K'Kruhk

"I've been almost killed several times. I'm not dead. I hold no ill will to any who did try to kill me."

- K'Kruhk to Jeisel on Saleucami

K'Kruhk was a Whiphid Jedi who lived around the end of the Galactic Republic. The apprentice of Lillit Twoseas, K'Kruhk survived his master's death during the Yinchorri Uprising and went on to serve with distinction in the Clone Wars. Despite countless brushes with death, K'Kruhk survived the Jedi Purge and lived to see the demise of the Empire and the return of the Jedi. Some period after the Yuuzhan Vong War, K'Kruhk rejoined the order and was still active even past the rise of Darth Krayt.

Early Life
"You know me, Master Windu. You were there when my first master ... Lilit Twoseas...was killed"

- K'Kruhk

Born over five decades before the Battle of Yavin, K'Kruhk enjoyed a conventional upbringing as a Jedi, raised from an early age in the order after being identified as an infant. He was raised in the Jedi Temple of Coruscant, his actual homeworld of Toola a distant memory.

Before the age of thirteen, K'Kruhk was selected by Lilit Twoseas as a padawan. Based on Twoseas' apparent youth, K'Kruhk was likely her first (and, as it turned out, only) padawan.

As her Padawan, he fought alongside Micah Giiett, Plo Koon and Qui-Gon Jinn during the Yinchorri Uprising. A trick that Giiett performed to K'Kruhk and Obi-Wan Kenobi would teach the padawans an important lesson - do not always rely on the Force, there are far more mundane ways to confound and mislead your enemies. K'Kruhk remembered this and used the concept to help the Jedi evade a pursuing Yinchorri starfighter.

It was in this mission that his Master was killed, battling for her life on Yinchorr. Maddened by the loss, K'Kruhk went into a battle frenzy, not halting his slaughter of Yinchorri until he was able to recover his master's body.

Although he would complete his training under another Jedi, the loss of his first mentor would haunt him for the remainder of his life.

Clone Wars
In the following decade, K'Kruhk matured into a dedicated and capable Jedi Knight. When the call for Jedi to serve as commanders came after the Battle of Geonosis, K'Kruhk obeyed without question.

In the early months of the Clone Wars, General K'Kruhk led Republic clone troopers on the planet Teyr. Many clones died under his command, and he was so distraught he dropped out of the war entirely, leading many to believe he was dead. It was soon discovered he had gathered with other Jedi unsure of the war on Ruul, led by Master Sora Bulq. When their refusal to serve in the war became known, Mace Windu came to negotiate with them. Unlike other dissidents, such as Jeisel and Rhad Tarn, K'Kruhk never doubted that Windu's appeals were made in good faith, but he sorely misjudged the motives of Bulq.

After the arrival of Asajj Ventress and the deaths of Tarn and Mira, it was apparent Bulq had gone to the dark side and allied with Count Dooku. Chastened, K'Kruhk rejoined the war effort, declaring simply that "Evil must be opposed".

Soon after, K'Krukh was chosen to be part of a strike team on Hypori, led by Jedi Masters Ki-Adi-Mundi and Shaak Ti. The mission was a disaster from the start and turned into a Separatist trap. Orbital mines destroyed most of their fleet and the surviving troops and Jedi, including K'Kruhk, were marooned on the surface of Hypori, forced to make a desperate last stand against the droid armies. It was here that K'Kruhk became one of the first Jedi to face General Grievous and live to tell the tale. Mortally wounded and thought dead, he was left behind by the rescue for that recoved Ki-Adi-Mundi, Ti and Aayla Secura. In reality, K'Kruhk had entered a state of hibernation, allowing himself to heal his wounds while feigning death.

After the departure of the victorious Grievous, K'Kruhk awoke, and was able to escape Hypori to once more assume the role of General in the Grand Army of the Republic. However, Grievous did steal K'Kruhk's green lightsaber on Hypori and later used it against Obi-Wan Kenobi on Utapau.

K'Kruhk fought in many battles during the Clone Wars, and was assigned to protect Senator Viento on Coruscant. Unfortunately, K'Kruhk was forced to battle rogue Jedi Quinlan Vos, and suffered injuries after falling from an airspeeder.

After bacta treatment, K'Kruhk returned to the front line during the Siege of Saleucami.

Survival
During the ensuing Great Jedi Purge, K'Kruhk was one of the few survivors. He took a fellow survivor under his wing and followed clues to the mysterious "Hidden Temple", a rumored place of refuge for harried Jedi in those dark times. He survived the Purge and joined the New Jedi Order at some point, even having a hand in Cade Skywalker's early training. Using the Force, he was able to heal the mental injuries to Skywalker's spirit. On Ossus, near the ruins of the Jedi Praxeum, K'Kruhk and Wolf Sazen would oversee the completion of Cade's training to be able to stand against the Sith.

Personality and traits
Unlike many of his kind, K'Kruhk was a gentle and thoughtful individual. Eschewing the Whipid reputation for ferocity, he fully embraced the pacifistic creed of the Jedi. This, coupled with his deep respect for life, led to anxiety and soul searching during the Clone Wars, feelings that culminated with K'Kruhk's abandonment of his military duties to join Sora Bulq's dissidents.

It was his dedication to justice and his desire to right wrongs that would lead to K'Kruhk rejoining the order. These experiences would forge in K'Kruhk a deep and abiding antipathy for those Jedi who abandoned the narrow path - such as Bulq, Quinlan Vos, and, presumably, Anakin Skywalker.

Character Origin
K'Kruhk was created by author Randy Stradley and debuted in the comic series Jedi Council: Acts of War, but it was not until a popular appearance in Jedi: Mace Windu that the Whipid became a recurring character.

Portrayal
In Star Wars: Clone Wars, K'Kruhk was voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.

Lightsaber Design
Strangely enough, the design for K'Kruhk's lightsaber was actually developed by a fan, who, failing to find a clear official depiction of the saber in a comic, invented an original design to display on his own website. By chance, artist Jan Duursema used the website as a source when illustrating Jedi: Mace Windu, thinking the design was based off a canon source, and, in the process, inadvertently canonizing the depiction herself.

Cult Following
K'Kruhk has developed a cult following among fans, especially on such online forums as TheForce.Net's Jedi Council Forums. This is, at least in part, due to having survived several near-death experiences.

This incredible ability to evade certain death was apparently winked at in The Siege of Saleucami arc, where K'Kruhk comments that he's learned to carry basic medical supplies with him.

K'Kruhk's hat
One aspect of K'Kruhk's following is a running joke about a straw hat he wears in several of his comic appearances.

In one forum thread, his hat is credited with amazing powers, including being responsible for K'Kruhk surviving his multiple brushes with death, and is repeatedly described as "freakin' sweet" &mdash; a description, like the joke itself, which originates from a forum user's signature.

Appearances

 * Jedi Council: Acts of War
 * Star Wars Republic: The Devaronian Version
 * Star Wars Tales 4 intro
 * Jedi: Mace Windu
 * Star Wars: Clone Wars
 * "Chapter 20"
 * "Chapter 21"
 * Star Wars Republic 63: Striking from the Shadows
 * Star Wars Republic 65: Show of Force, Part 1
 * Star Wars Republic 72: Trackdown, Part 1
 * Star Wars Republic: The Siege of Saleucami
 * Labyrinth of Evil
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith novel
 * Star Wars Dark Times 6: Parallels, Part 1
 * Star Wars Legacy 11: The Ghosts of Ossus, Part 1

Notes and references
K'Kruhk