Yaka (planet)

Yaka was a terrestrial planet located in the Yaka system, a part of the Northern Dependencies portion of the Colonies. It was situated near the Perave system and was the homeworld of the sentient Yaka species, members of which spoke the Yakan language.

At one point, the scientifically advanced Arkanian species of the Perave system's planet Arkania conquered the Yaka system, including the planet Yaka. Subsequently, in 490 BBY, the Arkanians carried out a medical experiment by forcibly implanting the Yakas, whom the former viewed as "mindless" beings, with cybernetic brain links. The Yakas consequently became one of the most intelligent species in the galaxy. Senior Anthropologist Mammon Hoole eventually mentioned the Yakas' homeworld—the name of which was listed as "unknown"—in a description of the species that was eventually included in the book The Essential Guide to Alien Species.

The homeworld of the Yaka species was first mentioned in the 2001 reference book The Essential Guide to Alien Species by Ann Margaret Lewis. The 2009 reference book The Essential Atlas by Daniel Wallace and Jason Fry placed the Yaka system, and therefore the planet, in grid square M-8. Fry has stated that the star systems listed in the book's Appendix section are named after the most prominent planets or celestial bodies located in those systems. This article therefore considers the homeworld of the Yakas to be named in accordance with the Yaka system.