Shoan Kilian, a human male from Corellia, served as an officer with the rank of Admiral in the Galactic Republic Navy. He fought against the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars. During this conflict, he was in command of the Endurance, a Venator-class Star Destroyer, as it carried out a training mission close to the planet Vanqor. Boba Fett, a young bounty hunter, managed to get aboard the ship and sabotage it, leading to the Endurance's crash on Vanqor. Kilian chose to remain with his ship, but he survived the crash. He, along with Clone Commander Ponds and a clone naval officer, was captured by Fett and his fellow bounty hunters. Ahsoka Tano, a Jedi Padawan, eventually rescued Kilian before Bossk could kill him.
Sometime during or before 21 BBY, Shoan Kilian had risen to the position of admiral within the ranks of the Galactic Republic's Navy. By this time, Kilian was considered one of the more seasoned human officers serving the Republic. As the Clone Wars erupted across the galaxy, Kilian continued his service in the Navy, taking over as commander of the Endurance, a Venator-Class Star Destroyer assigned to the Fifth Fleet of the Open Circle Fleet. During his time on the vessel, Kilian supervised a visit from the Clone Youth Brigade. Little did Kilian know, a young Boba Fett had infiltrated the Endurance by posing as a cadet in the Youth Brigade. His goal was to get close enough to assassinate Mace Windu, the Jedi Master responsible for the death of his father. Kilian observed Fett, who was using the alias "Lucky," displaying remarkable abilities during a targeting drill, and he commented to the clone gunner that "Lucky" was a cadet worth keeping an eye on.
Fett's assassination attempt involved a laser-triggered explosive placed at the entrance to Windu's quarters, with the aim of eliminating Windu. Kilian was positioned on the bridge and surveyed the ship to assess the damage caused by the blast. He informed the Jedi that the Endurance's navigation systems were impaired but not completely destroyed. The systems could be repaired, so he issued an order to shut down the engines until the ship was fully operational again. Kilian also informed the Jedi that the ship would remain in orbit above the planet Vanqor, and he would not allow it to become an easy target for the Separatists. This concluded his communication with the Jedi.
Following the failure of Fett's initial assassination attempt, Aurra Sing, his mentor and fellow bounty hunter, instructed Fett to sabotage the Endurance. Fett proceeded to the reactor core, where he destroyed it, setting the Endurance on a crash course with Vanqor. As the star destroyer descended into Vanqor's atmosphere, Kilian felt compelled to send the Clone Youth Brigade to the escape pods, curious about their composition. He told the young clones it was a training exercise, and the experience would make for a good story when they returned to base. After the cadets had evacuated, he instructed a clone to transmit a distress signal, as the ship was doomed.
Windu and Anakin Skywalker attempted to persuade the admiral to evacuate, but Kilian stood firm in his decision to remain with his vessel, adhering to the traditional belief that an admiral should go down with their ship. Realizing Kilian was unyielding, the Jedi departed to assist in gathering troops into the escape pods. A few clones from the command bridge crew, along with Clone Commander Ponds, stayed behind to support the admiral. Shortly after, the ship entered the atmosphere and crashed onto Vanqor's surface. Communication with the cruiser, the clones, and its admiral was lost.
The Jedi presumed that Kilian and all aboard had perished in the crash. However, the admiral was among the three survivors captured by the bounty hunters who raided the wreckage. Initially, several other members of the bridge crew survived the crash, but they were killed by the bounty hunters during their search of the Endurance. Admiral Kilian, along with Ponds and a clone navigation officer, were taken hostage by Boba Fett, with the assistance of Sing, Bossk, and Castas. Bossk remained with Kilian and the other prisoners while Sing led Fett and Castas in a fruitless search of the Endurance's wreckage for the bodies of Windu and Skywalker. Consequently, Bossk brought Kilian, Ponds, and the naval officer aboard Slave I. After R2-D2 evaded the blasts from Slave I and used a hyperspace ring to escape the system, Sing informed her colleagues that she would use Kilian and the other hostages to lure Windu.
Later, while on Slave I, the admiral attempted to reason with Fett, asserting that he was different from Sing and the other bounty hunters. Kilian also told Fett that he could recognize a good soldier when he saw one. Following Sing's broadcast of her murdering Ponds, Kilian and the surviving clone officer were transported to Florrum to await Windu's arrival. Shortly after Plo Koon and Ahsoka Tano arrived on Florrum, Bossk lost communication with Sing. Bossk prepared to execute Kilian and the clone officer as instructed by Sing. However, before Bossk could deliver the fatal blow, Tano intervened and subdued the Trandoshan. Tano freed Kilian and the clone officer, and Kilian held Bossk at bay using the Trandoshan's own weapon. Once Kilian had fully recovered, he resumed his active duty.
Shoan Kilian was a human male from Corellia, characterized by brown eyes, grey hair visible only through his eyebrows and beard, and fair skin. He was among the more experienced human officers serving the Republic during the Clone War. The admiral stood at a height of 1.72 meters, or 5 feet and 8 inches. Kilian was a man of strong principles and great honor. He was also regarded as a naval traditionalist who maintained strict discipline on his ship. Kilian was devoted to his vessel, the Endurance, and despite attempts by Jedi Generals Anakin Skywalker and Mace Windu to persuade him, he refused to abandon it, even as it hurtled towards Vanqor. Kilian insisted to Windu and Skywalker that an admiral must go down with their ship. Despite his stubbornness, Kilian was an understanding individual.
During the Clone War, Shoan Kilian wore the uniform of a Galactic Republic admiral. He also demonstrated proficiency in using a blaster, as evidenced by his aiming Bossk's weapon at the Trandoshan.
Shoan Kilian made his debut in "Death Trap," the twentieth episode of the second season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He was voiced by Julian Holloway. Kilian's name was inspired by The Clone Wars concept artist Kilian Plunkett. In current Star Wars canon, his first name, "Shoan," was confirmed in the 2021 reference book Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Character Encyclopedia - Join the Battle!, authored by Jason Fry. He was initially identified as "Shoan" in the 2010 reference book Star Wars: The Clone Wars: New Battlefronts: The Visual Guide, which is now part of the Star Wars Legends continuity.