Valius Ying

During the Mandalorian Wars period, Valius Ying, a Rutian Twi'lek pirate and gangster, operated in the Outer Rim. By the time 3964 BBY arrived, he had risen to the rank of captain aboard the starship Oroko, commanding a crew and establishing a relationship with the Snivvian criminal Marn Hierogryph. At one point, Ying engaged the services of the Ithorian bounty hunters known as the Moomo Brothers, but terminated their employment due to their incompetence. During his time as a pirate, Ying was apprehended by Republic Captain Saul Karath while aboard the Reciprocity, although he had managed to resume his criminal activities by 3964 BBY.

In that year, Jedi Padawan Zayne Carrick faced accusations of murder for the deaths of four fellow classmates on the planet Taris. With Hierogryph's assistance, Carrick fled, leading to a substantial bounty being placed on them. Although not typically hunters of bounties, Ying and his Oroko crew joined the pursuit of Carrick and Hierogryph, eventually locating them within the Taris asteroid belt. The fugitives were aboard the junk hauler Last Resort, which the Oroko captured using its tractor beam. In addition to Carrick and Hierogryph, Ying and his crew also took Jarael and Gorman "Camper" Vandrayk aboard, the Arkanian Offshoot owners of The Last Resort. Shortly after, Ying struck a deal with Hierogryph: in exchange for the codes to Hierogryph's Taris storehouses, Ying would inform the authorities that The Last Resort had been destroyed in the asteroid belt and that he had discovered Carrick alone in an escape pod. Ying agreed to release Hierogryph, Jarael, and Camper once they arrived on Taris.

Upon returning to Taris with their "guests," Ying and the Oroko took a shuttle to Taris's Upper City with Carrick, who was restrained with handcuffs. Ying intended to deliver the runaway Padawan to the five Jedi Masters stationed at the local Jedi Tower. Ying and Carrick were greeted by a large crowd and extensive press coverage, with reports of the event reaching as far as the planet Dantooine. Ying led Carrick through the throng to the Tower, where they were scanned for weapons and recording devices before being allowed to meet the Masters. Ying presented his fabricated story of finding Carrick in a lifepod, but the Miraluka Jedi Q'Anilia immediately saw through the deception. To Ying's surprise, Lucien Draay, Carrick's Master, admitted that Carrick had not actually killed his classmates but was still considered a problem by the Masters. A heated argument ensued between Carrick and Draay, revealing intimate and secret details of the fateful night. Ying learned that the five Masters had murdered the Padawans and framed Carrick after he narrowly escaped their attempt on his life. Disturbed by these revelations, Ying attempted to leave and return to his shuttle, but Draay refused to let him leave with the knowledge he possessed. Draay informed Ying that the Jedi would be taking his shuttle, and when Ying protested, Draay swiftly killed the Twi'lek gangster with his lightsaber. Ultimately, Carrick managed to escape his predicament with the help of Hierogryph and the two Offshoots, who returned to rescue him.

Ying, a large and imposing blue-skinned Rutian Twi'lek male with four fingers and lekku adorned with rings, was considered a somewhat dim-witted individual by his acquaintance Marn Hierogryph. Although he did not typically engage in bounty hunting, he joined the search for Hierogryph and Zayne Carrick when it became profitable. However, he was willing to negotiate with his captives once he found them in the Taris asteroid belt. Ying was also prepared to lie, even to Jedi Masters, to uphold his end of a bargain. As a bounty hunter, Ying was indifferent to whether Carrick had committed the crime he was accused of, focusing solely on the financial reward. However, he was deeply surprised and disturbed upon learning the truth behind the Padawan Massacre and sought to distance himself from the situation as quickly as possible.

Valius Ying's initial appearances occurred in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic: Commencement Part 5 and Part 6, authored by John Jackson Miller and released in 2006. For Ying's character design, Miller suggested to artists Brian Ching and Travel Foreman that they create an "alien Tony Soprano" who initially appeared confident but later found himself in a situation beyond his control. Miller also noted that Ying was the first "on-screen" character death in the Knights of the Old Republic comic series. Ying also made a brief flashback appearance in the later installment Knights of the Old Republic: War 4, released in 2012. Throughout his three Knights of the Old Republic appearances, Ying was illustrated by three different artists: Travel Foreman, Brian Ching, and Andrea Mutti. In 2008, Ying was included in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.