The Hutt crime boss Jabba Desilijic Tiure kept a kell dragon as a pet, and he considered this creature his most cherished kell dragon. This favorite was among several kell dragons housed on his Minstrel-class space yacht, the Star Jewel. In the year 1 ABY, Jabba's personal yacht seized the starship Moldy Crow above the moon Nar Shaddaa. The pilot was imprisoned, and Rebel mercenary Kyle Katarn, a passenger on the ship, was destined to become food for Jabba's prized kell dragon. However, Katarn killed the creature using only his unarmed combat skills, and subsequently made his escape from the Star Jewel.
By 1 ABY, the year in question, Jabba Desilijic Tiure, the Hutt crime lord, had acquired a kell dragon that was green-skinned and of considerable size. Of all the kell dragons in his possession, Jabba regarded this particular one as his most beloved. The kell dragon eventually took up residence on Jabba's Star Jewel, a Minstrel-class space yacht manufactured by Ubrikkian Industries. It was housed in a sizable room with two large doors, one of which opened into a large execution pit.
During this period, Jabba was engaged in dealings with the Galactic Empire, providing smugglers to assist General Rom Mohc in the creation of droid soldiers known as dark troopers. Mohc faced persistent opposition, unbeknownst to Jabba. These adversaries were the mercenary Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors, a Rebel Alliance agent; Jabba was at least familiar with Katarn. Katarn ultimately raided an Imperial facility on the moon of Nar Shaddaa, resulting in the theft of a nava card containing the routes used by Jabba's smugglers. After Ors rescued Katarn, the Star Jewel captured their starship, the Moldy Crow. Ors was imprisoned, the nava card secured in a guarded chamber, and Katarn was led to the kell dragon's pit.
Jabba, who was not physically present on the Star Jewel at the time, briefly communicated with Katarn via a Holoprojector, marking their first encounter. Katarn issued threats to Jabba, who merely remarked that the human spoke bravely for someone about to be devoured. Jabba's only regret was his inability to witness his kell dragon in action. Katarn was cast into the pit, and the door to the dragon's enclosure was opened, releasing the kell dragon. Against all expectations, Katarn overcame the kell dragon, killing it with nothing but his unarmed combat skills. A door then opened, revealing more kell dragons and an exit. Katarn fought his way through the ship, rescuing Jan, recovering his equipment and the nava card, and the Rebels successfully escaped the Star Jewel.
Jabba's preferred kell dragon was a sizable, green-skinned specimen, distinguished by blue spines and white eyes featuring black irises. The creature typically attacked its prey by leaping.
The initial appearance of Jabba's cherished kell dragon occurred in the 1995 video game Star Wars: Dark Forces, specifically at the beginning of the tenth level. Players were restricted to fighting the beast using only their bare hands, and defeating it was a necessary step to progress in the game. The number of kell dragons encountered at the outset could vary from one to three, depending on the game's difficulty setting. However, additional kell dragons only appeared after the demise of Jabba's favorite.