TK-571

TK-571, originally known by the nickname "Clutch", was a clone trooper commander who served in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. One of millions of clones based on the genetic template of the bounty hunter Jango Fett, Clutch was grown and trained on the planet Kamino prior to fighting against the Confederacy of Independent Systems. In 21 BBY, he served on Thustra under the command of Jedi Masters Tyffix and Tyr, as well as their Padawans&mdash;Cal and Pix respectively.

Despite the loss of Thustra, Clutch survived the debacle and ultimately went on to see the end of the Clone Wars. With the fall of the Jedi Order and the rise of the Galactic Empire, Clutch served the New Order as an Imperial stormtrooper under the designation TK-571. Despite his accelerated aging process, TK-571 was still serving in the Stormtrooper Corps by 1 ABY. In the same year, he participated in the Empire Day festivities in commemoration of the Galactic Empire's twentieth year anniversary since the Declaration of a New Order.

Origin
"Clutch" was the nickname of a clone of Jango Fett, a former Mandalorian-turned-bounty hunter who served as the genetic template of a Clone Army that was being grown to fight for the Galactic Republic. Like millions of other clones that were based on the same template, Clutch was grown and trained on the planet Kamino until the Clone Wars erupted between the Republic and the Separatists ten years after the Clone Army's creation

The Battle of Thustra
In the year 21 BBY, nine months after the start of the Clone Wars, Commander Clutch was stationed on Thustra, a planet located in the Expansion Region of the Galaxy. Though negotiations were taking place to ensure the planet did not secede from the Republic, Clutch and the rest of the clone troopers on Thustra stood by in case it became necessary to prevent secession through military force. While on Thustra, Clutch served under the leadership of two Jedi Generals, Masters Tyffix and Tyr. But when both generals were killed by an explosion in the Republic command center, the chain-of-command fell to their respective Padawans&mdash;Commanders Cal and Pix.

As Thustra came dangerously close to seceding from the Republic, Grand Master Yoda of the Jedi Order arrived on the planet to personally take over the Republic negotiation efforts with King Alaric, the ruling monarch of Thustra and leader of the Sephi people. Commander Clutch remained at the side of Commander Pix while Yoda and Cal traveled to the capital city to meet with the king. But the negotiations ultimately failed and resulted in a battle between the Republic and the Sephi when Pix was deceived into believing that Yoda and Cal were assassinated by the king. In retaliation against the Sephi for their apparent treachery, Pix ordered the Republic forces to attack the capital and bring Thustra back into the Republic fold through force of arms; Commander Clutch faithfully obeyed Pix's orders without question and fought at her side.

Despite an efficient and coordinated attack on the capital city, however, the battle ultimately turned into a debacle. Yoda was forced to kill King Alaric, which effectively turned the monarch into a martyr. The death of the king was powerful enough to motivate the Sephi people to successfully drive the Republic forces off of the planet, thus allowing Thustra to secede from the Galactic Republic. Although Cal died before the retreat, Clutch, Pix and Yoda escaped and returned to Coruscant where they exposed a traitor whose actions caused the Republic to lose Thustra. Senator Navi of Thustra was found guilty by the Galactic Senate for manipulating Pix and Clutch into attacking the Sephi, thereby driving the entire planet of Thustra into the fold of the Separatists.

The Galactic Empire
Clutch apparently survived to see the end of the Clone Wars. As a result, he also lived to see the fall of the Jedi Order and the Republic's transformation into the Galactic Empire. As TK-571, the clone went on to serve in the Stormtrooper Corps as one of the Empire's first stormtroopers. He continued to serve the Empire as a stormtrooper for a further twenty years. In the year 1 ABY, TK-571 was present during an Empire Day celebration that was held to honor the birth of the New Order.

Behind the scenes
Despite his rank of commander, Clutch's armor bore the red markings of a captain. In the MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies, there was an Imperial Stormtrooper identified as TK-571 taking part in the Empire Day festivities of 1 ABY. This stormtrooper may in fact be Clutch, but it is not certain.

Appearances

 * Jedi: Yoda

Notes and references
TK-571 TK-571