The Zeison Sha were a group of Force adepts renowned for their self-sufficiency and survival prowess. Located on the planet of Yanibar in Wild Space, these individuals were also skilled in telekinesis and the use of the discblade. Their mastery of the Force powers was cultivated as a response to the challenging conditions of their world. Emphasizing independence, survival, and helping those in need, the Zeison Sha maintained a distant relationship with the Jedi, finding little value in the established Order.
During the New Sith Wars, the Zeison Sha's numbers grew as many Jedi allies and family members, including some with Force sensitivity, sought refuge on Yanibar. After these colonists were left stranded for millennia due to the deaths of all Jedi aware of their location, the Zeison Sha embraced a philosophy of isolation. Unlike the Jedi Order, they did not separate Force-sensitive children from their parents for training purposes. Subsequent attempts by the Jedi Order to reconnect with the Zeison Sha proved unsuccessful. The group successfully evaded eradication during the Great Jedi Purge, avoiding encounters with Darth Vader and other Jedi hunters. Even throughout the Yuuzhan Vong War, the Zeison Sha remained independent and held a grudge against the Jedi.
The Zeison Sha were firm believers in self-reliance and independence. The initial journey to their homeworld of Yanibar was intended to be temporary, but the Jedi who knew of it perished in the New Sith Wars, leaving the colonists to fend for themselves. Feeling betrayed by the Jedi's failure to provide aid, the Zeison Sha were determined to be self-sufficient. This mindset enabled them to not only endure Yanibar's harsh environment but also to thrive and become self-sustaining. A core principle of their beliefs was caring for one's family, which was reflected in their utilization of Force powers. To the Zeison Sha, the Force served primarily as a means to protect themselves and their families, as well as to assist those unable to defend themselves. Consequently, they were known for their generosity, and helping others was regarded as honorable and virtuous.
In contrast to the structured hierarchy of the Jedi Order, the Zeison Sha lacked a rigid organizational structure in their society, although the ranks of initiate and warrior were present. Children born to Force-sensitive parents received informal training at home. For Force-sensitives born to non-Force-sensitive parents, an experienced Force-sensitive adult would provide training, but unlike Jedi training, the child remained at home to develop as an individual. This approach was intended to promote a normal family life for the child. In fact, the Zeison Sha strongly opposed the practice of separating Force-sensitive children from their parents. The Zeison Sha did have a temple on Yanibar, known as the Sha Kalan, where they conducted training.
Generally, the Zeison Sha's isolationism and independence prevented any attempts to seize power across the galaxy; their society was too focused on internal matters. However, a lingering resentment towards the Jedi Order, combined with the arrogance that sometimes arose from an overly independent mindset, led some members of the order to succumb to the dark side of the Force throughout Zeison Sha history. These deviants, known as Dark Zeison Sha, had to be hunted down or redeemed to prevent them from spreading their influence within the community.
As a Force-based group, the Zeison Sha excelled in telekinetic abilities, demonstrating remarkable skill with minimal effort. These abilities encompassed pushing, pulling, hurling, levitating, smashing, and crushing objects with ease. Their telekinetic prowess often surpassed that of many Jedi Order members. At advanced levels, telekinesis became almost instinctive. With this aptitude, members could use telekinesis for defense, swiftly and accurately employing rocks and other loose objects to deflect projectiles from weapons, or even using the Force itself to create a physical shield.
This was described as the Zeison Sha enveloping their bodies with the Force to withstand damage. Zeison Sha Masters became so proficient in telekinesis that they could perform incredible feats even under extreme stress and distraction, enabling them to use their abilities while facing significant adversity.
Zeison Sha warriors served as protectors of the community, utilizing their telekinetic powers and mastery of the discblade, a sharp-edged throwing weapon, to achieve considerable combat effectiveness. Trained in its use from a young age, a Zeison Sha could throw a discblade with exceptional accuracy and retrieve it to their hand. Experienced warriors were also known to imbue their discblades with the power of the Force.
The Zeison Sha also developed their own light armor designs, including Initiate armor and the more protective Warrior armor. The armor provided some defensive capabilities with minimal impact on mobility, and in line with the Zeison Sha's independent spirit, both armor models could be customized to suit the wearer's individual preferences.
Originating from the planet Yanibar, situated on the border between the Outer Rim and Wild Space, the Zeison Sha honed their Force abilities as a means of surviving their challenging environment. The Zeison Sha organization was established by 3951 BBY.
During the conflict between the Galactic Republic and the reconstituted Sith Empire, an individual connected to one of the factions dispatched an envoy to the Zeison Sha on Yanibar seeking their support.
A significant event in Zeison Sha history occurred around the start of the New Sith Wars. At that time, thousands of Jedi allies and family members fled to establish a sanctuary from Sith attacks. They formed a small colony on Yanibar, expecting the Jedi to return for them after the wars concluded. However, all the Jedi who knew of the refuge died in battle, taking the secret of the families with them. Due to Yanibar's extreme seasonal changes, most of the original settlers perished within the first few years after arriving.
Forgotten, the colonists struggled to survive in Yanibar's harsh conditions. The Force abilities of many colonists evolved into the Zeison Sha tradition, significantly aiding their survival and enabling them to prosper to some extent. A few centuries after arriving on Yanibar, the planet was discovered by fringe traders, leading to the establishment of a small spaceport and outpost, although the organization and planet remained relatively unknown. They established relations with the traders, providing the Zeison Sha with some awareness of galactic affairs.
Following the end of the wars, some Zeison Sha ventured into the wider galaxy, only to discover that the Jedi Order sought to recruit their Force-sensitive children for training and integration into the Order. Angered by this, they returned to Yanibar with reports of Jedi child-snatching. The general perception of the Jedi declined significantly as a result. Nonetheless, some members left their world and traveled abroad throughout the organization's history. They often did so discreetly, especially after the rise of the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY. Zeison Sha in the galaxy rarely stayed in one place. Instead, they journeyed the spacelanes in search of those in need.
In 580 BBY, the Zeison Sha were visited on Yanibar by Jedi Master Bodo Baas on a diplomatic mission. Baas had spent years planning the mission, hoping to persuade the Zeison Sha to ally with the Jedi. The Zeison Sha were wary of the Jedi and refused to allow unsupervised contact with their children. Baas found their philosophy on familial integrity strange and also expressed concern about their emphasis on self-sufficiency. One warrior, a young Twi'lek female, told the Jedi delegation that without self-reliance, the original settlers would have perished after the Jedi's ancestors abandoned them there. Following the chilly reception, the Jedi commission departed, realizing that the Zeison Sha were completely unwilling to consider any form of unification with the Jedi Order.
Despite the galaxy's numerous dangers, the Zeison Sha survived during the Empire's reign, although Imperial troops did occupy Yanibar. The Zeison Sha resisted this occupation, with members actively opposing the Imperial presence. The Zeison Sha ultimately survived the Great Jedi Purge, avoiding the Sith Lord Darth Vader and his Jedi hunters, but remaining unreconciled to the Jedi even after the Empire's fall. During the Yuuzhan Vong War, the Zeison Sha quietly celebrated the Jedi losses during the war but also hoped the Yuuzhan Vong invaders would avoid Yanibar and leave the galaxy peacefully. In 40 ABY, their history and existence, including the earlier encounter with Baas, were documented by Jedi Master and historian Tionne Solusar in her compendium, Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force.
The Zeison Sha were first mentioned in the 2003 Star Wars Roleplaying Game guidebook Hero's Guide, authored by Rodney Thompson and J.D. Wiker. Their depiction was illustrated by Wayne Reynolds.
Hero's Guide states that the Zeison Sha emerged "nearly two millennia before the rise of the Empire"—referring to the founding of the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY. This conflicts with the appearance of Zeison Sha armor in the 2004 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, which is set in 3951 BBY. This continuity discrepancy was further complicated by the reference to the Zeison Sha living on Yanibar in the "Might of the Zeison Sha" crew skill mission in 2014's Shadow of Revan digital expansion to the video game Star Wars: The Old Republic, which is set in the 3600s BBY. Consequently, this article assumes that the Zeison Sha indeed existed by 3951 BBY as established by The Sith Lords.