The Oku were primitive in relation to spacefaring technology and governed themselves in tribal councils. A population of 400,000 Oku lived on Tokmia by the time of the New Republic.
The Oku evolved on the frozen terrestrial planet Tokmia, located in the remote Anoat sector of the Outer Rim Territories. Tokmia boasted plentiful crystal and ore deposits, which once attracted the interest of the Figg Excavations mining company. Figg Excavations earned a fortune from Tokmia's mineral bounty, and Figg employees left handouts for the Oku natives with each operation. When the mines ran dry, however, Figg Excavations pulled out and abandoned the planet. The Oku developed a bizarre cargo cult in response, burning huge fires in patterns reminiscent of landing lights and prophesying that the magical starships of their benevolent offworld visitors would someday return.
The 2004 Wizards of the Coast online article "Galactic Gazetteer: Hoth and the Greater Javin," a Star Wars Roleplaying Game supplement, first mentioned the Oku among its description of the planet Tokmia.
The Oku cargo cult closely resembles the real-world anthropological phenomenon of cargo cults, particularly those that developed among some indigenous Pacific Island cultures in the aftermath of World War II. Melanesians, for example, benefited from the vast amounts of war matériel that both American and Japanese forces introduced to their culture. Once the war ended, some Melanesians lit signal fires, among other acts designed to mimic soldiers, believing they could compel the return of the foreigners' material goods.