The Yuuzhan Vong ("Children of Yun-Yuuzhan", also called the Chosen Race), (sometimes incorrectly abbreviated to Vong, which implied that one was disowned by one's family and one's gods) were a race of sentients which destroyed the New Republic, and were responsible for the deaths of nearly 365 trillion sentients.
The Yuuzhan Vong and their Chazrach slaves were among the few alien species known to originate outside the galaxy (the only known others being the Kwa, Silentium, and Abominor). The Yuuzhan Vong resembled Humans in form, though they were taller and heavier than the average Human and had less hair on their heads. The Yuuzhan Vong were religious zealots who viewed mechanical technology as blasphemy. Their technological innovations were genetically engineered and purely organic. Additionally, the Yuuzhan Vong deeply respected pain to the point of masochism, and strove to improve their physical capabilities through organ grafting. Such grafting was a status symbol within Yuuzhan Vong society.
Perhaps most notably, the Yuuzhan Vong were unable to be sensed through the Force. However, some Force attacks were capable of being used upon them. This confounded the Jedi who first encountered the Yuuzhan Vong because prior to their emergence most life forms were thought to have a Force energy signature.
The Yuuzhan Vong were a humanoid species—initially leading some to believe that they were a Human offshoot race—but there were differences between Humans and Yuuzhan Vong. For example, Yuuzhan Vong typically lacked kidneys. The Yuuzhan Vong were also much taller and had heavier builds than the average Human, though this could be a result of selective breeding.Yuuzhan Vong also had a longer life span than the average Human, generally around three times that of a Human's.Genetically, they shared many elements that made them similar to Humans which was considered unusual considering they were an extragalactic species but one notable difference was one element of their genetic structure that was present in all their biotechnology.
Yuuzhan Vong heads had sloping, almost ridge-like foreheads. Several Yuuzhan Vong had been seen with pointed ears, while just as many had been seen without them. These could have been ritual mutilations, or a genetic variation; there is no conclusive evidence as to what the species norm was. Yuuzhan Vong also had short, stub like noses, making their faces appear skull-like. The Yuuzhan Vong usually had black hair, though in lesser amounts on both the head and body than Humans, but often wore it much longer than them (in many cases, they were also completely bald). Small blue sacks could be found under the eyes of the Yuuzhan Vong, and they were often considered a mark of beauty. These eyesacks expanded and contracted to reflect a Yuuzhan Vong's mood, as the species did not use the facial expressions preferred by humans. The most common skin tone among the Yuuzhan Vong was gray, with the second most common being yellow. Another major characteristic was their jet black blood.
The Yuuzhan Vong nervous system was very conductive, as though it was made specifically for feeling pain. This nervous system was noted as containing aspects that were not found in Humans and likewise, there were elements within a Human nervous system that were not found in a Yuuzhan Vong. It was also noted that their tissue was very different from a Humans which made the use of Qah cells difficult on them as the Human brain eventually rejected them.
Perhaps the most notable and most objectionable trait of the Yuuzhan Vong was that they were outside the Force as the Jedi knew it. They had no Force presence that could be sensed, and were unaffected by most Force powers that were targeted directly at them. This meant that any attempt to sense their motivation, truthfulness or determine their next course of action were futile though it did mean that one was capable of detecting them by reaching out in the Force and determining if the person had no presence within it. Even a normally powerful telekinetic blast that was capable of pasting an ordinary opponent across the wall simply caused a Yuuzhan Vong either to fall down or lose balance temporarily. Whilst it was not possible to affect the Yuuzhan Vong directly through the use of the Force, it was possible to use indirect means to accomplish such a task such as manipulating a stone through telekinesis and throwing it at a Yuuzhan Vong which would still hurt them or by controlling the air in an attempt to increase the pressure thus allowing a Jedi to in effect crush the Yuuzhan Vong. The only known Force techniques that seemed somehow exempt from this limitation were variations on Force lightning.
A small number of Jedi developed another ability, the Vongsense, that in some ways worked similarly to the Force, but relating to only the Yuuzhan Vong and their biotechnological "servants".
