Did you think the Empire from Star Wars was already bad? Now meet the Yuuzhan Vong, a people who will stop at nothing to preserve themselves from demise.
Who are the Yuuzhan Vong? They are humanoid beings that only appear in Legends and are not part of the official canon. They are the focus of the 19 volumes of the novel series Star Wars: Legacy of the Jedi Knights (1999-2003).
Originally, the humanoid beings came from the planet Yuuzhan’tar in an unknown galaxy. The people were characterized by great discipline and were divided into different castes, with the Supreme Overlord at the top and warriors, administrators, or priests beneath them. Religion played an important role: The Yuuzhan Vong believed in several gods, with Yun-Yuuzhan being the highest.
From this god, the people derived their fascination with pain. Individual members sometimes mutilated themselves because they thought this would bring them closer to the gods.
One day, when a war suddenly broke out between two droid races in their galaxy, the lives of the Yuuzhan Vong were turned upside down, and the people had to fear for their survival.
Against the enemy with biotechnology
What kind of war was it? Two different types of droids, the Silentium and the Abominor, caused chaos in the galaxy. They left a path of destruction, which resulted in great hatred towards machines among the Yuuzhan Vong.
To strike back, they received knowledge from their god to transform the bodies of other beings into bio-weapons. This allowed the Yuuzhan Vong to exterminate the droids and many other beings.
When nearly everything in the galaxy was under the rule of the Yuuzhan Vong, internal power struggles began. This resulted in the Cremlevian War, which was so devastating that numerous planets, including the former home planet of the people, were destroyed.
In the end, the war master Yo’Gand stood as the leader and had to search for a new homeworld with the surviving Yuuzhan Vong. For millennia, they wandered between various galaxies before they arrived in one that is well known to Star Wars fans.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…
What happened next with the Yuuzhan Vong? The people reached the galaxy we know from Star Wars and prepared for a great invasion. At that time, only a few, such as Emperor Palpatine, knew of their existence.
The actual attack on the New Republic, which was established after the Battle of Endor (Episode 6), began in the year 25 ABY (After the Battle of Yavin – Episode 4).
As in their own galaxy, the Yuuzhan Vong acted here with great cruelty. Planets were sometimes destroyed with little to no resistance, and over 300 trillion beings fell victim to the war. Among them was also Chewbacca, who was killed by a falling moon on the planet Sernpidal.
The New Republic had to first get used to the enemy. Even the Jedi initially had problems, as the Yuuzhan Vong lived outside the Force and were therefore not influenced by classic Jedi tricks.
It was not until a while later that the New Republic developed methods to counter the powerful adversary. Torpedoes, drones, and a dense information network maintained with the Force weakened the Yuuzhan Vong.
In the end, it was none other than Luke Skywalker who killed the leader Shimrra. The true mastermind behind the people, Onimi, was later taken care of by Jacen Solo (the eldest son of Han and Leia). Their last warriors were spared and taken to the planet Zonama Sekot, where they were to start a new life.
The fate of the people shows that in Star Wars Legends, many dark stories are still waiting to be adapted into a film. Are the Yuuzhan Vong simply too brutal for the powers that be to be included in the canon? What do you think about it? Would you like to see the people in a future film or series? How well Luke compares to other Jedi can be found out here: 10 strong Jedi from Star Wars who would make even Darth Vader tremble
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