A female Yuuzhan Vong named Nei Rin achieved the position of Master Shaper before the year 122 ABY. She was held in high esteem by her species due to her skill in crafting Yuuzhan Vong biotechnology. After the Yuuzhan Vong had devastated numerous planets in a war a century before, they were considered outcasts throughout the galaxy, so when members of the New Jedi Order extended an offer for them to use their terraforming technology to rehabilitate those ravaged worlds and earn redemption, Rin was chosen as the Master Shaper for what became the Ossus Project. While she was shaping coral seeds and working to restore ecosystems, she developed a close relationship with Jedi Master Kol Skywalker, who had originally conceived of the project. In 126 ABY, the two journeyed to Wayland and transformed the planet's ruined surface into a flourishing floral environment, which brought renewed hope to the indigenous Myneyrshi people.
In that same year, the Ossus Project was secretly sabotaged by agents of the One Sith, resulting in the mutation of the coral seeds that Rin had carefully shaped and the infection of the inhabitants of the terraformed planets with a lethal plague. As Rin, Skywalker, and their companions escaped from the mutated surface of Wayland, the Myneyrshi demanded Rin's blood. Overwhelmed by guilt, Rin sought to uncover the cause of the mutations while a galactic war erupted due to the public outcry. She remained at the Jedi Temple on Ossus during the war, but in 130 ABY, she left the planet to conduct research with Choka Skell and Liaan Lah, two Yuuzhan Vong warriors assigned to safeguard her from the galaxy's anger. While they were away, the war concluded, and the Sith attacked the Jedi Temple. Upon returning, Rin and her bodyguards discovered that many Jedi, including Skywalker, had been slain.
The surviving Jedi scattered across the galaxy; Rin and her warriors conducted funeral rites for the fallen on Ossus and moved every remaining Jedi artifact into a concealed sub-basement beneath the temple. Feeling indebted to the Jedi, they remained there for seven years, protecting the Jedi legacy. In 137 ABY, when Skywalker's son, Cade, came back to Ossus to finish his training, Rin prepared to entrust him with the Jedi legacy. However, a defiant Cade refused and left the planet, instead requesting that Jedi Master K'Kruhk be put in charge of protecting the artifacts. Over the next several weeks, Rin and her warriors, along with K'Kruhk and his Jedi comrades Wolf Sazen and Shado Vao, stayed hidden under the temple as patrols from Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire searched the planet for any signs of life. When the Imperials bombarded the compound, they managed to escape to lower levels within the temple, but Sazen and Vao took the injured K'Kruhk off-planet to receive healing.
Nei Rin, a female of the Yuuzhan Vong species, existed during the time leading up to the Sith–Imperial War. She was a member of the shaper caste within her species, eventually rising to become a Master Shaper before 122 ABY. The Yuuzhan Vong considered mechanical technology a form of religious sacrilege, and as a shaper, Rin held a position of great respect among her people for her skill in crafting biotechnology. The extragalactic Yuuzhan Vong had initiated an unsuccessful war of conquest against the galaxy in 25 ABY, which resulted in the galactic community largely hating and fearing the species for nearly a century. However, in 122 ABY, members of the New Jedi Order approached Yuuzhan Vong throughout the galaxy with an offer of redemption. The Jedi hoped to utilize the Yuuzhan Vong's sophisticated terraforming technology to rehabilitate many of the planets that had been devastated during the war. The Yuuzhan Vong accepted this offer, and Rin was appointed as the Master Shaper to oversee the project.
Kol Skywalker, a prominent member of the Jedi Council, championed the project. Skywalker firmly believed in integrating the Yuuzhan Vong into galactic society and hoped that the project could reshape how the galaxy perceived them. As a result, Rin developed a deep admiration for his vision and efforts. In 122 ABY, the project underwent testing on a desolate region of the planet Ossus, where the Jedi maintained their primary academy. The barren terrain was successfully transformed into a landscape of vibrant flora. Other star systems began vying for the chance to have their worlds restored, and Rin and Skywalker convinced the Galactic Alliance to permit Yuuzhan Vong shapers to terraform an additional one hundred planets, leading to the Ossus Project. Nei Rin began shaping yorik coral seeds, which grew into Yuuzhan Vong plant life on various worlds, aiding in the restoration of entire ecosystems. Her work brought her into close collaboration with Jedi like Skywalker and the healer Hosk Trey'lis, as well as scientists from the Galactic Alliance.
In 126 ABY, Rin and Skywalker traveled to Wayland, a world whose surface remained scarred with plasma-spewing Chom-Vrones from the war. Wayland served as the homeworld of the Myneyrshi, some of whom had chosen to remain on the planet, living on its devastated landscape without hope for decades. Rin crafted new coral seeds and collaborated with Skywalker and other shapers to restore the world to a state of full floral health. Skywalker brought two Jedi Padawans to Wayland—his son, Cade, and the Twi'lek Shado Vao—and one day, he walked hand-in-hand with Rin through Wayland's revitalized greenery as the children played. The Mynersh chieftain Roax expressed his gratitude, and Skywalker shared his belief that the will of the Force had brought them to the planet to offer hope to its people.
Six months following Rin and Skywalker's conversation with Roax, agents of the One Sith sabotaged the Ossus Project. The Sith had remained hidden for nearly a century and were aware that many in the galaxy still harbored distrust towards the Yuuzhan Vong. They aimed to frame them for the sabotage and create a justification for galactic war. Wayland was their initial target, corrupted by the Sith scientist Darth Maladi and the renegade Yuuzhan Vong shaper Zenoc Quah. The coral seeds that Rin had shaped began to mutate, and the Myneyrshi became infected with a plague that caused coral growths to emerge from their skin. None of the Yuuzhan Vong or Jedi present on the planet were affected, leading the Myneyrshi to blame them for the mutations. Mutant creatures and vines began attacking those on the planet; Skywalker, Jedi Master Wolf Sazen, and several Yuuzhan Vong warriors fought the flora and fauna to create a path to an escape ship for Rin and the children.
As Rin and Skywalker stood on the ship's loading ramp, a furious Roax demanded Rin's blood as retribution for what he perceived as a curse she had placed upon them. Rin suspected sabotage, and Skywalker used the Force to push Roax and his warriors off the ramp, promising to return and rectify the wrong that had been committed. Sazen and Cade piloted the ship away, but damage from the vines left it stranded in orbit. Shortly thereafter, Moff Nyna Calixte of the Galactic Empire received their distress signal and brought their ship aboard her Star Destroyer. Similar events began occurring on other terraformed worlds, causing lethal mutations to their populations. Rin was deeply disturbed, and when every terraformed world except Ossus became infected, she struggled to comprehend the cause. She returned to Ossus with the Jedi and began caring for some of the infected beings.
The Jedi convinced the Galactic Alliance to support the Yuuzhan Vong despite public outrage, but the Empire called for retribution and declared war on the Alliance. Jedi and Yuuzhan Vong alike became targets, and Rin was assigned two Yuuzhan Vong warriors as bodyguards—Choka Skell and [Liaan Lah](/article/liaan_lah], both fiercely dedicated to protecting her and prioritizing her survival above all else. As Rin's initial experiments on Ossus showed no signs of mutation, she dedicated herself to discovering what had gone wrong and why. One year into the war, the Sith emerged from hiding and joined the fighting on the side of the Empire. Rin immediately suspected their involvement in the sabotage. She remained on Ossus with the Jedi, hoping to uncover the truth and discredit the Sith to end the war.
In 130 ABY, Rin, Skell, and Lah departed Ossus to conduct field research related to their investigations. The war concluded while they were away, and the Sith attacked the Jedi Temple. Many Jedi died, and the survivors scattered across the galaxy. Upon Rin's return, she found Jedi and Yuuzhan Vong warriors and shapers dead amidst a burning temple. Skywalker was among the deceased, and Rin and her warriors held a proper funeral for him. They performed similar services for all the fallen Jedi. All three Yuuzhan Vong felt indebted to the Jedi and gathered every remaining Jedi artifact they could find. They took the treasures deep beneath the temple and dedicated their lives to protecting what they considered the Jedi's legacy. While living in the temple's sub-basement, the Yuuzhan Vong maintained the astromech droid R2-D2, who had served the Skywalker family for decades, in honor of Kol Skywalker. Rin also fitted Skywalker's lightsaber, recovered from the battlefield, with a lambent crystal of her own creation. Lah's coralskipper starfighter remained hidden with the Yuuzhan Vong in case they needed to escape, but they chose to stay and protect the Jedi treasures. They avoided detection whenever starships of the Galactic Empire, now under the rule of Sith Lord Darth Krayt, patrolled Ossus and scanned for signs of life.
During her time beneath the temple, Rin discovered proof that the Sith had sabotaged the Ossus Project. This revelation freed her from her guilt, and she began to hope that she could one day clear her people of any blame. Seven years after the Sith's attack on the planet, several Jedi returned to Ossus and began to train Cade Skywalker, who had been working as a bounty hunter for the past seven years, in the ways of the Force. Cade and Shado Vao crashed through the temple's floors during a sparring session and were attacked by Skell and Lah until Rin realized that the two were Jedi and ordered her warriors to stop. Rin recognized Masters Sazen and K'Kruhk but not Cade, who had grown into a young man; Cade, however, recognized her. Rin then told the group the story of how she and her warriors had come to protect the Jedi's legacy on Ossus. When Sazen revealed Cade's identity to her, Rin was pleased that she could pass the legacy over to Kol Skywalker's son. The younger Skywalker was stubborn and independent and refused the responsibility, even offering to sell the artifacts before storming off. Rin wondered if the Jedi's honor had fallen so low, but Sazen assured her that Cade's actions were not representative of the Jedi Order.
The following morning, Cade prepared to depart Ossus to rescue Hosk Trey'lis, whom he had captured during his bounty hunting career, from the Temple of the Sith on the galactic capital of Coruscant. He asked Rin to allow K'Kruhk to care for the Jedi legacy, and she agreed. She presented Cade with his father's lightsaber before he left, and K'Kruhk assigned R2-D2 to him as a mechanic. K'Kruhk, Sazen, and Vao remained with Rin and her warriors over the next several weeks, and concealed their presence in the Force when an Imperial patrol arrived on the planet. When several Imperial stormtroopers searched the temple on foot and discovered the hidden chambers below, Vao used a mind trick to persuade them to leave. The troopers reported no signs of life to their superiors, but the Imperial Star Destroyer in orbit bombarded and destroyed the temple regardless. K'Kruhk used the Force to hold back the collapsing rubble as Rin, her warriors, Sazen, and Vao escaped to even lower levels, and he was severely injured in the process. Rin attempted to heal the Jedi Master but was unable to sufficiently treat him, even with the aid of bacta. K'Kruhk then told Sazen and Vao about a Hidden Jedi Temple on Taivas, and the two took him there to be healed by other Jedi.
Nei Rin possessed exceptional skill as a shaper and specialized in Yuuzhan Vong biotechnology. She excelled in crafting coral seeds and villips, along with other Yuuzhan Vong biots. As the Master Shaper overseeing the Ossus Project, she played a key role in restoring entire ecosystems on devastated planets. Rin also demonstrated a talent for healing. Shapers were highly esteemed among the Yuuzhan Vong for their abilities, and when the Jedi invited them to participate in the Ossus project, Rin was put in charge of the project, believing herself to be capable of handling the responsibility.
Rin held Kol Skywalker in high regard for his initiative and dedication to integrating the Yuuzhan Vong into galactic society, viewing him as a hero. Working alongside Skywalker, Rin grew close to the Jedi, sometimes holding his hand as they walked through restored landscapes. His death deeply saddened her, and she cherished fond memories of him in the years that followed, continuing to refer to him by his first name even seven years later. Together with Choka Skell and Liaan Lah, she ensured that Skywalker, along with all the Jedi who had perished during the Sith's attack on Ossus, received proper funerals in the aftermath of the massacre.
Rin felt a strong sense of gratitude towards the Jedi for the assistance they had provided to her species, leading her to dedicate her life to honoring their legacy by concealing and safeguarding Jedi artifacts beneath Ossus's Jedi Temple. She remained on the planet for seven years, honoring the Jedi even as Imperial vessels searched for signs of life. When Cade Skywalker returned to Ossus in 137 ABY, Rin was pleased to have the opportunity to entrust the Jedi legacy to the son of the man she had admired. However, Cade requested that she give the responsibility to K'Kruhk instead, and she agreed without argument.
When the Ossus Project was corrupted, Rin was shocked and struggled to understand what had gone wrong. As the project's Master Shaper, she felt responsible and guilty until she was able to prove that the sabotage was the work of the Sith. After discovering proof of the Sith's machinations, she continued to believe that the project could one day be successful despite everything that had happened. Rin had initially hoped that the truth could end the Sith–Imperial War but was unable to prove her suspicions about the Sith until after the war's conclusion. Even then, she remained hopeful that the truth could one day clear her species of any blame.
Custom and ritual held significant importance for Rin. Her respect for the Jedi and their customs led her to perform funeral services for all the fallen Jedi on Ossus. When K'Kruhk argued that the responsibility of protecting the Jedi's legacy should not be given to just one person, Rin disagreed, citing the Yuuzhan Vong's tradition of honor. She believed that Skywalker had been the Jedi's greatest warrior, and therefore, the responsibility should fall to his son. In addition to steadfastly upholding Yuuzhan Vong traditions, Rin also believed in the Yuuzhan Vong gods. She felt that the eyes of Yun-Ne'Shel, the Modeler, shone brightly on Kol Skywalker, and when the Ossus Project was sabotaged, she wondered if Yun-Harla, the trickster goddess, was laughing at her.
Rin's left hand was a Yuuzhan Vong shaper hand, and she often carried a personal villip. While most of her Yuuzhan Vong contemporaries did not bother to learn any languages other than their native tongue, Rin could speak Basic, Bocce, High Galactic, Huttese, Mon Calamarian, Shyriiwook, and Zabraki, in addition to the Yuuzhan Vong language.
Nei Rin was a creation of John Ostrander and Jan Duursema for the Star Wars: Legacy comic series, making her debut on the final page of its eleventh issue, which was released in May 2007. In the following issue, she was given a name and backstory, and she also appeared on its cover. These two issues comprised a story arc titled Ghosts, which marked the Yuuzhan Vong's first appearance in Legacy. Previously, the Yuuzhan Vong had been the primary antagonists in The New Jedi Order novel series, where they had besieged the galaxy before being defeated and exiled at the conclusion of the series. With their initial appearance in Legacy, which was set over a century after The New Jedi Order, Ostrander and Duursema intended to use Nei Rin as an example to illustrate the extent of the species' transformation over that period. Since then, Rin's character and her role in the Ossus Project have been further developed in subsequent Legacy issues, the Legacy Era Campaign Guide from 2009, and The Essential Guide to Warfare from 2012.