The Kesselians were a group of humans with a shared culture; their homeworlds consisted of the planets Kessel and Little Kessel, both of which were situated in the Kessel sector within the Outer Rim Territories.
During the time of the Galactic Civil War, the Kesselians residing on Little Kessel enjoyed a peaceful existence on their thriving, green planet. Professor Renn Volz and his daughter Mira Volz, both Kesselians native to Little Kessel, were employed by the Galactic Empire. In the year 0 ABY, the Galactic Empire discovered that the planet was harboring a significant number of Rebels. Consequently, Captain Bzorn journeyed to Little Kessel aboard the Ionic Ring, demanding the surrender of all Rebels present. Upon the refusal of Little Kessel's government, the Galactic Empire unleashed groundquakes and cyclones, tormented the planet. Groundquakes had been absent for such a long period that the Kesselians were unfamiliar with the phenomenon.
In 4 ABY, several Kesselian blockade runners originating from Kessel joined the Rebel fleet as it assembled near Sullust in preparation for the impending Battle of Endor. Captain Tessa Manchisco expressed surprise at the presence of these vessels within the fleet upon her arrival in the Sullust system. She anticipated encountering Corellians, Calamarians, and Alderaanians within the Alliance Fleet, but the Kesselians' representation was unexpected. Manchisco surmised that these blockade runners belonged to independent groups continuing to resist the Imperial government on the prison planet.
During 5 ABY, C-3PO and R2-D2 were dispatched on a mission to the Kessendra Stadium located on Kessel to observe the Kessendra Coronation. To maintain their anonymity during the mission, C-3PO and R2-D2, due to their widespread recognition, were disguised as a Kesselian security droid and a Kesselian spice-mining droid, respectively.
In the second draft of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, Grande Mouff Tarkin was depicted as a slender, bird-like commander overseeing the outland Kesselian Dragoons.