Pong Krell/Legends

"We need to throw everything we have at them."

- Krell

Pong Krell was a male Besalisk Jedi Master who served as a Jedi General in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. A powerful Jedi and an exceptional military leader, he was relentless in his tactics on the battlefield, and sought success at all costs. As a combatant, he was an especially ferocious lightsaber duelist; the advantage of four arms allowed him to wield two double-bladed lightsabers at the same time. As a general, Krell found insubordination intolerable and preferred strict adherence to command from all of his soldiers.

Clone Wars
"Time and rest are luxuries the Republic can't afford."

- Pong Krell

A Besalisk male, Pong Krell ascended to the rank of Master in the Jedi Order by the time of the Clone Wars. As the Jedi were called into service by the Galactic Republic, Krell joined the war effort as a Jedi General in the newly-commissioned Grand Army of the Republic, composed mainly of clone troopers grown and trained on Kamino. Although his record for clone casualties was the highest of any Jedi officer, Krell established a reputation as a highly successful military strategist with many key victories credited to his name.

Battle of Umbara
"We are the key to this invasion. The other battalions are counting on our support. If we fail, everyone fails."

- Pong Krell



By 21 BBY, General Pong Krell was dispatched by the Jedi High Council to Umbara, a former member-world of the Republic that joined the galactic-wide rebellion of the so-called Separatist Alliance. By the time he arrived on the planet, Republic forces had already begun their invasion of Umbara with Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker's 501st Legion leading the way to the planetary capital. After sustaining some casualties during the initial engagement with the Umbaran natives, Krell arrived on the battlefield via a LAAT/i gunship and reported the Council's orders; Skywalker was to immediately disengage from the battle and return to Coruscant. Though Skywalker shocked by this unexpected order, Krell also stated that it was at the request of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine as well. With Skywalker away, Krell was assigned as the 501st Legion's mission commander.

Once he assumed command of the 501st Legion, General Krell immediately dismissed Skywalker's original plan for the capture of the Umbaran capital. Due to the strategic importance of the capital, as well as the fact that victory or defeat depended on the 501st, Krell decided that Skywalker's guerrilla warfare tactics were too slow and ultimately a waste of time. Hence, he concluded that unhindered military force would win the battle, and thus he ordered the 501st on a direct path to the capital city.

During the long march, Krell was exasperated by the clone troopers, particularly Clone Captain CC-7567 who repeatedly questioned the orders of a superior officer&mdash;a gross act of insubordination that was highly unusual for a clone. When CC-7567 and his troopers were ambushed and nearly overwhelmed by a group of Umbaran soldiers, Krell was frustrated by the clones' inability to achieve success without Jedi support. Nevertheless, he saved their lives by dispatching extra troopers and AT-RT drivers to assist the beleaguered clones.



Krell made no effort to conceal his disappointment in CC-7567 for retreating from the enemy. In an act of insubordination, Advanced Recon Commando 5555 criticized his superior officer's leadership style, but ultimately stood down when Krell ordered him to do so at the point of a lightsaber. CC-7567 intervened and stressed how he understood the importance of the mission, but not without emphasizing his personal need to save the lives of the clones under his command. Krell found CC-7567 to be unusual, mainly because most clones never expressed their opinions to the point of questioning orders. He admitted the unorthodox style in his leadership, but nevertheless defended the efficiency of his strategies. After dubiously complimenting CC-7567, Krell left the shocked clones to contemplate his words. Before they could do so, however, the 501st troopers were forced back into combat by another group of Umbaran ambushers.

Personality and traits
"There's a reason my command is so effective, and it's because I do things by the book, and that includes protocol."

- Pong Krell



In war, Pong Krell was a relentless Jedi Master who settled for nothing less than absolute victory on the battlefield. Committed to both the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic, Krell became a successful general through his unorthodox&mdash;but efficient&mdash;strategies. He was supremely confident in his command style, and thus he expected complete obedience to the chain-of-command from his subordinates.

During the Battle of Umbara, Pong Krell displayed a low opinion of clone troopers, but he was especially antagonized by Clone Captain 7567, due to the clone's highly unusual habit of questioning the orders of his superior officer. He was extremely irritated by the clones' inability to keep up with him in a march, as well as their failure to defeat Umbaran soldiers without the assistance of his reinforcements. Krell was also not afraid to use the threat of deadly force to put insubordinate troopers back in their place, as ARC 5555 discovered when his outspoken criticism of the general's leadership was silenced with an order at the point of a lightsaber blade.

In terms of military strategy, Krell was keenly aware of Umbara's significance to the Republic's war effort, including the fact that the chances of victory depended primarily on himself and the 501st Legion. Though viewed by some clones as a gruff and uncompromising tactician, the fiercely focused Krell was unshakably determined to achieve the best results in battle so that the outcome would be nothing short of a Republic victory.

Powers and abilities
A Master in the ranks of the Jedi Order, Pong Krell was a highly trained and experienced individual with a powerful connection to the Force. His Besalisk physiology allowed him to wield two double-bladed lightsabers at the same time.