Pong Krell



Pong Krell was a stern Besalisk male Jedi Master who served as a Jedi General during the Clone Wars. An unyielding Jedi General, 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. Even though Krell 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. When only Jesse and Fives returned, Krell wanted them to face the Grand Army's court-martial for disobeying orders, although the Besalisk instead decided to organize a firing squad to execute the clones. After Krell ordered 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