The article "A LONG TIME AGO..." appeared in the Imperial Center Today periodical in 2 ABY. It was authored by Eschul Shaywa. The piece delved into the limited historical data concerning the Taungs and Zhell, two groups central to Coruscant's planet culture. Their conflict, dating back 200,000-years-old, is portrayed in the ancient epic Dha Werda Verda. Initially, Shaywa summarized the poem's creation and narrative, followed by insights from historian Mesh Burzon on the Dha Werda Verda's relation to contemporary Mandalorian warrior traditions. Scholar Hu Jibwe, specializing in military history, also highlighted the related Mandalorian war chant, "Rage of the Shadow Warriors."
Subsequently, Shaywa's article shifted its focus to the challenges faced by academics in validating the historical accuracy of the Dha Werda Verda's events. Both Hu and scholar Arhul Manaxa contributed their perspectives on the disagreements surrounding these events, including their precise location, timeframe, and even their actual occurrence. "A LONG TIME AGO..." concluded with Shaywa's personal anecdote, where they inquired with Imperial Center Guard trainer Swart Swifto about scholarly discussions on the poem, Taungs, and Zhell. Swifto responded that the metaphorical connection between all warriors, rather than historical specifics, held the true significance.
Eschul Shaywa's article, titled "A LONG TIME AGO...", appeared in the Imperial Center Today publication. The core theme, as the opening line suggests, centered on the difficulty in confirming the historical authenticity of the 200,000-year-old conflict between the Taung species and the Zhell culture (linked to Humans). This conflict is depicted in the ancient Dha Werda Verda poem, despite the crucial roles both groups played in the culture of Coruscant's planet inhabitants.
The piece began by emphasizing the cultural importance of the Taung and Zhell names in contemporary times on Coruscant. Conversely, solid historical facts about these groups remained elusive, despite researchers' efforts to combine folklore and archaeological findings. "A LONG TIME AGO..." then provided a succinct overview of the Dha Werda Verda's structure and plot. The poem narrated the Taung-Zhell war, including the near-extinction of the Zhell and the Taung adopting the name "Dha Werda Verda," interpreted as "Warriors of the Shadow," "Shadow Warriors," or "Dark Warriors."
"A LONG TIME AGO..." underscored the depth of the Dha Werda Verda's integration into Coruscanti culture, contrasting it with a comment from University of Byblos historian Mesh Burzon, who found the city-world's reverence for the poem "odd." Burzon noted the Coruscanti, predominantly Human, held in high regard a poem created by a non-Human species celebrating the near-annihilation of humanity's ancestors.
Burzon also highlighted an irony: the Taung, after settling Roon, migrated to Mandalore, thus birthing the Taung-led Mandalorian warrior culture. During his 3996 BBY–3960 BBY rule, Mandalore the Ultimate, the Mandalorian leader, opened the Mandalorian ranks to Humans and other species, eventually becoming the last Taung to lead the Mandalorians, who subsequently became primarily Human.
"A LONG TIME AGO..." also included commentary from Salmagodro Grand Academy military history scholar Hu Jibwe regarding the relationship between the Mandalorians and the Dha Werda Verda. Hu pointed out the Mandalorian war chant "Rage of the Shadow Warriors," also known as "Dha Werda Verda," with its lyrics included in the article. He argued that "Rage" was more recent than the poem and likely originated during Mandalore the Ultimate's era.
At this juncture, Shaywa's article reverted to the lack of historical information on the Taung and Zhell. Arhul Manaxa, scholar emeritus at the University of Rudrig, clarified that the vast timeframe since the purported events of the Dha Werda Verda, coupled with the fact that any archaeological remnants on Coruscant would be buried beneath kilometers of urban layers, resulted in academic disagreement regarding the location of the Zhell's near-destruction, its date, and even its occurrence. Manaxa further observed that the Taung's alleged possession of hyperspace technology 200,000 years ago led to scholarly speculation about whether the Taung or Zhell initiated the conflict, whether the war occurred much later, or if it even happened at all.
Hu added that the popular image of the Taung and Zhell using primitive weaponry was likely anachronistic, suggesting they instead used aircraft and nuclear weapons. Despite this, Hu told Shaywa that this didn't diminish the Dha Werda Verda's literary value, emphasizing its evocative characters and imagery.
Shaywa concluded "A LONG TIME AGO..." by sharing a personal experience intended to complement the academic viewpoints. The Imperial Center Today writer had recently attended a "Rage of the Shadow Warriors" performance with Imperial Center Guard veteran Swart Swifto. Shaywa asked Swifto about his thoughts on current academic views on the Zhell-Taung conflict and the Dha Werda Verda. The trainer simply replied that the poem's historical details were unimportant; instead, the metaphorical bond between warriors across time was what mattered.
"A LONG TIME AGO..." saw publication in 2 ABY via Imperial Center Today, a publication aimed at readers on the planet then known as the Imperial Center. It was later reprinted.
The article "A LONG TIME AGO..." was initially planned for inclusion in the 2012 reference book The Essential Guide to Warfare by Jason Fry and Paul R. Urquhart. Fry considered the section, which would have served as an in-universe representation of the article, to be "fun" and appreciated the connections it made between the ancient events depicted in the poem Dha Werda Verda and the later cultures of the Mandalorians and the Galactic Empire.
However, the section was ultimately deemed potentially redundant to other content in The Essential Guide to Warfare. Given the already substantial word count of Fry's submitted manuscript, the decision was made to remove the section before the book's release, which was seen as "logical." It was later published in 2013 as part of Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Warfare Author's Cut, a series of articles published on the StarWars.com Blog by Fry and Del Rey editor Erich Schoeneweiss, featuring various pieces of content that had been cut from the book.