Zeison Sha

Zeison Sha
General information
Headquarters	Yanibar
Location(s)	Sha Kalan, Yanibar
Historical information
Date founded	By 3951 BBY

"If not for self-reliance, our ancestors would have died shortly after your ancestors left them here."

―A Zeison Sha warrior, speaking to emissaries of the Jedi Order, Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force

The Zeison Sha were an order of Force adepts known for their survival skills and self-reliance, as well as their abilities in telekinesis and with the discblade on the planet of Yanibar in Wild Space. The Zeison Sha developed their Force powers as a means of withstanding their harsh planet. The order stressed independence and survival as well as assistance to those in need. Long estranged from the Jedi, they had little use for the Order proper.

The Zeison Sha experienced an influx of population when many friends and family of the Jedi, some of whom were Force-sensitive, fled to Yanibar during the New Sith Wars. For millennia, after those colonists were abandoned on Yanibar due to the deaths of all the Jedi who knew of their location, the Zeison Sha developed an isolationist philosophy. Unlike the Jedi Order, the Zeison Sha did not separate Force-sensitive children from their parents for training. Further attempts by the Jedi Order to re-establish relationships with the Zeison Sha ended in failure; the group survived attempts during the Great Jedi Purge to stamp them out, avoiding Darth Vader and other Jedi hunters. Even through the Yuuzhan Vong War, the Zeison Sha remained independent and spiteful toward the Jedi.

Description

Philosophy

"Their philosophy is so centered on being able to take care of oneself and one's family, and even I must admit that most Jedi, myself included, cannot comprehend this form of devotion."

―Jedi Master Bodo Baas, on the Zeison Sha, Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force

The armor of a Zeison Sha initiate

Members of the Zeison Sha believed in independence and self-reliance. Originally, the flight to their homeworld of Yanibar was supposed to be temporary, but during the New Sith Wars, all of the Jedi who knew of it perished in battle, leaving the colonists on their own. After their perceived betrayal by the Jedi due to no relief ever reaching Yanibar, the adherents of the ways of the Zeison Sha had no desire to be beholden to anyone. This mindset allowed them to not only endure Yanibar's inhospitable conditions but prosper and become self-sufficient. Taking care of one's family was a central tenet of their beliefs and was reflected in their usage of Force powers. To the Zeison Sha, the Force was primarily a means to not only defend themselves and their family, but also to aid those who could not defend themselves. As such, they were known to be generous, and aiding others was considered by them to be honorable and noble.

Unlike the strictly regimented ranks of the Jedi Order, the Zeison Sha did not have a rigid organization in their society, although the ranks of initiate and warrior did exist. Children born to Force-sensitive parents would be trained at home in an informal manner. For Force-sensitives born to non–Force-sensitive parents, an experienced Force-sensitive adult would train the child, although unlike Jedi training, the child remained at home to grow as an individual. This was done to foster a normal family upbringing for the child. In fact, the Zeison Sha adamantly opposed the idea of separating Force-sensitive children from their parents. The Zeison Sha did have a temple on Yanibar, the Sha Kalan, where they trained.

By and large, the isolationism and independence of the Zeison Sha precluded any attempts to seize power across the galaxy; their society was too internally focused. Nevertheless, a smoldering resentment of the Jedi Order coupled with the pride that sometimes arose out of an overly independent mindset led several members of the order to fall prey to the dark side of the Force throughout Zeison Sha history. These aberrants, known as Dark Zeison Sha, then had to be hunted down or turned back to prevent them from spreading their influence in the community.

Common abilities

"I had heard that Zeison Sha are masters of the telekinetic powers, but I was astonished to see that their abilities in this area far surpass those of many Jedi."

―Jedi Master Bodo Baas, Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force

As a Force-based organization, the Zeison Sha specialized in telekinetic abilities, able to perform great feats of skill with minimal effort. These ranged from pushing, pulling, hurling, levitating, smashing, and crushing objects with ease. Their telekinetic ability was, in many ways, superior to that evidenced by many members of the Jedi Order. At higher levels, the use of telekinesis became second nature; a near-instinctual process. With this affinity, members possessed the power to use telekinesis for defense, able to quickly and accurately use rocks and other loose objects to block shots from projectile weapons, or even using the Force itself to create a physical shield.

This was described as the Zeison Sha wrapping the Force around their body to resist damage. Zeison Sha Masters became so secure in their use of telekinesis that they were able to perform incredible feats of telekinesis even under immense stress and distraction to their concentration, allowing them to use their abilities while experiencing great adversity.

A Zeison Sha discblade

Zeison Sha warriors served as guardians of the community, with their powers in telekinesis and mastery of the discblade, a razor-edged throwing weapon, garnering them considerable prowess. Trained in its use from a young age, a Zeison Sha could hurl a discblade with great accuracy before calling it back to their hand. Experienced warriors were also known to have their discblades imbued with the power of the Force.

The Zeison Sha also had their own light armor designs, including Initiate armor and the more advanced and protective Warrior armor. The armor afforded them some defensive capability with only a slight reduction in mobility, and typical of the Zeison Sha's independent nature, both models of armor could be customized to suit each wearer's preferences.

History

Refuge from the Sith

Native to the planet Yanibar on the boundary between the Outer Rim and Wild Space, the Zeison Sha developed their Force powers as a means of withstanding their harsh environment. The Zeison Sha organization was established by 3951 BBY.

During the struggle between the Galactic Republic and the reconstituted Sith Empire, an individual affiliated with one of the factions sent a companion to the Zeison Sha on Yanibar to obtain their support.

The New Sith Wars, which caused many friends and family of the Jedi to flee to Yanibar

A major development of Zeison Sha history occurred near the beginning of the New Sith Wars. At that time, friends and families of the Jedi numbering in the thousands fled to form a refuge from Sith attacks. The group established a small colony on Yanibar, and once it was established, the colonists expected the Jedi to return for them once the wars had ended. They were not aware that every Jedi with knowledge of the refuge had died in combat, taking the secret of the families and friends with them to their graves. Due to Yanibar's seasonal extremes, most of the original settlers died in the first few years after landing there.

Forgotten, the colonists eked out a living from the trying conditions of Yanibar. The Force abilities of many of the colonists were honed into the Zeison Sha tradition and contributed significantly to their survival, and they somewhat prospered. A few centuries after arriving on Yanibar, the planet was discovered by fringe traders, and a small spaceport and outpost were established, although the organization and planet of Yanibar remained in relative obscurity. They did establish relations with the traders, which gave the Zeison Sha some knowledge of galactic affairs.

Galactic travelers and the outlanders

"Despite the Jedi Order's hope to reconcile, it seems that the Zeison Sha are determined to remain independent."

―Jedi Master Bodo Baas, Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force

After the end of the wars, some Zeison Sha returned to the wider galaxy, only to find that the Jedi Order desired to take in their force Force-sensitive children for training and conversion into the Order. Angered, they returned to Yanibar with reports of Jedi child-snatching. The general view of the Jedi diminished significantly as a result. Still, some members left their world and journeyed abroad throughout the organization's history. They often did so incognito, especially after the rise of the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY. Zeison Sha in the galaxy rarely stayed in one place. Instead, they traveled the spacelanes in search of those in need.

Jedi Master Bodo Baas visited the Zeison Sha in 580 BBY.

In 580 BBY, the Zeison Sha received a visit to Yanibar by the Jedi Master Bodo Baas on a diplomatic mission. Years of planning had gone into the mission as Baas hoped to convince the Zeison Sha to join forces with the Jedi. The Zeison Sha were suspicious of the Jedi and would not allow the Jedi unsupervised contact with their children. Baas found their philosophy on familial integrity alien and also expressed concern about their emphasis on self-sufficiency. One warrior, a young Twi'lek female, told the Jedi delegation that if not for self-reliance, the original settlers would have perished after the ancestors of the Jedi left them there. Following the cold reception, the Jedi commission departed, realizing that the Zeison Sha were completely unwilling to entertain any idea of unification with the Jedi Order.

Despite the numerous dangers of the galaxy, the Zeison Sha survived during the reign of the Empire, although Imperial troops did occupy Yanibar. The Zeison Sha did not take kindly to this, with members actively resisting the Imperial occupation. The Zeison Sha ultimately survived the Great Jedi Purge, avoiding the Sith Lord Darth Vader and his Jedi hunters but remaining unreconciled to the Jedi even after the fall of the Empire. During the Yuuzhan Vong War, the Zeison Sha quietly celebrated the Jedi lost during the war but also wished the Yuuzhan Vong invaders would avoid Yanibar and leave the galaxy peacefully. In 40 ABY, their existence and history, including the prior encounter with Baas, were documented by Jedi Master and historian Tionne Solusar in her compendium, Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force.

Behind the scenes

The Zeison Sha were first mentioned in the 2003 Star Wars Roleplaying Game guidebook Hero's Guide, written by Rodney Thompson and J.D. Wiker. Their depiction was illustrated by Wayne Reynolds.

Hero's Guide describes the Zeison Sha as first coming into existence "nearly two millennia before the rise of the Empire"—referring to the founding of the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY. This is conflicted by the appearance of Zeison Sha armor in the 2004 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, which is set in 3951 BBY. The continuity error was expounded upon with the reference to the Zeison Sha living on Yanibar in the "Might of the Zeison Sha" crew skill mission in 2014's Shadow of Revan digital expansion to the video game Star Wars: The Old Republic, which is set in the 3600s BBY. As such, this article assumes that the Zeison Sha indeed existed by 3951 BBY as established by The Sith Lords.

Appearances

• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (Mentioned only)
• Star Wars: The Old Republic: Shadow of Revan (Mentioned only)

Sources

• Hero's Guide (First mentioned)
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords: Prima Official Game Guide
• Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
• "KOTOR Campaign Guide Web Enhancement 5: Karnak Tetsu, Sorcerer of Tund" on Wizards.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• Jedi Academy Training Manual

Notes and references

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