Nei Rin, a female Yuuzhan Vong, had achieved the esteemed position of Master Shaper before the year 122 ABY. Highly regarded by her species for her expertise in Yuuzhan Vong biotechnology, she skillfully crafted living technologies. Following a devastating war that ravaged numerous planets a century before, the Yuuzhan Vong were largely ostracized throughout the galaxy. However, an opportunity for redemption arose when members of the New Jedi Order extended an invitation to utilize their terraforming abilities to restore the devastated worlds. Rin was chosen as the Master Shaper for what became known as the Ossus Project. While cultivating coral seeds and revitalizing ecosystems, she collaborated closely with Jedi Master Kol Skywalker, the visionary behind the project, and their bond deepened. In 126 ABY, they journeyed to Wayland and transformed its ravaged surface into a flourishing floral paradise, bringing renewed hope to the indigenous Myneyrshi people.
In that same year, operatives of the One Sith secretly undermined the Ossus Project by mutating the coral seeds that Rin had carefully shaped and infecting the inhabitants of the terraformed worlds with a lethal plague. As Rin, Skywalker, and their allies escaped the mutated landscape of Wayland, the Myneyrshi clamored for Rin's blood. Overwhelmed by guilt, Rin sought to uncover the cause of the mutations as a galactic war ignited due to the ensuing public outcry. Throughout the war, she remained at the Jedi Temple on Ossus, but in 130 ABY, she departed the planet to conduct research alongside Choka Skell and Liaan Lah, two Yuuzhan Vong warriors assigned to safeguard her from the galaxy's fury. During their absence, the war concluded, and the Sith attacked the Jedi Temple. Upon returning, Rin and her bodyguards discovered many Jedi, including Skywalker, had been slain.
With the surviving Jedi scattered throughout the galaxy, Rin and her warriors performed funeral rites for the fallen on Ossus and secured every remaining Jedi artifact within a concealed sub-basement of the temple. Feeling a deep sense of obligation to the Jedi, they remained there for seven years, safeguarding the Jedi legacy. In 137 ABY, when Skywalker's son, Cade, returned to Ossus to complete his training, Rin prepared to entrust him with the Jedi legacy. However, a defiant Cade refused and left the planet, requesting that Jedi Master K'Kruhk be entrusted with the artifacts instead. Over the following weeks, Rin and her warriors, along with K'Kruhk and his Jedi companions Wolf Sazen and Shado Vao, remained hidden beneath the temple as patrols from Sith Lord Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire searched the planet for any signs of life. As the Imperials bombarded the compound, they managed to retreat to lower levels within the temple, but Sazen and Vao evacuated an injured K'Kruhk off-world to receive healing.
Nei Rin, a female Yuuzhan Vong, lived during the time leading up to the Sith–Imperial War. She belonged to the shaper caste of her species's society and attained the rank of Master Shaper before the year 122 ABY. The Yuuzhan Vong considered mechanical technology religiously offensive; as a shaper, Rin was a highly respected creator of biotechnology among her people. The extragalactic Yuuzhan Vong's unsuccessful war of conquest against the galaxy starting in 25 ABY had resulted in the galactic community largely hating and fearing the species for almost 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 advanced terraforming technology to restore many of the planets devastated during the war. The Yuuzhan Vong accepted, and Rin was appointed the Master Shaper of the project.
Kol Skywalker, a prominent member of the Jedi Council, championed the initiative. Skywalker firmly believed in integrating the Yuuzhan Vong into galactic society and hoped that the project could reshape the galaxy's perception of them. Consequently, Rin developed a deep admiration for his vision and efforts. In 122 ABY, the project was tested on a desolate area of the planet Ossus, where the Jedi maintained their primary academy, and barren terrain was successfully transformed into a landscape of vibrant flora. Other star systems began competing for the opportunity to have their worlds restored, and Rin and Skywalker convinced the Galactic Alliance to allow Yuuzhan Vong shapers to terraform an additional one hundred planets in what became known as the Ossus Project. Nei Rin began crafting yorik coral seeds, which grew into Yuuzhan Vong plant life on various worlds and aided in the restoration of entire ecosystems. Her efforts involved close collaboration with Jedi such as Skywalker and the healer Hosk Trey'lis, as well as scientists from the Galactic Alliance.
In 126 ABY, Rin and Skywalker arrived on Wayland, a world still scarred with plasma-spewing Chom-Vrones from the war. Wayland was the home of the Myneyrshi, some of whom had refused to leave the planet and had been 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 full floral health. Skywalker brought two Jedi Padawans to Wayland—his son, Cade, and the Twi'lek Shado Vao—and one day walked hand-in-hand with Rin through Wayland's new 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 give hope to its people.
Six months after Rin and Skywalker spoke with Roax, agents of the One Sith sabotaged the Ossus Project. The Sith had been in hiding for nearly a century and were aware that many in the galaxy still distrusted the Yuuzhan Vong; they hoped to frame them for the sabotage and create a reason for galactic war. Wayland was their initial target and was 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 sprout from their skin. None of the Yuuzhan Vong or Jedi on-world were affected, and the Myneyrshi blamed the mutations on them. Mutant creatures and vines began to attack those who were on-world; Skywalker, the Jedi Master Wolf Sazen, and several Yuuzhan Vong warriors battled the flora and fauna to protect Rin and the children while clearing a path to an escape ship.
As Rin and Skywalker stood on the ship's loading ramp, a furious Roax demanded Rin's blood as retribution for what he believed to be a curse she had placed upon them. Rin suspected sabotage, and Skywalker Force-pushed Roax and his warriors off the ramp before promising to return and correct the wrong that had been committed. Sazen and Cade piloted the ship away, but damage inflicted by the vines left it stranded in orbit. Soon after, Moff Nyna Calixte of the Galactic Empire received their distress signal and brought their ship aboard her Star Destroyer. Similar incidents began occurring on other worlds that had been terraformed, causing lethal mutations to their populations. Rin was shocked, and when every terraformed world except Ossus became infected, she struggled to understand 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 began to be hunted, and Rin was assigned two Yuuzhan Vong warriors as bodyguards—Choka Skell and Liaan Lah, both fiercely dedicated to protecting her and prioritizing her survival above all else. As none of Rin's initial experiments on Ossus showed any 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 that they were responsible for the sabotage. She remained on Ossus with the Jedi, attempting to determine how, hoping that the truth could discredit the Sith and end the war.
In 130 ABY, Rin, Skell, and Lah left 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 rest were scattered throughout the galaxy. Upon Rin's return, she found dead Jedi, Yuuzhan Vong warriors, and shapers scattered around a burning temple. Skywalker was among the dead, and Rin and her warriors gave him a proper funeral. They performed similar services for all of 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, which she had recovered from the battlefield, with a lambent crystal of her own shaping. Lah's coralskipper starfighter remained hidden with the Yuuzhan Vong in case they needed to flee, but they chose to stay and protect the Jedi treasures. They avoided detection whenever starships of the Galactic Empire, now under the rule of the 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 relieved her of 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 recounted 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 on to Kol Skywalker's son. The younger Skywalker was stubborn and independent and refused the responsibility, 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 leave 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 at 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 was a highly proficient shaper and a specialist in Yuuzhan Vong biotechnology. She excelled in crafting coral seeds and villips, among 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 possessed a talent for healing. Shapers were highly esteemed among the Yuuzhan Vong for their skills, and when the Jedi invited them to participate in the Ossus project, Rin was placed in charge, confident in her ability to fulfill the role.
Rin held Kol Skywalker in high regard for his initiative and determination to integrate the Yuuzhan Vong into galactic society, viewing him as a hero. During their collaboration, Rin grew close to the Jedi and would sometimes hold his hand while walking through restored landscapes. His death deeply saddened her, and she cherished fond memories of him in the years that followed, continuing to address him by his first name even seven years later. Along with Choka Skell and Liaan Lah, she ensured that Skywalker, as well as all the Jedi who perished during the Sith's attack on Ossus, received proper funerals after the massacre.
Rin felt a strong sense of gratitude towards the Jedi for the assistance they had provided to her species. She dedicated her life to honoring their legacy by concealing and safeguarding Jedi artifacts beneath the Jedi Temple on Ossus. 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 pass the Jedi legacy on to the son of the man she had admired. However, Cade requested that she entrust the responsibility to K'Kruhk, and she agreed without hesitation.
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 remained hopeful that the project could one day succeed despite all that had occurred. Rin 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 had ended. Even then, she hoped that the truth could one day exonerate her species of any blame.
Custom and ritual held great importance for Rin. Her respect for the Jedi and their customs led her to conduct 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 that the responsibility should therefore fall to his son. In addition to steadfastly adhering to 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 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 conceived by 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. Her name and backstory were revealed in the following issue, where she also appeared on the cover. These two issues formed a story arc titled Ghosts, marking the first appearance of the Yuuzhan Vong in Legacy. Previously, the Yuuzhan Vong had served as the primary antagonists in The New Jedi Order novel series, where they laid siege to the galaxy before being defeated and exiled at the conclusion of the series. With their initial appearance in Legacy, which takes place more than 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.