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Pong Krell

This article is about the Jedi Pong Krell. You may be looking for the gunner named Krell.

Hopefully the repair droids can fix it.

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Pong Krell

Died	c. 21 BBY,^[1] Umbara^[2]
Physical description
Species	Besalisk^[3]
Gender	Male^[3]
Height	2.36 meters^[3]
Hair color	Gray^[4]
Eye color	Yellow^[4]
Chronological and political information
Era(s)	Rise of the Empire era^[4]
Affiliation	Jedi Order^[3] Galactic Republic^[3]

[Source]

"Stand at attention when I address you."

―Pong Krell, to CT-7567^[src]

Pong Krell was a stern Besalisk male Jedi Master who served as a Jedi General during the Clone Wars. An unyielding Jedi, Krell took a no nonsense approach when it came to commanding a group of clone troopers. Having won many key Republic victories during the war, the Besalisk Jedi Master was recognized as a successful general among Jedi and clones alike. Around the second year of the Clone Wars, Krell was present on the Confederate-aligned world Umbara, where he took over the command of the 501st Legion as an interim. Under his command, the troops of the 501st were ordered to take the planet's capital city in a full frontal assault on a highway that led into the city. Often at odds with Clone Captain Rex, Krell did not come to terms with the 501st Captain. When the clone troopers had to capture an Umbaran airbase before they could proceed into the city, Rex, with many of the troopers under his command, felt uncertain about the order, due to the route Krell wanted the clones to take to reach the airbase.

After the capture of the airbase, Krell's battle group learned of a Confederate supply ship in orbit over Umbara. Krell, however, wanted all his troops to take the city. Three clone troopers under his command—Jesse, Hardcase, and Fives—disobeyed the order and boarded separate starfighters to dock with the supply ship. Jesse and Fives survived, and Krell wanted them to face the Grand Army's court-martial for disobeying orders. However, the Besalisk instead decided to organize a firing squad to execute the clones. When Krell wanted Rex and the rest of his men to hunt Umbarans disguised in clone armor, the Jedi Master's betrayal was revealed when Rex's men learned that they were killing Kenobi's clone unit, who equally received the same order from Krell to kill clone-disguised Umbaran troops. Rex, with Kenobi's men, attempted to arrest Krell for his treasonous act, although the Besalisk avoided capture by engaging the clone troopers in combat. After a battle in the jungles of Umbara, trooper Tup knocked Krell unconscious, and the Jedi was taken to the airbase's prison. There, Krell revealed that he had foreseen that the Jedi would lose the war, and wanted to become Count Dooku's apprentice. Trooper Dogma, who was present at the time, took a blaster and shot Krell in the back, killing him. The battle was later won by the Republic.

1 Biography
- 1.1 Clone Wars
- 1.2 Umbara campaign
2 Personality and traits
3 Powers and abilities
4 Appearances
5 Sources
6 Notes and references
- 6.1 In other languages

BiographyEdit

Clone WarsEdit

"Master Krell, my thanks for the air support."
"Indeed, General Skywalker. The locals have proven to be more resourceful than we anticipated."

―Anakin Skywalker and Krell, on Umbara^[src]

Pong Krell, a male Besalisk, was a Jedi Master during the waning years of the Galactic Republic. When the^[3] galaxy-wide^[5] conflict, the Clone Wars, began, Krell became a Jedi General. Having won many key victories for the Republic during the war, Krell established himself as a recognized and successful general.^[3] Believing that his command was effective,^[4] Krell took a no nonsense approach when it came to commanding soldiers,^[3] and even did things by-the-book, which included protocol.^[4] However, Krell was also known for his high clone trooper causality rates.^[3] The General himself even developed negative feelings toward the troops under his command.^[2] Sometime around the second year of the war,^[1] Krell envisioned that the Jedi would loose the war and the Republic would be internally destroyed. In the Republic's place, a New Order would rise, and under the Order, the Besalisk wanted to become Count Dooku's apprentice and rule the new government alongside the Sith Lord. To himself, Krell disregarded his status as a Jedi, as well as serving the side of the Republic.^[2]

Umbara campaignEdit

"All platoons will execute a forward assault on the main route to the city."
"But, sir, General Skywalker's plan was to suprise them with multiple attacks. If we come in from the main route, they'll likely to engage us in a frontal assault."
"Change of plans, Captain. I'm in command now."

―Krell and Rex^[src]

Around that same year,^[1] the Expansion Region world Umbara renounced its ties with the Republic and joined the Confederacy of Independent Systems. When the Republic learned of Umbara's succession, a Republic battle group was dispatched to secure the planet and its capital city. Krell himself joined the Republic campaign to retake the Shadow World. Unbeknownst to the Republic force, however, Krell was planning to drive the Republic out of Umbara. Krell himself believed that once Dooku was informed of the failed Republic invasion, he would reward the Besalisk and allow him to become his apprentice. Over the planet, the Confederacy established a blockade to prevent any impending invasion. Helping the Republic invasion force, a squadron of Clone Z-95 starfighters and BTL-B Y-wing starfighters, led by Jedi Padawans Barriss Offee and Ahsoka Tano, took out a Munificent-class frigate, which allowed Republic Acclamator-class assault ships to bypass the blockade. Initially on the surface of Umbara, Krell joined Jedi Master Saesee Tiin, and the two helped Kenobi's group take out stationed Umbaran troops to the south of the capital city.

To the north, Jedi General Anakin Skywalker was leading the 501st Legion in an attack against the local Umbarans. After the Jedi Council received a request from Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who wanted Skywalker to return to the planet Coruscant, the Council informed Krell to relay the information to Skywalker. After boarding a space gunship, Krell left Tiin and Kenobi's group and was transported to Skywalker's location to the north. Once the gunship landed, Krell gave Skywalker the information. Though the Jedi Knight did not want to leave his men alone on the world, Krell informed Skywalker that he would takeover the command of the 501st as an interim. Skywalker acknowledged the Besalisk, and before leaving, the Jedi Knight introduced 501st Legion Clone Captain CT-7567, nicknamed "Rex," to Krell, speaking highly of the Captain. Skywalker boarded Krell's landed gunship and the transport departed Umbara. Rex, who was near Krell, told the Besalisk Jedi Master that it was an honor to be serving him, although Krell dismissed his comment as mere flattery.

In order to establish his command, Krell began to detail his effective leadership to Rex and the rest of the 501st Legion before ordering them to organize every platoon. En route to Umbara's capital city, Krell led the platoons of clone troopers across the dense jungles of the planet. Noticing Rex and the troops behind him lowered their walking pace, Krell ordered them to pick up their pace. Not long after, a pair of indigenous Banshees approached Krell's group from the sky. The clones defensively raised their blaster weapons and began to fire when the animals began to attack them. When a banshee grabbed a clone mounted on his AT-RT, Krell helped the clone trooper by forcing the animal to release him, before killing it and the other banshee with his lightsabers. With the pair of banshees killed, Krell wanted his troops to keep moving toward the city. When the Jedi Master's group walked nearly for twelve hours, Rex informed Krell that he wanted his men to make camp, although Krell disagreed, as he wanted all the platoons to take the city in a timely manner. Without resting, the battle group made their way toward the outskirts of the city.

After organizing his men, Rex told Krell that the forward platoons were ready to initiate a surgical strike on the city's defenses. Although Krell did not accept the plan and wanted all available platoons to execute an attack along a highway that led into he city. To Rex's dismay, the Captain wanted to follow Skywalker's plan of surprising the Umbaran troops in the city with multiple attacks, and using the highway would force the clones to engage the Umbarans in a full frontal assault. Krell, however, wanted all the 501st troops to use the highway to attack the city, and the troops would not retreat if they met resistance from the Umbarans. When the clones proceeded to walk on the road, Krell positioned himself on a hill alongside a group of clone troopers. The Besalisk watched Rex and the troops' progress on the highway. When hidden Umbaran Soldiers ambushed the group, Rex ordered his troops to fall back, which was noticed by Krell. In order to save Rex's group, Krell ordered a group of clone troopers to engage the Umbarans. Though the clones celebrated when the Umbarans retreated, Krell confronted the group and blamed Rex for alerting their enemy along the highway, which rendered their full frontal attack useless.

Trooper CT-27-5555, nicknamed "Fives," defended Rex by stating that he saved their lives by ordering the men to retreat. Not agreeing with Fives' behavior, Krell pointed his activated lightsaber at his neck and ordered him to stand down. Not long after Fives complied, Rex began to give his own opinion of Krell's plan, calling it severely flawed. Not only would he follow Krell's orders, he wanted to keep his men safe from harm. Acknowledging Rex's words, Krell informed the Captain that while his command was not like Skywalker's, he had to comply with his command. With the conversation over, Krell dismissed Rex and the rest of the 501st troops. As soon as Krell departed from the area, the Umbarans, who hid in nearby jungles, ambushed the clones.

Attacking an airbaseEdit

"The capital city's too fortified. We need your battalion to help us take it."
"Resistance from the Umbarans has been greater than anticipated. We're holding our ground at the moment."
"We gathered intel of an airbase to the west. It is resupplying the capital's defenses. If you can capture that airbase, it would sever the capital's supply lines, allowing the rest of our forces to move in."

―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Krell^[src]

Orders brokenEdit

"Explain this, now!"
"Sir…we were decrypting the enemy craft when what appears to be an enemy booby trap went off."
"A booby trap?"
"Yes…sir. The fighter went haywire, and had I not been able to take control of it and aim the missile at the doors, something…worse might have happened."

―Krell and Hardcase^[src]

Revealed turncoatEdit

"Sir, the men are with you. It's just that some of them feel that you're putting their lives in danger, needlessly."
"All the more reason to send a clear message that I am in charge and insubordination will not be tolerated. The truth is—these clones had a difficult time respecting my command since the beginning. I've seen it before. Some clones are just…defective."

―Rex and Krell^[src]

Personality and traitsEdit

"Your flattery is dully noted, but it will not be rewarded. There's a reason my command is so effective, and it's because I do things by-the-book, and that includes protocol."

―Krell, to the 501st Legion troops on Umbara^[src]