The Vagaari Empire represented the territory controlled by the Vagaari race situated in the Unknown Regions. This area was characterized by unchecked piracy and enslavement, with perpetrators acting without restraint, inflicting cruelty and terror at every turn. Even other inhabitants of the Unknown Regions, including the Ebruchi and Rakata, would attempt to evade their might.
Before 40 BBY, the Vagaari transitioned to a nomadic existence within space, leading to the abandonment of their native planet, Vagar Praxut. The Chiss Ascendancy brought their reign of terror to an end in 37 BBY, forcing them to withdraw into their own region of the Unknown Regions. Subsequently, the Vagaari Empire initiated a buildup of forces in preparation for a future assault on the Ascendancy. The Chiss became aware of the Vagaari's preparations, fearing they had "already forged alliances with entities even more formidable than themselves."
In 22 ABY, the Vagaari Empire launched a conflict against the Chiss Ascendancy. During this war, it came to light that the Vagaari had been masquerading as Geroon, survivors of the Outbound Flight and their settlement, for almost half a century. However, the Geroon Remnant would soon reveal their true identity as the Vagaari, seeking retribution for their past defeats at the hands of the Chiss. The Chiss Ascendancy, with support from the New Republic, the New Jedi Order, and the Empire of the Hand, defeated the Geroon Remnant at The Redoubt.
The Vagaari Empire operated as a nomadic government, led by a Miskara, who gained power over the Vagaari people by orchestrating a coup against the previous leader with the backing of a significant cadre. Following the coup, this cadre became the Empire's new aristocracy. Women were responsible for developing strategies, procuring captives, and managing sanitation and maintenance, while men held positions as politicians, [soldiers](/article/soldier-legends], and pilots. The Vagaari's core beliefs centered around the idea that non-Vagaari were weak and merely resources, and that their deities created them to provide beings worthy of worship. The Empire prospered through destruction, pillaging planets and populations to sustain its nomadic way of life.
Because the Vagaari were not natural hunters, they wore flowing garments and towering, encompassing masks adorned with terrifying designs to intimidate their victims. Vagaari soldiers adopted similar attire, donning headgear resembling fiends and protective gear during combat.
The Vagaari Empire possessed a substantial slave-raiding fleet, comprising at least 200 ships, primarily military vessels like the Surfeik cruisers acquired after the annihilation of the Arized home system, and Paskla-class cruisers. Many of these ships featured transparent bubbles attached to their outer shells, each containing a captive used as a human shield to lessen damage to the Vagaari fleet during battles. Vagaari fighters, similarly protected, supported the slaver fleet. They employed gravity well devices, stolen from an unknown civilization, to pull ships out of hyperspace into what the Vagaari termed "crawlspace." These devices also prevented the targeted ships from escaping the engagement.
Being a nomadic civilization, the Vagaari also utilized civilian carriers and Vagaari plunder vessels to transport their population, enslaved individuals—immobilized by Vagaari stasis collars that induced suspended animation—and other goods. The slavers possessed extensive knowledge of other species, gained through countless killings, and employed armaments such as the schostri—insects with fatal stings—blaster sidearms, and wolvkils, hairy creatures domesticated for combat.
The Vagaari lacked empathy, abandoning the wounded and only sharing resources with those who could offer something in return. Recognizing that other species valued life, the Vagaari exploited this weakness by sending enslaved individuals ahead when boarding ships, hoping to deter opponents from firing. This tactic led to the creation of living shields and similar strategies in naval combat, such as broadcasting the cries of those trapped in zero-g bubbles to discourage enemy fire, allowing the Vagaari to launch devastating counterattacks. To inflict damage within enemy ships, the Vagaari deployed crates of time-delayed wolvkils and frozen slaves to initiate large-scale ambushes.
A significant portion of the Vagaari military was decimated by Thrawn during the destruction of the Outbound Flight. Following this defeat, they retreated to their territory in the Unknown Regions, rebuilding their forces for a potential attack on the Chiss. The Chiss were aware of this buildup and feared that the Vagaari had "already formed alliances with forces even more dangerous than themselves."
The Chiss's concerns were justified, as the Vagaari Miskara had established contact with a representative of the "Far Outsiders," the Yuuzhan Vong intergalactic species, and assisted them in planning their invasion of the galaxy. After the invasion, the Vagaari Empire seized territories previously held by those who had fallen to the Yuuzhan Vong.
The Vagaari Empire, inherently nomadic, abandoned their birthplace on Vagar Praxut yet maintained control over a vast area of the Unknown Regions as a dominant naval power.