Kell dragon/Legends

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"You talk brave for one who is about to journey down the throat of my favorite kell dragon."
―Jabba the Hutt to Kyle Katarn via translated=1|hologram[2]

Kell dragons, also known as kell drakes, were quadrupedal predators sometimes utilized in disposing of captives by crimelords and Dark Jedi.

Biology and appearance

Kell dragons were hardy creatures related to the much larger krayt dragons indigenous to Tatooine, and like their larger cousins, were most comfortable in deserts.[1] The squat, scaly reptilians walked on four three-clawed legs. Their roughly triangular heads held piercing yellow eyes, and jaws that were filled with sharp teeth that jutted out when their mouths were closed. Three rows of spikes ran down the beasts' backs to the ends of their tails.[2]

The skin of Kell Dragons was extremely tough and highly resistant to most conventional weapons. Lightsabers, however, were extremely effective against them and could kill a Kell Dragon rather quickly with a few hits.

Behavior

Kell dragons generally attempted to neutralize their targets by biting with their toothy jaws. They could jump forward in order to deliver bites to particularly elusive prey.[2]

History

"I'm normally an optimistic guy, but how do you fight a Kell dragon with your bare hands?"
―Kyle Katarn[4]

During the Galactic War, Dread Master Styrak had a pet kell dragon on the planet of Darvannis. It was killed during the ensuing battle, but then the Dread Master revived it and bolstered its strength against his attackers, but it was once again killed, along with his master.

A number of kell dragons lived on Ruusan. While rare, they were the planet's most dangerous predator, and were found most commonly near the fabled Valley of the Jedi. There, they posed a threat to both archaeologists and those attempting to make a pilgrimage to the Valley. No one knew if they were indigenous to the world or had been introduced by the Sith.[1]

Jabba the Hutt kept several as pets aboard the Star Jewel, and would feed prisoners to the kell dragons for entertainment. Kyle Katarn was intended to be the victim of Jabba's favorite dragon, but the mercenary was able to defeat the beast with his bare hands. Upon escaping the dragon's den and retrieving his weapons, he proceeded to exterminate Jabba's entire complement of the beasts in his search for Rebel agent Jan Ors.[2]

The Dark Jedi Jerec had one kell dragon in captivity at his private palace at the city of Barons Hed. Two of the creatures also lurked in the Valley of the Jedi ruins on Ruusan.[3]

Behind the scenes

"What's the proper way to punch a Kell dragon or two? First, punch them head on, right in the nose."
―Jeff Hoff gives players advice on how to deal with Kell dragons[4]
A Kell dragon in action

Kell dragons were created as enemies for the 1995 PC game Star Wars: Dark Forces. PC Gamer magazine stated that these dragons were intended to be krayt dragons, which would have marked the krayt's first appearance. But since krayt dragons were officially stated to be much larger, for canon and gameplay reasons the Dark Forces creatures were renamed "kell" and deemed related to krayts. Some kinds of krayts were quite similar to kell dragons.

Appearances

Sources

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Power of the Jedi Sourcebook
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Star Wars: Dark Forces
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Dark Forces Official Player's Guide
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