TK-571, known as Clutch, held the position of clone trooper commander within the Grand Army of the Republic during the period of the Clone Wars. Like all clone troopers, Clutch's creation involved cloning using the genetic code from Jango Fett, a Human male bounty hunter. Fett provided the template for the clone army produced on Kamino. Consequently, his training prepared him to serve as a soldier for the Galactic Republic. In the first year of the war, Clutch functioned as a commander in the forces under the command of Jedi generals Tyffix and Tyr. Both generals met their death at the hands of Sephi insurgents during the campaign on Thustra. Following this, the command of the clone army on the Sephi homeworld passed to Jedi commanders Cal and Pix, whom Clutch aided until the arrival of Grand Master Yoda from the Jedi Order.
Yoda designated Pix as the commander and traveled with Cal to the capital city to negotiate with King Alaric. Although the general instructed Pix to avoid engaging the Sephi while he was away, Clutch advised his Jedi commander to initiate a preemptive strike to prevent the enemy from attacking the Republic army's position. Senator Navi ultimately misled Clutch and Pix, making them believe the king had executed her fellow Jedi. Pix then launched a full-scale assault on the capital, with Clutch communicating her directives to the clone troopers. After the battle, he accompanied Pix and Yoda back to the galactic capital world of Coruscant. Once Navi's deception was exposed before the Galactic Senate, the clone commander, along with two Senate Guards, arrested him.
Clutch was a clone of the bounty hunter Jango Fett, created on the ocean-covered world of Kamino. Using Fett's DNA as a genetic template, Kaminoan scientists produced millions of clone troopers to form a large army for the Galactic Republic. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine officially commissioned the clones as the Grand Army of the Republic in 22 BBY. By this time, the Separatist Crisis had turned into a full-blown rebellion, with various planetary and sectoral governments breaking away from the Republic to establish the Confederacy of Independent Systems.
During the war, Commander Clutch and a clone trooper army were sent to Thustra to put down a growing secessionist movement among the native Sephi species. The plan was that a military presence would be enough to stop any further thoughts of rebellion. This proved wrong when the Sephi launched multiple surprise attacks on Republic forces. By morning, the Republic had suffered many losses, including the deaths of Jedi Generals Tyffix and Tyr. With both Jedi Masters dead, command was passed to their padawans, Jedi Commanders Cal and Pix.
Grand Master Yoda of the Jedi Order, not wanting to accept the consequences of Thustra's alliance with the Separatists, traveled to the rebellious planet to try and restore its loyalty to the Republic through diplomacy. Shortly after arriving, Yoda and Cal went to Thustra's capital city to negotiate with King Alaric. Pix was left in charge of the clone troopers with strict orders to avoid any conflict with the Sephi. During Yoda's absence, Commander Clutch remained at Pix's side as her second-in-command.
Both Clutch and Pix were eventually tricked into disobeying Yoda's orders. Loyalist Senator Navi of Thustra wanted to stop his homeworld's rebellion by forcing the Republic to take action. He secretly went to the Republic base and falsely claimed that Yoda and Cal had been executed on King Alaric's orders. The trick worked, and Pix launched a full-scale attack on the Sephi capital. Clutch stayed by the Jedi Commander's side during the Battle of Thustra and watched the fighting from an LAAT/i gunship on the front lines.
As the Republic stormed the capital city, Clutch directed the clone troopers to focus on capturing the King's palace. Senator Navi said that capturing the palace and its main occupant would destabilize the rebels' cause, leading to a decisive victory for the Republic on Thustra.
The attack ultimately backfired, as Yoda had predicted. Clutch and Pix didn't expect that King Alaric's suicide, combined with the Republic's attack on the capital, would encourage the Sephi to increase their resistance efforts. Furthermore, neighboring systems within the Sumitra sector were motivated by Alaric's martyrdom to send armies to support the Sephi's cause. The combined resistance of various systems within a sector forced the Republic out of Thustra, leading to its alliance with the Separatists.
On Coruscant, Senator Navi was reporting the events on Thustra to his colleagues in the Galactic Senate when Yoda and Mace Windu arrived to reveal Navi's deceit. Clutch and Pix were present as the Senator was arrested for treason by two Senate Guards.
Like the other clones of Jango Fett, Clutch was designed to be an efficient soldier with unwavering loyalty to the Galactic Republic. He paid close attention to the details of a battle, noting the specific reasons behind the Sephi's successful tactics. He was particularly impressed by the enemy's willingness to use suicidal bombings, considering it an effective strategy as long as it could be sustained.
Although Clutch was a loyal follower of the Grand Army's command structure, he was capable of independent thought and would suggest bypassing a superior officer's order if 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 most efficient way to end the conflict with minimal Republic casualties. However, Clutch's deep-seated sense of obedience prevented him from acting without his immediate Jedi superior officer's consent.
As a clone trooper in the Grand Army of the Republic, Clutch was equipped with the standard Phase I battle armor and a DC-15A blaster rifle. Despite holding the rank of commander, his armor featured the red markings of a clone trooper captain. During his time on Thustra, he used electrobinoculars to spy on Sephi troop movements.
In the MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies, an Imperial Stormtrooper identified as TK-571 participated in the Empire Day festivities from 2009 to 2011. This stormtrooper has not been explicitly identified as Clutch.