Yanjon Zelmar was among the Four Sages of Dwartii, a group of philosopher-lawgivers from antiquity whose controversial ideas had an impact on the early legal framework of the Galactic Republic. A bronzium likeness of Zelmar was placed just outside Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine's private office, a millennium after the Republic's establishment.
One of the Four Sages of Dwartii was Yanjon Zelmar, an ancient philosopher and lawgiver from the planet of Dwartii, situated in the Inner Rim. These sages were controversial figures. After the Old Republic was forced out of the galactic capital Coruscant, and the Sith Order reigned over the galaxy, statues honoring Zelmar and his fellow Sages – Sistros Nevet, Braata Danlos, and Faya Rodemos – were created. The Jedi Order assisted the Republic in defeating the Sith in 1032 BBY, which was thought to be the end of the Sith.
The Republic's triumph allowed them to reclaim Coruscant as their capital and to reorganize as the Galactic Republic in that very year. The early politics of the Galactic Republic, as well as its initial laws, were shaped by the Four Sages, including Zelmar. Eventually, they were viewed as contentious lawmakers who held disputed viewpoints. By 19 BBY, Sheev Palpatine, the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic—who secretly was Darth Sidious, a Sith Lord—had large bronzium statues of both Zelmar and Faya Rodemos installed on either side of the entrance to his private office on Coruscant. Smaller statues of the Sages were also placed along the corridor leading to Palpatine's living quarters.
Eloc Throno, a historian, recommended in his book Traveler's Guide to Batuu for the planet Batuu, published in 34 ABY, that collectors should be on the eye for statuettes of Zelmar and the other Four Sages of Dwartii that were in the possession of Dok-Ondar, an Ithorian antiques dealer. These statuettes were available for purchase at Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities during that same year. In both collections, Zelmar's statue depicted him wearing a hooded robe and a large headdress. A book examining the use of propaganda by various factions, titled A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy, which was released shortly after the Hosnian Cataclysm of 34 ABY, also mentioned details regarding Zelmar's statue.
The statue of Yanjon Zelmar made its debut in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, a prequel trilogy film from 2005. Gert Stevens, a concept artist for the film, created sketches of the statues of Zelmar and Faya Rodemos. The 2016 reference book Star Wars: Complete Locations provided Zelmar's first name within the new Star Wars canon, in a section that described locations from Revenge of the Sith. Kerrie Dougherty originally wrote that section for the 2005 Star Wars Legends reference book of the same name, which is where "Yanjon" first appeared in Legends. However, both editions of Complete Locations mistakenly identify Zelmar's statue as belonging to Sistros Nevet.
The surname "Zelmar" was officially assigned to Yanjon in 2019 through the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge–themed area at Disneyland Park and Disney's Hollywood Studios. Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities, a retail location within the land, features a box labeled with Zelmar's full name, which contains small statues of Zelmar and Nevet available for purchase. The first name of Zelmar is misspelled as "Yanjun" in the 2020 reference book Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge: Traveler's Guide to Batuu, which was authored by Cole Horton. Kristin Baver's 2023 reference book Star Wars 100 Objects includes some of her thoughts on Zelmar's statue. She described the statue's headdress as regal, and she thought the position of its hands could be interpreted as "seeking to locate some treasure or seize a weapon."
During the First Order-Resistance War in 35 ABY, the non-canon 2019 book Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Search & Find depicts a statuette of Zelmar—alongside other curios—present at the Forbidden Valley of Pasaana while First Order Supreme Leader Kylo Ren and the Knights of Ren hunted the Resistance there.