Clutch, designated TK-571, was a clone trooper commander in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. Like all clone troopers, Clutch was cloned from the genetic code of Jango Fett—a Human male bounty hunter who served as the template of the Kamino clone army. As such, he was trained to fight as a soldier of the Galactic Republic. By the first year of the conflict, Clutch was serving as a commander in the forces led by the Jedi generals Tyffix and Tyr, both of whom were killed by Sephi insurgents during the campaign on Thustra. Command of the clone army on the Sephi homeworld defaulted to the Jedi commanders Cal and Pix, whom Clutch assisted until the arrival of Grand Master Yoda of the Jedi Order.
Pix was left in command by Yoda, who journeyed to the capital city with Cal at his side, in order to negotiate with King Alaric. Although the general gave Pix instructions to not engage the Sephi during his absence, Clutch advised his Jedi commander to launch a preemptive strike before their enemies could attack the Republic army's position. Ultimately, Senator Navi deceived Clutch and Pix into believing that the king executed her fellow Jedi. Pix deployed her forces in a full-scale assault on the capital, with Clutch relaying her orders to the clone troopers. Following the battle, he returned to the galactic capital world of Coruscant with Pix and Yoda. Navi's deception was revealed before the entire Galactic Senate, resulting in his arrest by the clone commander and two Senate Guards.
Created on the ocean-covered world of Kamino, Clutch was a clone of the bounty hunter Jango Fett. Using Fett's DNA as a genetic template, Kaminoan scientists engineered millions of clone troopers for the purpose of creating a vast army for the Galactic Republic. The clones were officially commissioned as the Grand Army of the Republic by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine in 22 BBY. By that time, the Separatist Crisis had escalated into full-scale rebellion; various planetary and sectoral governments seceded from the Republic and formed the Confederacy of Independent Systems.
Commander Clutch serving under Jedi Padawan Pix during the Battle of Thustra
Approximately during the conflict, Commander Clutch and an army of clone troopers were dispatched to the planet Thustra with orders to suppress a growing secessionist movement amongst the native Sephi race. It was believed that the presence of a military garrison would be sufficient enough to dispel further notions of insurrection. The assumption was proven false when the Sephi launched several surprise attacks against Republic troops. By dawn, the Republic sustained many casualties, including the deaths of Jedi Generals Tyffix and Tyr. With both Jedi Masters dead, command fell to their padawans, Jedi Commanders Cal and Pix respectively.
Unwilling to accept the repercussions of Thustra's alliance with the Separatists, Grand Master Yoda of the Jedi Order journeyed to the rebellious world in hopes of renewing its allegiance to the Republic through diplomacy. Shortly after Yoda's arrival, he and Cal made their way to Thustra's capital city to negotiate with King Alaric; Pix was left in command of the clone troopers with explicit orders to avoid a fight with the Sephi. During Yoda's absence, Commander Clutch remained at Pix's side as her second-in-command.
Both Clutch and Pix were ultimately manipulated into disobeying Yoda's orders. Loyalist Senator Navi of Thustra sought to foil his homeworld's rebellion by forcing the Republic to take action. Hence, he secretly traveled to the Republic base and falsely claimed that Yoda and Cal had been executed by the order of King Alaric. The deception worked; Pix launched a full-scale assault on the Sephi capital. Clutch remained at the Jedi Commander's side during the Battle of Thustra and oversaw the fighting from an LAAT/i gunship on the frontlines.
Commander Clutch's clone troopers executing a forward assault on the Sephi rebels
As the Republic stormed the capital city in full force, Clutch directed the clone troopers to concentrate their efforts on capturing the King's palace. According to Senator Navi, the capture of the palace and its main occupant would destabilize the rebels' cause, thus ending the conflict on Thustra with a decisive victory for the Republic.
The attack ultimately backfired, as Yoda anticipated. Clutch and Pix had not expected that King Alaric's suicide, combined with the Republic's assault on the capital, would invigorate the Sephi to double their efforts at resistance. Furthermore, neighboring systems within the Sumitra sector became motivated by Alaric's martyrdom to send armies in support of the Sephi's cause. The combined resistance of various systems within a sector forced the Republic out of Thustra, hence resulting in its alliance with the Separatists.
On Coruscant, Senator Navi was reporting the events on Thustra to his peers in the Galactic Senate when Yoda and Mace Windu arrived to reveal Navi's deceitfulness. Clutch and Pix were both present as the Senator was arrested for treason by two Senate Guards.
As with the other clones of Jango Fett, Clutch was created to be an efficient soldier, programmed with absolute loyalty to the Galactic Republic. He displayed a keen attention to the details of a battle, as demonstrated when he took note of the specific causes behind the Sephi's successful tactics. He was particularly impressed by the enemy's willingness to resort to suicidal bombings. In Clutch's opinion, it was an effective strategy, so long as it could be maintained.
Although Clutch was a loyal adherent to the command structure of the Grand Army, he possessed enough independent thought to suggest circumventing a superior officer's order if absolutely necessary. While serving under Pix, Clutch advised the young Jedi Commander that a preemptive strike—in defiance of General Yoda's instructions—on the enemy was the only efficient way to end the conflict with minimum casualties on the Republic's side. Nevertheless, Clutch's ingrained sense of obedience prevented him from acting without the consent of his immediate Jedi superior officer.
As a clone trooper in the Grand Army of the Republic, Clutch was outfitted with the standard Phase I battle armor and armed with a DC-15A blaster rifle. Although Clutch held the rank of commander, his armor sported the red color patterns of a clone trooper captain. During his time on Thustra, the clone used electrobinoculars to spy on Sephi troop movements.
In the MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies, there was an Imperial Stormtrooper identified as TK-571 taking part in the Empire Day festivities of 2009 through 2011. This stormtrooper had not been explicitly identified as Clutch.
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia