the galaxy, to both resist Vong attacks and treachery by New Republic officials. Added to scientist Danni Quee's and Jedi Master Cilghal's yammosk-blocking machine, which disrupted the battle-coordinating creature's abilities, Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker's alliance with Wraith Squadron on captured Coruscant, and Lando Calrissian's Yuuzhan-Vong Hunter droids being produced, the elder Lah was overwhelmed and killed, along with one of the Vong's new and improved worldships, crucial to their conquest of the Star Wars galaxy.
The transforming of Coruscant was sabotaged by the Jedi Knight Jacen Solo, who was captured on Myrkr by Vergere and transformed from an uncertain boy to a powerful and potent Jedi Knight. The New Republic was officially disbanded, reforming into the Galactic Alliance, with its capital on Mon Calamari. The new government prepared to attack the weary Yuuzhan Vong. However, NRI head Dif Scaur had created the Alpha Red Project, which would destroy the Yuuzhan Vong and their organic technology. In order to prevent this devastating biological warfare weapon from being used, it was destroyed by Vergere. The Yuuzhan Vong were then lured into the Deep Core moon Ebaq 9, under the carefully planned assault by retired and ailing Admiral Ackbar. A full third of the task force is destroyed. There, Tsavong Lah was slain by Jaina Solo, and Vergere sacrificed herself to eliminate ten thousand other invaders in order to save Jacen Solo's life.
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 was forced to flee the wrath of Supreme Overlord Shimrra for suggesting the disastrous Ebaq 9 mission. Disguised as the prophet Yu'Shaa, Nom Anor begins stirring up the heresy on Yuuzhan'tar (formerly Coruscant) posing as a Shamed One.
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 Zonama Sekot, but so do 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 on 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 rebuild 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 actions of the Yuuzhan Vong were even more costly to the Star Wars galaxy than the Galactic Civil War. The death toll over the known galaxy that resulted from the invasion was estimated at about 365 trillion sentients.
Society
Vong organize themselves into rigid castes.
- Warrior caste
- Intendant caste, including bureaucrats, managers and traders
- Priest caste, further divided into sects for each god
- Shaper caste, who work with and create the biological artifacts
- Worker caste, including those born into this caste and those who have failed in other castes. Technically includes:
- Slaves
- "Shamed Ones", those whose bodies have rejected implants.
Deities
The Yuuzhan Vong are devoutly religious and have many gods, citing their gods' desires as the reasons for their merciless conquering. It is said that the Yuuzhan Vong's affinity to their gods is nearly the same as the Jedi to The Force.
Yun-Yuuzhan
Yun-Yuuzhan, the Creator, is the most powerful deity of the Yuuzhan Vong religion. He sacrificed most of his body parts to create the lesser deities and the Yuuzhan Vong galaxy. Only the Supreme Overlord has direct contact with him.
Yun-Harla
Worshiped by members of the deception sect and impersonated by Jaina Solo, Yun-Harla is the Trickster. She is one of the most important deities among the Yuuzhan Vong and is prized by spies of the priestly deception sect. It is said that she stole knowledge from the Cosmic Lord and gave it to Yun-Ne'shel. She is considered a dangerous goddess as she can as easily bring ruin or fortune to her worshippers.
Her name is possibly derived from Harlequin.
Yun-Yammka
Yun-Yammka is the Slayer and the god of war. He is worshipped by the warrior caste.
His image is that of a bulbous-headed, octopus-jellyfish hybrid, the inspiration for the Yammosk biot. Appealing to him often requires death sacrifices.
It was later learned from High Priest Harrar after the Yuuzhan Vong defeat that Yun-Yammka was a deity that the priest caste concocted as the Yuuzhan Vong became increasingly warlike early in their history.
His image is possibly derived from H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu.
Yun-Ne'Shel
Yun-Ne'Shel is the Modeller and oversees natural life cycles and is worshipped by the shaper caste.
Yun-Q'aah and Yun-Txiin (the lover gods)
Yun-Q'aah and Yun-Txiin are the lover gods and are twins, Q'aah female, Txiin male. They are the patrons of love and relationships, and are also the most capricious of gods, requiring no sacrifice. The Yuuzhan Vong have a particular fear for twins, revealed when they discover Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa Solo are twins, as well as Jacen and Jaina Solo, Leia's older son and only daughter.
Yun-Shuno
Yun-Shuno has a thousand eyes and watches over and speaks for the Shamed Ones, who are shunned by every other Yuuzhan Vong caste and deity in the Empire.
External links
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- New Jedi Order Encyclopedia
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