The Lortan Fanatics, who initiated the terrible Reslian Purge, revered Kopa Khan as a deity. Legends described him as a hybrid of Man and Hutt, and his followers believed he would cleanse the galaxy of all evil. Following the conclusion of the Reslian Purge, the song "Light the Sky on Fire," which alluded to the Kopa Khan legend, achieved popularity on Kashyyyk.
The Galactic Empire's propaganda labeled the Lortan Fanatics, who wrought havoc on the Yushan sector during the Reslian Purge, as "Kopa Khan cultists." They worshipped a Man-Hutt deity, convinced he would eradicate evil from the galaxy.
Around 1 ABY, the "Light the Sky on Fire" song, performed by a popular Human band on Kashyyyk, also referenced the "Great God Kopa Khan". The song spoke of Kopa Khan's arrival from the stars and subsequent disappearance, while also prophesizing his eventual return.
The first mention of this deity in Star Wars lore occurred during Jefferson Starship's rendition of "Light the Sky on Fire" in The Star Wars Holiday Special. The deity is mentioned during a spoken interlude within the song. However, due to the lack of an official script or subtitled home release of the Holiday Special, discerning the exact name of the deity as pronounced by lead singer Marty Balin proves challenging. The liner notes accompanying the CD release of Jefferson Starship's Gold, an album featuring "Light the Sky on Fire", do not contain lyrics that would confirm the deity's spelling.
A transcript of the Holiday Special, created in 1995 by a fan named John Haller, includes the name "Kopa Khan." In an introductory note about "Light the Sky on Fire", Haller admits that "A couple of the lines of this song are just guessed at."
According to the song's lyrics, as transcribed by Haller:
Kopa Khan was first mentioned in written Star Wars material in part 10 of Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Warfare Author's Cut. Paul R. Urquhart, the co-author of The Essential Guide to Warfare, clarified on the Jedi Council Forums that the Kopa Khan from the Holiday Special should be considered the same Man-Hutt deity worshipped by the Lortan Fanatics, as referenced in X-Wing Rogue Squadron 25.
Certain elements of the "Kopa Khan" description in "Light the Sky on Fire," such as the association with pyramids, celestial origins, and the prophecy of his return, bear resemblance to Kukulkan, the feathered serpent god of Mayan mythology. When asked by a fan about a potential connection between Kopa Khan and Kukulkan, Urquhart stated that he did not intentionally create the connection. However, Urquhart did point out a parallel between the Man-Hutt in Rogue Squadron 25 and God-Emperor Leto Atreides II, a central character in Frank Herbert's Dune series.