Around 195 BBY, the Coruscant Jedi Academy, situated on the planet of Coruscant, received a unique visitor: Voorpee. This male voorpak was temporarily loaned by the Naboo Zoo. The school was given the zoo's voorpak to teach students about the responsibilities of pet ownership, as well as to educate them on the species' biology and habits. The academy encouraged its students to care for Voorpee at the designated care center, ensuring he received his preferred diet of live insects and that his soft fur remained clean.
While Voorpee quickly gained popularity among the majority of the academy's students, he became a target for Cronah and Cyrus, two bullies who subjected him to torture. They would take him on unsanctioned "walks" and confine him within a school locker. Despite the mistreatment, Voorpee was permitted to return for the subsequent year. However, he was then involved in a prank that unleashed hundreds of voorpak clones during a school talent show.
Voorpee, a male voorpak, hailed from the planet of Naboo. This species, characterized by its small size and fuzzy coat, was native to Naboo. In approximately 195 BBY, the Naboo Zoo arranged a temporary loan of Voorpee to the Coruscant Jedi Academy, located on Coruscant, the capital planet of the Galactic Republic. Voorpee's arrival coincided with the beginning of the school year, and he became part of the academy's class-pet program. This program was the brainchild of Gaiana, a Human student who had previously visited Naboo and developed a fondness for the creatures. The Jedi academy was situated within the Jedi Temple, the central hub of the Jedi Order. Here, numerous Padawan learners underwent training under the guidance of Jedi Master Yoda and other Jedi instructors.
The students at the academy were delighted by Voorpee, and they relished the opportunity to care for him. The Padawan Observer, the school newspaper, featured an article highlighting the class-pet program's benefits. The article explained how students could learn about voorpak behavior, mannerisms, diets, and natural habitats through the program. Students were permitted to care for Voorpee at the school's care center, where keeping his fur clean was a routine task. Roan Novachez, a second-year student with a crush on Gaiana, frequently assisted her in caring for the voorpak. Despite his fear of the insects that formed its diet, Novachez grew fond of the creature.
Cronah and Cyrus, two Zabrak bullies who shared a class with Gaiana and Novachez, viewed Voorpee as a source of amusement. Known for bullying other students, they extended their behavior to the defenseless animal. During the first semester, following a field trip to Hoth, Cronah and Cyrus poked Voorpee with a pencil, causing him to hiss and puff out his fur. They also threatened to lock him in someone's locker. In the second semester, Novachez, estranged from his friends, joined the two Zabraks as they took Voorpee for an unauthorized "walk," pulling him around on a leash. Gaiana and Pasha, a former friend of Novachez, scolded them, but their efforts were futile.
Shortly after, Voorpee disappeared, having been kidnapped by Cronah and Cyrus and hidden in Cyrus's locker. The incident was reported in The Padawan Observer, Vol. MXIII #8. Suspicion fell on Novachez due to his changed behavior and association with the bullies. To impress Cronah and Cyrus, he suggested that Gaiana might be responsible, given her affection for Voorpee. However, after realizing that they did not care about his feelings and that Voorpee had been missing for about a week, Novachez resolved to rescue the voorpak.
Utilizing a Force power, he detected a disturbance emanating from Cronah's locker. He discovered that the bullies had carried out their threat. Knowing Cronah's locker combination, Novachez rescued the hungry voorpak. However, Gaiana discovered him with the creature and accused him of being responsible. To avoid arguing, Novachez confessed to Master Yoda, taking the blame for the theft. Yoda instructed Novachez to write an apology letter to the Naboo Zoo, while Cronah and Cyrus were suspended for their involvement.
The following school year saw Voorpee return to the Coruscant Jedi Academy after Novachez's class visited the Naboo Zoo. Gaiana remained fond of the creature, but Cronah teased her about her "new pet," a veiled reference to Novachez, when he saw her carrying Voorpee. Novachez continued to spend time with the voorpak, sensing that the creature was becoming more attached to him, possibly due to the extra treats he provided.
Later that year, Cronah and Ronald Rinzler, a student with political aspirations, secretly used Voorpee in an experiment. They created numerous clones of Voorpee and used them for pranks. Novachez, while caring for Voorpee, noticed that each time he left the voorpak in its cage, a friend would inform him that it had escaped and been seen elsewhere. Mr. Garfield, Novachez's Jedi Master, dismissed his explanations and lectured him about better supervision.
Emboldened by their initial success, Cronah and Rinzler unleashed chaos at a school talent show. During the show, Novachez and Gaiana attempted a talent act with Voorpee. Despite their training efforts, the creature refused to respond to commands. To their embarrassment, Voorpee leaped onto Gaiana and urinated on her head.
As Novachez apologized, he spotted a second voorpak disrupting Cyrus's hula-hoop act. The auditorium was soon overrun with hundreds of Voorpee clones, and Cyrus suffered a broken arm during the ensuing chaos. During her spring break, Gaiana took the clones to the Naboo Zoo, but the zoo could not accommodate them all. She donated all but one to a Voorpak Rescue Organization, keeping the last as a personal pet. Cronah and Rinzler were not discovered until the end of the school year.
Voorpee, though he didn't respond to the name itself, reacted to affectionate sounds. His fur was a mix of soft orange and white. While generally passive, he could puff up his fur and hiss when angered. The abuse he suffered at the hands of Cronah and Cyrus, who confined him in a locker for nearly a week, left him somewhat weary. He possessed some intelligence and could learn tricks. Voorpee also showed affection for those who cared for him and provided treats. His preferred food consisted of live insects.
Voorpee appeared in Jedi Academy: Return of the Padawan (2014) and Jedi Academy: The Phantom Bully (2015), the second and third books in the Star Wars: Jedi Academy series for young readers by Jeffrey Brown. These books offer a humorous, non-canon perspective on student life at a Jedi academy, drawing inspiration from Star Wars Legends elements.
Brown's personal experiences with school class pets that consumed insects, along with his own insect phobia (similar to Roan Novachez's), served as inspiration for the Voorpee character. Despite the bullying Voorpee endured in Return of the Padawan, Brown confirmed that school pets would continue to be featured in the series. Voorpee himself returned in the follow-up story, The Phantom Bully.