Vinean

Vinea
Cataclysm in the Vinean system
Universe	Yoko Tsuno
Planet type	Terrestrial
Created by	Roger Leloup

Vinea is a fictional planet that appears in the Yoko Tsuno graphic novel series by Roger Leloup. Its native intelligent species, the humanoid Vineans, came to Earth in the distant past due to catastrophic changes to their home planet. At the time of the graphic novels, they are in the process of returning to their planet.

The main characters of Yoko Tsuno form a close bond with some of the Vineans in the very first volume - this is especially true of Yoko and Khany - and many stories either involve the Vineans or take place on Vinea itself.

Vineans are of pale blue skin, but otherwise very closely resemble humans. No reasons are given in-universe for this extreme similarity of two species that evolved millions of years (and two galaxies) apart, and neither is this matter ever raised in the novels. However, it is understood throughout the series that Vineans cannot sunburn because their pale blue skin is more resilient than that of humans.

It is also indicated that some medicine will not have the same effect on Vineans as humans.

Vinea is part of a binary star system about 2,500,000 light years from Earth somewhere in the galaxy M33. Millions of years ago, the orbit of one of the pair began to degrade. The Vineans decided to send out a series of spaceships containing millions of their people in hibernation, so the planet could at least be partially evacuated. After a long journey one of these ships discovered Earth, but because a primitive intelligent species was emerging on the planet it was decided to move underground in order to not disturb the natural evolution of humanity.

Large tunnels and underground cities were built belowground, while on the surface the human species slowly developed. During this time the Vineans came into contact with Yoko Tsuno, Vic Video, and Pol Pitron, three humans whose appearance eventually led to the Vineans' overthrow of the corrupt central computer that had regulated all aspects of their underground civilization since arrival. At some point in the 20th century the Vineans embarked on a project to create an artificial continent in the Atlantic by diverting undersea lava flows, with the aim of creating a surface nation for the Vineans to inhabit. This plan was eventually given up in favor of creating a faster-than-light technology capable of reaching Vinea in less than 3 months. The technology was discovered when a Vinean probe for the purpose of creating a wormhole finally arrived in the Solar system, indicating that at least until the craft was sent, some 100,000 years after the Earth-bound Vineans left Vinea, there was still an advanced society in the Vinean solar system.