Commander Ponds

Ponds, designated CC-6454, is a clone battalion commander in the Grand Army of the Republic, known for his discipline, tactical focus, and loyalty. Serving under High Jedi General Mace Windu, Ponds earns distinction early in the Clone Wars, fighting at the First Battle of Geonosis and quickly becoming Windu’s trusted second-in-command. He is appointed commander of Lightning Squadron, a unit within the 91st Mobile Reconnaissance Corps, where he leads clone troopers in fast-moving, high-risk operations across the galaxy.

In 22 BBY, when Wat Tambor of the Techno Union occupies Ryloth, Ponds joins Windu in the Republic’s campaign to liberate the Twi’lek homeworld. Working alongside local resistance leader Cham Syndulla, Ponds helps coordinate a joint Republic–Twi’lek assault to retake the planet. He proves instrumental during the cliffside ambush, where he confidently orders Lightning Squadron to the front lines, showing no hesitation in executing battlefield maneuvers under fire.

Though he is a disciplined soldier who follows orders without question, Ponds demonstrates independence and assertiveness when commanding his troops. He is more than a battlefield tactician—he is a leader with a strong moral compass. When he encounters a village occupied only by Twi’lek women and children, he expresses genuine compassion, ordering his men to distribute rations to the civilians. His humanity becomes especially clear when the Confederacy bombs the village, provoking a rare emotional reaction of anger and shock.

Ponds also shares close bonds with other prominent officers in the Grand Army. He maintains strong friendships with Captain Rex and Commander Cody, often working alongside them on joint missions. During the Juma 9 station operation, he offers comfort to Cody when the latter expresses concern for Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Plo Koon.

Ponds' armor featured dark-red markings upon his helmet, arms, shoulder plates, towards the back of his torso, and from his knee pads down to the mid-calf. Ponds also wore a kama that bore two DC-17 hand blasters, which he used on Malastare. On the back of Ponds' helmet, "Some guys have all the luck" was written in Aurebesh. He also made use of a DC-15A blaster rifle on Ryloth and a DC-15S blaster carbine on Behpour.

The 91st Mobile Reconnaissance Corps, also known as the 91st Reconnaissance Corps was a corps of recon troopers in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars.

Lighting Squadron was a military cavalry squadron in the Grand Army of the Republic, composed of Advanced Recon Force clone troopers. During the Clone Wars, Lightning Squadron served under the leadership of Clone Commander Ponds, who reported directly to Jedi General Mace Windu. In 22 BBY the squadron deployed to Ryloth as part of a military campaign to liberate the Twi'lek homeworld from Separatist occupation.

Advanced Recon Force troopers, or simply ARF troopers, were specialized clone troopers that carried out short-range reconnaissance for Jedi Generals and clone commanders. They often used AT-RTs.

the AT-RT was 3.2 meters tall and 2.9 meters long, with a saddle-like seat for a single clone trooper driver. Its open cockpit design made the driver especially vulnerable to sniper fire, a notable flaw, but low costs and good visibility of the battlefield made up for this shortcoming. It is capable of tremendous speeds and could also leap quite a distance thanks to its light construction. The recon walker was equipped with a nose-mounted repeating blaster cannon and mortar launcher, both of which made the walker a formidable anti-infantry unit, although a group of five walkers could easily overpower a single AAT. The AT-RT was fitted with a motion detection scanner and sensor equipment capable of providing Forward Command Centers with updated situation reports from the battlefield.

The Battle of Ryloth, also known as the Ryloth campaign, was a major conflict that took place on the planet Ryloth early during the Clone Wars. The battle pitted the Galactic Republic and the Twi'lek Resistance against the Confederacy of Independent Systems, which conquered the planet and enforced an occupation of Ryloth as an operation undertaken by the Techno Union, a component of the CIS. The battle commenced with an invasion that overwhelmed the local Republic garrison, and, despite humanitarian efforts via the nearby planet Toydaria to reestablish supply lines past the Separatist blockade, the invasion was followed by a Separatist occupation and subjugation of Rylothians.

Following several months of inaction by the Republic's Galactic Senate, a strike force of multiple components was conjured to retake Ryloth and free its people. In the meantime, Foreman and Emir of the Techno Union took the opportunity to plunder Ryloth's treasures and resources. A task force of three Venator-class Star Destroyers – the flagship Resolute, Defender, and Redeemer – from the Open Circle Fleet under the command of Jedi General Anakin Skywalker and Admiral Wullf Yularen was dispatched to destroy the blockade and pave the way for the Republic invasion fleet of three Acclamator-class assault ships led by High Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi General Mace Windu.

Lessu City, commonly shortened to just Lessu, was the capital city of Ryloth.

The Twi'lek Resistance is a force of rebel Twi'leks who resisted the Separatist Alliance's occupation of the planet Ryloth during the Clone Wars. The Twi'leks, led by Cham Syndulla and with the aid of the Grand Army of the Republic, seek to liberate their planet from the Separatists.