Kelnacca

Kelnacca was a Force-sensitive Wookiee who served as a Jedi Master of the Jedi Order during the High Republic Era. In 230 BBY, Kelnacca was sent to the crash site of the Starlight Beacon space station on the planet Eiram to help with the relief effort. There, he was introduced to Padawan Yarzion Vell, whose master had died in the crash, and took him on as his own Padawan. A year later, Kelnacca and Vell fought the Nihil marauders on the astronomical object Vianax, after which they helped with repairs in a settlement. In 228 BBY, the plague known as the blight was found on Kelnacca's homeworld of Kashyyyk, and he joined a Jedi team sent to the planet. During the mission, Kelnacca joined a meditation team working to slow the spread of the blight. It was later discovered that a patch of the blight was extending toward a grove that secretly contained the last surviving scared white wroshyr trees.

Following the discovery, Kelnacca attended a meeting in which the Wookiees decided to reveal the existence of the trees to the Jedi. Along with fellow Wookiee Jedi Burryaga, Kelnacca lead the Jedi team to the grove, where they discovered a Sith artifact known as the thornseed. The next day, Kelnacca helped defend the village the team was staying in when it was attacked by the carnivorous plants known as the Drengir. Realizing the attack was a distraction created by Nihil scientist Zadina Mkampa, the team traveled back to the white wroshyr grove, where they battled Mkampa and the Drengir. With the Jedi unable to defeat them, Kelnacca and Burryaga communed with the white wroshyr trees, who convinced the Drengir to turn to the light side of the Force. As a result of the trees' power, the blight on Kashyyyk was healed.

Later that year, Kelnacca and Vell formed an alliance with a group of bounty hunters on the Nihil-occupied planet Naboo and infiltrated Naboo's Royal Palace. They encountered Nihil forces led by the Child of the Storm Sister H'Tar, who then retreated to join a battle at the planet Eriadu. Kelnacca and Vell later also arrived at the battle with reinforcements from several factions, turning the battle against the Nihil and forcing their surrender. In the final year of Vell's training, Kelnacca and his Padawan rescued the child Yesula and her father from a fire on the astronomical object Veek. After Vell rescued their droid Zeekay, Kelnacca knighted him and then had Vell's name tattooed on his head, following a tradition from Vell's homeworld. Vell eventually took on his own Padawan, Ordea, and after his death around 149 BBY, Kelnacca completed Ordea's training.

In 148 BBY, Kelnacca was stationed on the planet Brendok with Jedi Knight Sol, Jedi Master Indara, and her Padawan, Torbin. While investigating a vergence in the Force on the planet, the Jedi discovered a coven of witches led by Mother Aniseya. After becoming concerned that the witches were training the twins Verosha "Osha" and Mae-ho "Mae" Aniseya to use the Force, the Jedi requested to test the twins to become Padawans, which Aniseya reluctantly agreed to. After seeing the unusual results of the tests, which he believed were proof of the vergence, Torbin returned to the witches' fortress against Indara's orders. The other Jedi followed, with Sol arriving first, and a skirmish broke out when he misinterpreted Aniseya's actions. Kelnacca arrived at the fortress during the fighting, but he was possessed by the witches and forced to attack his fellow Jedi until Indara broke the coven's hold on his mind. After, the Jedi departed the world with Osha, while Mae was presumed dead.

In 132 BBY, by which time Kelnacca was living in isolation on the planet Khofar, Mae sought revenge against the four Jedi who had been stationed on Brendok and began targeting them. After she killed Indara and Torbin, a team of Jedi was sent to Khofar to extract Kelnacca. However, Mae's master, a Sith known as the Stranger, killed Kelnacca in his shelter before they could reach him. Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh later covered up the killings of Kelnacca and the other murdered Jedi by blaming their deaths on Sol, who had been killed by Osha on Brendok.

Text and facts from the “Kelnacca” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.