Uunu

Uunu was a Yuuzhan Vong female Shamed One who was alive in 26 ABY, when the Yuuzhan Vong were invading a galaxy other than their own. Still young at the time of the war, Uunu served as a field hand working with lambents on the captured moon of Yavin 4, and it was there that she was assigned to be the overseer of the slave Bail Lars, who was actually the Jedi Knight Anakin Solo in disguise. During their time together, which ended when Lars left to rescue his friend Tahiri Veila from the Yuuzhan Vong forces on Yavin 4, Uunu and Lars talked of many things, varying from the nature of the Yuuzhan Vong to the ideals of the New Jedi Order.

BiographyEdit

A Yuuzhan Vong female, Uunu grew up on one of the poorer and more cramped Koros-Strohna, a type of worldship that the Yuuzhan Vong employed, as the species traveled from their galaxy to another one in order to wage war upon its inhabitants. At some point in her life, Uunu became one of the Shamed Ones, meaning that her body would not accept alterations that would further her status, and because of this, she was given hard labor as a job. In 26 ABY, a young Uunu was one of the many Shamed Ones and Yuuzhan Vong's slaves who were taken to the moon of Yavin 4 after it was captured from the New Jedi Order, the members of whom her people knew as the Jeedai; and the New Republic.^[1]

While on Yavin 4, Uunu was assigned to work in the fields growing lambents, which were crystals that the Yuuzhan Vong used for various tasks. It was also there that Uunu realized that the Yuuzhan Vong warrior Vasi had an attraction to her. However, although he could technically command her because of her lower rank, Uunu knew that Vasi wanted her to come to him, because she would make Vasi kill her if the warrior commanded Uunu to do anything. One day, while Uunu was working the fields, Vasi assigned her a Human slave by the name of Bail Lars, whom the Shamed One Vua Rapuung had brought to the fields, after Vasi saw the slave faint in pain. Although Lars was supposed to help her fill her quota of lambents, Vasi gave Uunu the slave to hinder rather than help her.^[1]

Uunu taught Lars, who was actually the Jedi Knight Anakin Solo in disguise, how to tend to the lambents. While she attuned the blossoms of the lambents by stroking them, Lars harvested the ones that already had been attuned. By the end of the first day, Lars had fallen quite behind Uunu. At some point in time, Uunu voiced her fears that Lars was a Jedi to the warriors, as he did not act as a slave should, and because of this, they watched the pair closely. The next day, while it was still dark, Uunu picked up Lars from the slave houses and showed him how the lambents could be used to produce luminescence, and explained how they worked. During the six hours of work that followed thereafter, in which they did not stop for rest, Uunu warmed up to the slave during their conversations about the Yuuzhan Vong and the galaxy, although her people considered Lars an infidel. At lunch, she broached the question about Lars being a Jedi, and after the slave lied that he was not, the pair discussed the New Jedi Order. It was during this chat that Uunu became more inclined towards the ideals of the Jedi.^[1]

Solo left Uunu silently that night, and after fixing his lightsaber with a lambent crystal using the knowledge Uunu had taught him, went on to rescue his Human Jedi friend Tahiri Veila, who had been captured by the Yuuzhan Vong–affiliated Peace Brigade group on Yavin 4 and was being held by the Yuuzhan Vong shapers. Shortly thereafter, Solo, along with forces under the command of the smuggler Talon Karrde, as well as several Jedi Knights, destroyed the Yuuzhan Vong military forces and landed to free the slaves on Yavin 4. However, after the Jedi–smuggler strike, Warmaster Tsavong Lah had many of the Shamed Ones on the moon killed, because the Jeedai heresy was created there. The Jeedai heresy was a belief among Shamed Ones that the Jedi would rescue them because the Jedi Solo had redeemed Rapuung, who then died defending that same Jedi.^[1]

Personality and traitsEdit

As a Shamed One, Uunu's body did not accept the alterations that would allow her to rise in rank and signify her dedication to the gods of her people. At the time of her meeting with Bail Lars, Uunu had no obvious scars and appeared deeply worn, though her eyes were brighter than those of most of the other Shamed Ones. Because she lived on a cramped worldship when she was young, Uunu wondered at the size of the galaxy that they inhabited, and how there was so much space. As with the majority of Yuuzhan Vong society, after they invaded the other galaxy, she viewed the machinery that the galaxy's inhabitants used as abominations. Because she believed in the will of the gods, she was also of the belief that the Yuuzhan Vong were taking the right path in attacking the galaxy.^[1]

Yet although most Yuuzhan Vong had only contempt for the people whom they were engaging in war, which they called infidels, Uunu warmed up to Lars during their time together. Though she did warn him to watch his tongue when they discussed important matters concerning her people and his, she was much more open to him than most Yuuzhan Vong. Additionally, she did not despise the Jedi and questioned Lars on the nature of the Jedi, and whether they would be concerned with the plight of the Shamed Ones. Uunu believed that she was from birth born a Shamed One, but continued to hope that some deed of hers, such as potentially turning Lars over to the warriors if in fact he was a Jedi, would increase her favor before the gods and benefit her rank. Uunu considered Vasi sick, because unlike other Yuuzhan Vong warriors, he was attracted to Shamed Ones, over whom he was in a position of power. However, Vasi did not command Uunu because she would make him kill her if he did so. Additionally, although Vua Rapuung thought he was not a Shamed One, she believed that he was indeed one.^[1]

Behind the scenesEdit

Uunu first appeared in The New Jedi Order: Edge of Victory I: Conquest, a novel by Gregory Keyes that was released in 2001 as part of The New Jedi Order series. She was later mentioned in 2002's The New Jedi Order Sourcebook by J.D. Wiker and Steve Miller, as well as in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, released in 2008. It is unclear whether Uunu dies in the purge of the Shamed Ones on Yavin 4 after Tsavong Lah orders it.

AppearancesEdit

• The New Jedi Order: Edge of Victory I: Conquest (First appearance)

SourcesEdit

• The New Jedi Order Sourcebook
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

Notes and referencesEdit