The Infant of Shaa was a religious statuette carved by the people of the planet Seylott years prior to 27 BBY. The idol was made to honor their deity known as Shaa, and was worshiped by the Seylotts as both an important holy symbol and a dangerous weapon. The Infant of Shaa served as a receptacle for Force energy that, when released, would emit a disturbance in the Force great enough to rip a world apart. This potential for destruction made the idol a much sought-after artifact that eventually reached the status of legend among members of the criminal underworld.
In the final decade of the Galactic Republic's reign, the Annoo-dat political terrorist Ashaar Khorda learned of the Infant of Shaa's existence and began an effort to recover the superweapon. Although it was in his possession for a time, a stole the idol in an attempt to preserve his species' culture and hide their past crimes. The Infant was eventually returned to Khorda by the bounty hunter Jango Fett, and the Annoo-dat was able to commence with his plans to use the idol to destroy the Republic's capital world, Coruscant. Ashaar Khorda and very nearly succeeded in destroying the city-world, but failed due to the timely intervention of Jango Fett, his comrade Zam Wesell, and the Jedi Master Yarael Poof. Before it could bring harm to any of Khorda's targets, Poof succeeded in disarming the Infant of Shaa and allowing for it to be returned to the Seylott people.
The Infant was a series of two statues built to honor Shaa, the Seylott primary deity. A larger version of the Infant, termed the Mother, was built to control the diminutive statue. The statue was closely guarded by the Seylotts, who feared that if the power of the statue was unleashed, it could destroy an entire world, earning it the name "Destroyer of Worlds".
Shortly before the Clone Wars, General Ashaar Khorda employed Jango Fett to retrieve the statue. Khorda hoped to use the Infant's power to destroy or, from Ashaar's point of view, euthanize Coruscant in the upcoming conflict. This would also result in the destruction of the Republic, since it was at its corrupt age. Fett succeeded in attaining the statue from a native of Seylott, but was convinced by his rival Zam Wesell to take back the statue from Khorda to save the galactic capital.
A last minute effort by Fett and Wesell saved the Infant from unleashing its power within a central Coruscant power core. Jedi Master Yarael Poof sacrificed himself to contain the fracturing statue and prevent the destruction of Coruscant, and Fett returned the statue to Seylott for safe keeping.
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