Introduced in 1998 and popularised through the New Jedi Order comic series,
the Yuuzhan Vong were a species unlike anything we had ever seen before.
They weren't Jedi or Sith,
nor were they rebels uprising.
Instead, the Vong were an extra-galactic species who sought to destroy everything in their path.
This dynamic made them incredibly unique and intriguing beings upon release,
which has carried through to this very day.
So, with that in mind...
When it comes to naming things in the galaxy far, far away,
there doesn't appear to be a set formula.
The whole process is entirely phonetic,
according to Lucasfilm creative executive Pablo Hidalgo.
And sometimes an actor's name is merely rearranged to form a “Star Wars-y” title.
Such was the case with Assistant Director Toby Hefferman,
who became Heff Tobber for his cameo role in Rogue One.
As a result, the origins of certain Star Wars names...
...are often just as intriguing as the characters, planets or species themselves.
And the Yuuzhan Vong were no different.
This extra-galactic race took their name from a New York French-Thai restaurant
that several Del Rey employees frequented in the mid to late 90's.
By combining the establishment's title with a region on their tea menus,
the workers came up with “Yunnan Vong”.
The name seemed to stick,
forming the basis of what we've come to know today.
Yuuzhan Vong culture and religion was heavily influenced by that of Meso-Americans,
such as the Aztecs.
By looking at the concept of gods who sacrificed themselves for life,
thus requiring constant offerings of blood and pain,
Del Rey were able to craft a race of ruthless and sacrificial beasts with a lust for death.
This made the Yuuzhan Vong very similar to the Yevetha, Ssi-ruu and Charon.
All of whom sought to conquer other species for religious reasons.
Part of the reason why the Yuuzhan Vong work so well as a collective antagonist...
is due to their existence as an incomparably new species.
For once,
there was a threat far greater than either the Jedi or Sith.
Yet, as late as part-way through the series,
the Vong were intended to be exiled Sith,
or at least dark side Force-users.
Another scrapped idea would have seen a young, sentient moon...
...convince its parent world of Zonama Sekot to join the war against the Yuuzhan Vong.
As the executive producer and supervising director...
on both Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels,
Dave Filoni has tried his damnedest to resurrect the Expanded Universe of old.
Whether it be the reintroduction of Grand Admiral Thrawn,
or the inclusion of Hammerhead-class cruisers,
Filoni has proven to be a beacon of hope for die-hard Star Wars fans across the globe.
And so, keeping with tradition,
Filoni also planned to reintroduce the Yuuzhan Vong,
revealing such at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim.
Unfortunately, the cancellation of Star Wars: The Clone Wars...
...rendered any plans for an extra-galactic invasion completely inadmissible.
All that remain are rough sketches of what might have been.
So, there we have it; 4 fascinating facts about the Yuuzhan Vong.
Let me know what surprised you the most,
as well as your general opinion of the species in the comments below.
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