A Jedi shadow bomb was, in essence, a modified proton torpedo where the guidance system and propellant were replaced with compressed baradium. Baradium is the same explosive compound found in thermal detonators. Instead of employing the shadow bomb as a standard torpedo, locking onto a target and firing, Jedi used the Force to hurl the bomb directly into enemy vessels. The enhanced explosive payload significantly amplified the destructive potential of each missile; just two well-aimed shadow bombs were capable of bisecting a Yuuzhan Vong corvette analog.
The practice of employing the Force to direct an explosive—an application beyond its original design—to obliterate enemies of the light has roots stretching back to at least 9 ABY, when Luke Skywalker leveraged his telekinetic abilities to redirect a torpedo. The shadow bomb's initial development occurred during the Yuuzhan Vong War, created as a countermeasure against the Yuuzhan Vong's capacity to detect and intercept conventional proton torpedoes. Each Yuuzhan Vong vessel possessed living gravity generators capable of generating miniature singularities to absorb laser fire and other projectiles. Because proton torpedoes were primarily detectable by the propellant trail they emitted, the Vong could anticipate them. However, shadow bombs were initially undetectable (for a time), rendering them highly effective when deployed strategically.
Ultimately, the Yuuzhan Vong adapted and learned to detect shadow bombs, much to the Jedi's frustration, leading to their eventual disuse in the later years of the war. Nevertheless, they experienced renewed utilization by the Jedi during the Battle of the Murgo Choke against Killik nest ships, and again during the Swarm War, the Second Galactic Civil War and later conflicts. During the Second Galactic Civil War, it was used during the Battle of Kashyyyk by the Jedi Lowbacca against the Anakin Solo.
Despite its effectiveness, the weapon's utility against Force-sensitive opponents is quite limited, evidenced by an encounter where Jaina Solo fought Ship, who used the Force to wrest the bombs from her control in self-defense.