"We do not live side by side with impurity. Your civilization is built on abominations. Your galaxy is polluted. We have come to cleanse it, so that others besides our warrior caste may occupy it and live cleanly here. the Alpha Quadrant seems wracked with chaos – it could use some order. It is our destiny, according to the Anbian Queen and her Drones and Subjects" - Anbian-Transformed Harry Potter
"Imposing your type of 'order' on the Alpha Quadrant... may prove to be more difficult than you imagine" - Nathan Joseph Wallace
The Anbian War (25–29 ABY), also known as the Great War by the Anbian Species, was a pan-galactic and interstellar conflict which arose when the Anbian Aliens, a warlike species from the wizarding world which had long ago fled the destruction of its own galaxy, invaded the galaxy. After several decades of preparations, scouting and provocations, the Anbians entered the Real World at a point codenamed Vector Prime and swiftly conquered much of the Outer Rim.
Chief of State Borsk Fey'lya's ill-prepared and inefficient New Republic government was unable to prevent the extra-galactic species from driving inexorably toward the Core. Coruscant, the galactic capital, was conquered and remade by the invaders two years after the invasion had commenced, by which time countless species had been rendered extinct and entire planets were now uninhabitable.
Using advanced biotechnology in every field of life, the Yuuzhan Vong were masters of adaptation and subterfuge, as well as brute force and terror tactics. The beliefs that the invasion was divinely ordained and that the galaxy was theirs by right were reinforced by Supreme Overlord Shimrra Jamaane and the priest caste, the conduits to the gods all Yuuzhan Vong worshiped. Thus the species attacked with ferocity, their invasion stalling only once the fleet, under command of Warmaster Tsavong Lah, had overextended itself. A vendetta against Luke Skywalker's New Jedi Order, a heretical movement brewing among the lower castes, and rumors that their long-destroyed homeworld haunted the Unknown Regions were only a few of the factors which caused the stagnation of the Yuuzhan Vong empire. After their swift advance, technological parity soon emerged between the New Republic and the Yuuzhan Vong. Once the New Republic had recovered from the loss of its capital, the Yuuzhan Vong were dealt a disastrous defeat at Ebaq 9.
Wracked with internal tensions as it was, the Yuuzhan Vong Empire was still able to neutralize many of the threats facing it, including the Yevetha and the Ssi-ruuk, before going once more on the offensive. The New Republic, which was reformed under Alderaanian Chief of State Cal Omas into the Khitomer Alliance, was brought to the brink of defeat, and moved toward the fatal deployment of Alpha Red, a pathogen hostile to the Yuuzhan Vong, in response to a renewed Yuuzhan Vong advance upon its temporary capital at Dac. This dangerous end to the war was averted when Zonama Sekot, a seed of the lost living homeworld of the Yuuzhan Vong, emerged over Coruscant, its arrival precipitating the final battle of the conflict. Skywalker and other leading Jedi, who had located Zonama Sekot and urged its return, defeated Shimrra Jamaane and the true master of the Yuuzhan Vong, Onimi, during the battle, while fleets of warships clashed once more in space. The Yuuzhan Vong War ended with the deaths of the Supreme Overlord and the surrender of Warmaster Nas Choka's armada. The resulting Sekot Accords, which stipulated disarmament and amnesty for the Yuuzhan Vong, proved deeply unpopular for many; both the Yuuzhan Vong, and the aftermath of their devastating war, played a major role in events to come.
Prelude[]
Wizarding Cold War[]
Following initial Alpha Quadrant expeditions into the Gamma Quadrant, rumors began to filter through of a ruthless race of conquerors known only as "The Dominion". In 2370, first contact was officially made between the Federation and the Dominion, when the Jem'Hadar destroyed the Starfleet vessel USS Odyssey. A state of cold war rapidly developed thereafter between several of the Alpha Quadrant's major powers and the Dominion. A Dominion invasion was widely regarded as inevitable, as the Founders were driven by a xenophobic need to exert absolute authority over all other civilizations.
Anbian Infection of the Wizarding World[]
Tens of thousands of years before the Battle of Yavin, the Yuuzhan Vong were a Force-sensitive species dwelling on the sentient, living world of Yuuzhan'tar in a distant galaxy. At some point, they were caught up in the war between the Silentium and the Abominor droid species. Threatened with extinction, Yuuzhan'tar granted the Yuuzhan Vong the ability to develop new weapons and technology from living things, eventually defeating their droid enemies and driving them from their galaxy.[22]
After this victory, however, the Yuuzhan Vong continued waging war on other species in their galaxy, conquering a number of worlds, and also began warring amongst itself.[23][24][25] At some point, the two most powerful tribes—one led by Warmaster Yo'gand and another led by Warmaster Steng—clashed. The resulting conflict known as the Cremlevian War saw the destruction of many planets. It came to a close around 15,000 BBY, when Yo'gand used a technique that was later named after him, to drop a moon on the planet Ygziir, which was allied with Steng. The tactic destroyed the planet, and killed many of the leaders of Steng's faction, who were stationed on Ygziir. Steng was also killed in the battle, bringing the war to an end.[23][6][25] The war left the Yuuzhan Vong's galaxy ruined; the Yuuzhan Vong living homeworld of Yuuzhan'tar was one of the worlds that had suffered. The war had turned the Yuuzhan Vong to violence, and Yuuzhan'tar stripped the bloodthirsty species of their ability to touch the Force. The Yuuzhan Vong began worshiping pain and espousing a philosophy of violence and death to all who opposed them. After thousands of years of ferocity and destruction, the galaxy had been stripped of its resources, and was in ruin. The Yuuzhan Vong departed their galaxy to wander the Intergalactic Void.[6][25][26]
Because of the extreme distances traversed by the Yuuzhan Vong in their journey across the Intergalactic Void, a single warship or worldship that traveled fractionally faster than the rest of the fleet would arrive thousands of years earlier. Furthermore, without a large fleet and yammosk coordination, the mothership probably would have been lost crossing the boundary of the galaxy, leaving behind only a few small fighters.
Early Encounters[]
The Shadows remained dormant, deep beneath Z'ha'dum for almost a thousand years since Valen's forces had forced them to retreat. In December 2256 some of them were awakened by the arrival of an automated probe controlled from the Icarus, an IPX explorer ship dispatched from Station Prime.[1] The earliest confirmed contact between members of the galaxy and the forces of the Yuuzhan Vong was retroactively discovered to be the first recorded slivilith encounter, shortly after the Freedon Nadd Uprising of 3998 BBY. Sliviliths were later discovered to be shaped bio-forms sent by the Praetorite Vong as a form of probe for the pending invasion. There is a slight possibility that, as early as 3963 BBY, at least one Yuuzhan Vong scout had reached the outskirts of the galaxy. In that year, a group of Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders under Canderous Ordo encountered what would later come to be known as a Yorik-stronha, disguised as an asteroid in the Crispin system. It fled beyond the edge of the galaxy once discovered.
It is a near certainty that a member of the Yuuzhan Vong's Shaper caste made contact with Regent Torphceris of the Argazdan Redoubt in the final days of the Kanz Disorders, and aided in the design of the infamous Slave Pits of Lorrd.
IPX had become aware of the distant world following an incident on Mars in 2253[2] Following the last war the Shadows had dispersed their ships across the galaxy, seeding them on distant world as a precaution to keep their forces intact while they slept. One of these had been left behind on Mars and was detected by an IPX team lead by a Dr. Mary Kirkish. The xenoarchaeologists were eventually ordered to pull back and watched as unmarked shuttles belonging to the Psi Corps's Department Sigma took over the dig.[3] Working quickly, knowing that it had started to transmit a homing signal once exposed, they managed to obtain samples and implant a homing beacon of their own before another identical Shadow ship arrived, digging the first ship out of the ground and activating it. The two then returning to Z'ha'dum.[2][3][4]
Between 229 and 89 BBY, a seed of Yuuzhan'tar, released by the planet in the Cremlevian War, arrived in the Gardaji Rift. It would become the living world Zonama Sekot.
Escalation[]
"There's an invasion coming. A massive assault force of dark ships, shadowy figures, and weapons of great power, based on organic technology of a sort we've never seen before. We believe these Far Outsiders, as we call them, already have a foothold at the far edge of the galaxy, and even now have scouting parties seeking information on worlds and peoples to conquer."
rior to 32 BBY, the Yuuzhan Vong Shaper Onimi added yammosk tissue to his brain. As a result, he became the first Force-sensitive Yuuzhan Vong in millennia. However, the effect it had on his body was to Shame him among the Yuuzhan Vong. Using the telepathic powers granted to him by the Force, however, Onimi was able to influence Shimrra Jamaane, the head of Domain Jamaane, who took him as his familiar and jester.
In 33 BBY, a lost Yuuzhan Vong warrior was held prisoner aboard Cog Hive Seven, where it soon became the reigning champion in the station's violent gladiatorial matches. It was ultimately killed by Darth Maul.[29] The next year, at the time of the Invasion of Naboo, an advanced force of Yuuzhan Vong—termed "Far Outsiders" by the planet's inhabitants—discovered Zonama Sekot. Noting the similarity to Yuuzhan'tar (without drawing the connection), the advanced force attempted to colonize it. However, when the Yuuzhan Vong attempted to settle, Zonama Sekot's biosphere killed off the Yuuzhan Vong flora and fauna, provoking outrage from them. Although Sekot attempted to negotiate with them, they began an assault upon the planet.[30]
After two years of Sekotan defense, at a high cost, the assault was called off after the arrival of the Jedi Knight Vergere, who demanded the attack cease in return for going with the Yuuzhan Vong. Agreeing with the ceasefire, the Yuuzhan Vong force departed with the Jedi toward the Unknown Regions. When he learned of Zonama Sekot, Supreme Overlord Quoreal began to waver. The Yuuzhan Vong soon learned that Zonama Sekot was no longer in its original system, and there was no evidence that the planet had been destroyed. Worried about the possibility of once more encountering Zonama Sekot, he developed the opinion that it would be best to move on to another galaxy. However, Shimrra Jamaane, under the influence of Onimi and with the support of some of the more aggressive Domains, launched a coup. Shimrra Jamaane murdered Quoreal and took his place, ensuring that the invasion would go forth as planned.
In 2256 IPX, under contract from the Earthforce New Technologies Division, sent the science vessel Icarus to follow it and investigate, arriving at Z'ha'dum in January 2257.[5] The recently awakened Shadows captured the crew shortly after they landed and offered the crew a chance to serve them. Those who refused —including Anna Sheridan — were turned into "CPUs" for the Shadow ships. Some small part of the crew did agree to serve the Shadows, including Mr. Morden. At the same time that the Shadows started to 'awaken', the Vorlons began to prepare for the coming war as well. Secretly, they made contact with the leader of the Minbari Grey Council, Dukhat, knowing that the humans were "the key" to this cycle of the great conflict with their nemesis. While it is possible (or even probable) that their interactions led to the Earth-Minbari War, it also indirectly led to the construction of both Babylon stations 4 and 5, critical for the previous and coming wars, respectively. The Minbari Anla'Shok — frowned upon as something of a joke by the Minbari Warrior Caste — continued to hold their faith in Valen's prophecies that the Shadows would soon return as the hour drew close, starting their own preparations.
Information of Yuuzhan Vong activity within the galaxy for the next few decades is scarce. In 27 BBY, at the start of the Outbound Flight Project, the upper echelons of the Republic government, including Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, were aware of the "Far Outsiders" at least in the abstract. Around this time, a Yuuzhan Vong scout force in the Unknown Regions fought with a Chiss fleet led by Admiral Ar'alani. Soon after this battle, the Chiss Force Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo was convinced by Palpatine, in his Sith alter ego Darth Sidious, to destroy the Outbound Flight lest it draw the "Far Outsiders" into the main galaxy.
In 25 BBY, a group of Yuuzhan Vong landed on the obscure planet Bimmiel and began surveying the surrounding sectors for their coming invasion.[32] After the formation of the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY, Imperial scientists ran into the Yuuzhan Vong on that planet.
The Dominion began to infiltrate the Alpha Quadrant with Changelings masquerading as important officials, in an attempt to destabilize the political landscape between the major powers. By manipulating a plan originating with Enabran Tain, the Dominion completely destroyed the Obsidian Order and nearly completely destroyed the Tal Shiar at the Battle of the Omarion Nebula in 2371. The subsequent power vacuum left in the absence of the Obsidian Order led to a coup on Cardassia, resulting in the overthrow of the Cardassian Central Command by the Detapa Council.
By manipulating frustrated warrior sentiments in the Klingon Empire, and implanting false information that the Cardassian change of government had been engineered by the Founders, the Dominion was able to trigger the Klingon-Cardassian War. The Federation condemned the Klingon invasion, leading to a severe deterioration of relations between the two powers, ultimately concluding with the Federation-Klingon War.
Although it was not known for sure if the upper echelons of the Imperial government knew about the Yuuzhan Vong, Emperor Palpatine retained a degree of knowledge of the "Far Outsiders", and justified the accelerated growth of the Imperial Military after the Clone Wars as preparation to combat extra-galactic threats.[33] Furthermore, sometime between being dispatched back to the Unknown Regions in 3 ABY at the time of the Battle of Hoth, and his return in 9 ABY, Mitth'raw'nuruodo, now serving the Empire as Grand Admiral Thrawn, encountered another advance Yuuzhan Vong force hiding in the Unknown Regions. The threat of the advancing invaders was one of his primary motivations to reunify the Empire, as he felt that the Empire stood a much better chance against the Yuuzhan Vong than did the New Republic.[34]
Concurrently, the Dominion was almost able to instigate a war between the Federation and the Tzenkethi, and caused mass hysteria on Earth following the bombing of the Antwerp Conference in 2372, which in turn led to a failed coup attempt of Starfleet personnel under Admiral Leyton. (DS9: "The Die is Cast", "The Adversary", "The Way of the Warrior", "Apocalypse Rising", "Homefront")
As part of a preemptive defensive effort, the Trill government cooperated with Starfleet in trying to seal the wormhole permanently in 2373, without damaging the beings living within. The attempt was sabotaged by a Changeling infiltrator disguised as Julian Bashir. The Bashir Changeling was stopped by the crew of the USS Defiant in his attempt to destroy the Bajoran sun thus killing all life in the system as well as destroying the Federation, Klingon, and Romulan fleets that were at Deep Space 9 at the time. (DS9: "In Purgatory's Shadow", "By Inferno's Light")
The Klingon invasion of Cardassia had all but destroyed Cardassian infrastructure. In mid-2373, frustrated at the apparent cowardice of the Detapa Council, and the broken state of the Cardassian people, Gul Dukat negotiated the entry of the Cardassian Union into the Dominion. Dukat himself was placed as head of the new Cardassian government. The Dominion rapidly began fortifying Cardassia with heavily armed convoys on a weekly basis. Within three days of their arrival, the Jem'Hadar had expelled the Klingons from Cardassian space entirely, and completely annihilated the Maquis in the Demilitarized Zone. In the face of the new Dominion foothold in the Alpha Quadrant, the Federation and the Klingons renewed the Khitomer Accords. (DS9: "By Inferno's Light", "Blaze of Glory")
The Yuuzhan Vong of the advanced scouts shared the sentiment that the Empire would be a strong foe. After the formation of the Imperial Interim Council in 11 ABY, following the final death of Palpatine, Yuuzhan Vong agent Nom Anor was tasked to infiltrate the Council. He did so and manipulated its leader, Xandel Carivus, arranging the deaths of many Councilors and furthering the internecine strife that led to the fatal fracturing of the Imperial Remnant.[35]
The first known direct act by the Shadows (or their agents) came in 2254, when a series of Shadow Fighters attempted to plant a large fusion bomb on Babylon 4 in an attempt to destroy it, setting up an alternate timeline where without Valen and the station, the Shadows would come out of the last war far stronger losers, able to move much faster and harder, allowing in the destruction of Babylon 5 at the end of 2260. This attempt was foiled by the White Star 1, which came back in time from 2260, completing the time loop that sent both Babylon 4 and Valen back in time to win the last Shadow War.
It was roughly around this time that the Yuuzhan Vong began meddling in the high politics of the Ssi-ruuvi Imperium; they installed one of their own, E'thinaa, into a high military position, and manipulated the rise to power of the Keeramak with the goal of eventual use of the Ssi-ruuvi in their invasion.[3] Around 22–23 ABY, contact was made between a representative of the Yuuzhan Vong and the Miskara of the Vagaari Empire, who agreed to aid in the future invaders' preparations for war. The Vagaari, who believed the Yuuzhan Vong would annihilate their enemies, began using Yuuzhan Vong biotech in exchange.[36]
In 24 ABY, Yuuzhan Vong agent Yomin Carr infiltrated the ExGal Society, stationing himself at the ExGal-4 base located along Vector Prime at Belkadan.
In 2258, the Shadows made their first known indirect moves at interacting with the major Galactic powers, with Mr. Morden arriving on the Station as a representative of the Shadows, though he took great pains to only ever refer to the Shadows as his "associates", leaving the identity of his backers a mystery. To this end, Morden visited the various alien Ambassadors and asked them the Shadows' infamous question: "What do you want?". Delenn, sensing the presence of the Shadows around him sent Morden away abruptly, taking his presence as a sign to begin her own preparations for the coming war, regardless of what the Grey Council thought. G'Kar, lacking a vision beyond simple revenge upon the Centauri, did not impress Morden or his "associates". Londo however, who dreamed of the Centauri becoming strong once again, regaining their power and place across the Galaxy, did. Morden and his Shadow minders were also briefly confronted by Kosh on this first visit to Babylon 5, but given the "rules" between the Vorlons and the Shadows, it would appear that there were few real consequences to a short standoff between them, during which the Vorlon warned the Shadows that "they are not for you"
The Shadows, however, did not back off, instead forging a strong alliance of convenience with Londo, doing him favors for no apparent price that caused his stature to rise dramatically back home.[7][8] At the same time — probably from their interactions with Morden and the Icarus crew — the Shadows took a great deal of interest in humanity, having Morden establish a far more open dialog with certain factions in Earth including Morgan Clark and part of the Psi Corps,[9] leading to the assassination of President Santiago and ascension of Clark to the Presidency of the Earth Alliance.[10] By 2259 Earthforce had secretly built Shadow hybrid vessels, prototypes for merging Shadow and human warship technology.
By early 2259, the Rangers had also began to prepare in earnest for the Shadow War with the help of the Vorlons, including commissioning of a line of new White Star class warships without the knowledge of the Warrior Caste or most of the Grey Council. Jeffrey Sinclair was recalled from Babylon 5 to take up a post as the Earth Alliance Ambassador to Minbar; but without the knowledge of EarthGov, the Grey Council made him the leader of the Rangers. Humans also were allowed to join the Rangers as equals, welcomed freely by the Minbari members who did not resign from the order, though the idea was not supported by most Minbari Warriors.
Although open war did not begin immediately, violence along the Cardassian border escalated, with ships such as the USS Tian An Men and the IKS B'Moth being reported missing, though both were later located. The Dominion began making strategic political inroads in the Alpha Quadrant, signing nonaggression pacts with the Tholian Assembly, the Miradorn, Bajor, and, perhaps most significantly, the Romulan Star Empire. With five large convoys having entered the Alpha Quadrant unopposed, the Federation Alliance realized they would soon face an impossible strategic position.
In late 2373, the Federation thus decided to mine the entrance to the Bajoran wormhole with self-replicating mines in a last-ditch effort to permanently stop the flow of Dominion reinforcements into the Alpha Quadrant. Both sides knew that this act would lead to open war. (DS9: "Soldiers of the Empire", "In the Cards", "Call to Arms")