Emperor Palpatine wanted to unlock the secret of immortality. Thus was born Imperial bioweapons Project I71A also known as Project Blackwing.

Sith scientists from the Galactic Empire's Imperial Military Department of Advanced Weapons Research division created Project Blackwing using science and Sith alchemy.

The virus was accidentally created while working on an experiment to revive necrotic tissue; however, it killed its hosts instead, attacking their biological tissue and turning their lifeless bodies into cannibalistic, brutal zombies.

The Blackwing virus altered the body's stamina and strength, making its host move slower than they did prior to exposure but increasing their resilience to physical damage, allowing victims to take punishment that would be more critical or possibly even fatal to the being of origin without falling. They also seemed to experience a change in skin texture, with human hosts' skin being altered to a grayish-green color. The virus communicated with itself and allowed the zombies to act as a single entity and to learn things from the survivors, including how to utilize blasters, operate turrets, and pilot starships.