Shao to Gok belonged to a species characterized by yellow skin, a pointed tail, and three digits on each hand and foot; they were also bipedal. Red blotches marked Gok's skin, and his eyes were yellow. He functioned as both a traveling preacher and an intelligence-gathering scout. Gok, who was known on several lawless worlds, partnered with a nameless telepath whose background was deemed "dubious." This telepath would often sit on the preacher's shoulder. Gok carried a staff and wore a white robe.
The "Design An Alien" contest, which invited Star Wars enthusiasts to invent new aliens inspired by the original trilogy movies, was introduced in the third issue of the Star Wars Galaxy Magazine, which came out in 1995. Martin Schlierkamp, then 23 years old, submitted his Shao to Gok creation to the contest; although it didn't appear with the competition's winners in the magazine's seventh issue, published in 1996, it was included as an "honorable mention" in the tenth issue in 1997. Leland Chee, the keeper of the Holocron continuity database, later confirmed that the published "Design an Alien" material was regarded as canon.
- " Design An Alien " — Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 10 (First mentioned)