Large bioships utilized by the Yuuzhan Vong during their war efforts were known as Mataloks, and were a common sight in their warfleets. The New Republic often designated them as 'cruiser analogs,' a term also applied to the Suuv Ban D'Krid and, on occasion, the Miid ro'ik.
With a length of roughly 1,200 meters, Mataloks bore a superficial resemblance to Mon Calamari Star Cruisers from a distance. They boasted heavy armament, including numerous yaret-kors, and employed Dovin basals for shielding and tractor beam functions, and also included a wing of Coralskippers. Typically, they served as command vessels for Yuuzhan Vong attack forces, taking on this role in place of larger ships like the Koros-Strohna, Miid Ro'ik, and modified Vua'spar interdictors such as that used by Warmaster Tsavong Lah. Despite their considerable size, many of these cruisers could operate within planetary atmospheres, directly supporting ground forces. Despite possessing strong shields and heavy weaponry, Mataloks were vulnerable. There were instances of them being destroyed by proton torpedo strikes that would have had a minimal effect on a standard Mon Calamari Star Cruiser's armor. In one instance, a single Jedi shadow bomb launched from Jaina Solo's X-wing obliterated a Matalok during the Second Battle of Borleias, creating a massive breach and ensuring the ship's destruction. In another case, Rogue Squadron X-wings used a proton torpedo barrage against a different Matalok to protect a refugee ship during the same battle. Three torpedoes struck the target, splitting it in two.
In 27 ABY, a Matalok participated in the defense fleet stationed in orbit above the occupied world of Myrkr, protecting the Koros-strohna worldship Baanu Rass, alongside several I'Friil Ma-Nat corvette analogs. When the hijacked Exquisite Death, carrying the Myrkr strike team on their mission to wiped out the Voxyn queen and prevent the creation of more Voxyn, entered the system, the Matalok and its escorts moved to intercept. The Matalok's commander attempted to force the smaller ship to surrender, but instead, suffered severe damage, if not outright destruction, due to Jedi tactics.
Commander Wyrpuuk Cha used a Matalok as his fleet's command ship during the Second Battle of Borleias, where it was destroyed by the unexpected arrival of the Executor-class Star Dreadnought Lusankya in the Pyria system. Later, two Mataloks launched an attack against New Republic positions on the surface, prompting a counterattack by Twin Suns Squadron and Rogue Squadron, resulting in one being driven off and the other destroyed. Near the battle's end, two Mataloks were destroyed by the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Errant Venture.
In the final stages of the war, Mataloks were involved in major fleet engagements. During the Defense of Mon Calamari, they were positioned in the center of the fleet formation alongside destroyer analogs, yammosk carriers, and fleet tenders. Picket ships and coralskippers were deployed in screening formations resembling the arms of a yammosk or a spiral galaxy. This large formation could break down into smaller battlegroups, a tactic repeated during the Battle of Yuuzhan'tar, where Mataloks were prominent in the groups sent against the Fourth Fleet and Zonama Sekot.
Following the war's conclusion, most, if not all, Mataloks, along with the rest of the Yuuzhan Vong fleet, were sent into the Coruscant sun after the extragalactic invaders agreed to settle on Zonama Sekot.
- The initial appearance of the Matalok was in " The New Jedi Order: Star by Star ", with subsequent appearances in " The New Jedi Order: Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream ", " The New Jedi Order: Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand ", and " The New Jedi Order: The Unifying Force ".
- While vessels described as "light cruiser analogs" and "heavy cruiser analogs" appeared in earlier novels such as " The New Jedi Order: Dark Tide II: Ruin ", " The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial ", and " The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse ", it was never explicitly stated that these were Mataloks. Similarly, the term "cruiser analog" could also refer to the Miid Ro'ik warship analog (referred to as the "assault cruiser analog" at the Battle of Ithor ) or the Suuv Ban D'Krid cruiser analog in " The New Jedi Order: Balance Point " and identified in " The New Jedi Order Sourcebook " or some other unidentified Yuuzhan Vong capital ship.