Admiral Ackbar

Admiral Ackbar is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. He first appeared in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, in which he was portrayed by Timothy M. Rose. He later became a supporting character in the Star Wars "Expanded Universe" of novels, video games, and comic books.

Background

History

For a time, Ackbar was enslaved to Grand Moff Tarkin, where it appears that he learned much about the art and skill of command. Rebel forces later rescued him and he swiftly rose through the ranks, designing the Alliance B-Wing starfighter along the way. In terms of tactics, he is most well-known for his audacious, close-range assaults first seen at the Battle of Endor, including the "Ackbar Slash". He fought numerous campaigns against the Galactic Empire, and numerous splinter warlord groups. During Grand Admiral Thrawn's campaign against the New Republic, Borsk Fey'lya accused Ackbar of treason, citing bank account increases prior to the battle of Sluis Van. However, the money was placed in there by Imperial Intelligence, and Ackbar was soon exonerated. He retired some time after a truce was signed with the Imperial Remnant, when Leia resigned and Fey'lya was elected Chief of State.

In The New Jedi Order, Ackbar was described as being frail and of a pale blue complexion, brought on by old age. Towards the end of the war, he stayed in his home on Mon Calamari recuperating. Although he was still fully cognizant, he was attended to by Winter. When the Yuuzhan Vong invasion came, he pulled himself out of retirement to plan a trap against those forces in the Deep Core. He did, however, come up with the battle plan that would lead to the New Republic victory at Ebaq 9. That plan succeeded and restored morale after the many losses in the invasion. However, this exertion proved taxing for the aging Admiral, and would soon be fatal. He died of natural causes only days before the resolution of the conflict. The funeral was a sad occasion for his home world, with many guests attending.

Popular culture

Admiral Ackbar is a well-known Internet meme, usually spouting his famous quote, "It's a trap!" For instance, on the somethingawful.com forums, a thread has been created which started with a picture of a man with his eyes squeezed out, looking like Ackbar. The 100+ page thread was then filled with pictures and captions such as "It's a Tarp!" and "It's a Carp!" A trap is also a common internet euphemism for photos of men appearing as women. A picture of Ackbar is a common response upon discovering the inconsistency.

Admiral Ackbar also appears in the Robot Chicken Star Wars special, crying out "It's a trap!" when rescuing children from oatmeal, inferior to his own "Admiral Ackbar Cereal" (with marshmallows, imitation crab meat, and brine shrimp). He advertises the cereal by saying, "Your tongues can't repel flavor of that magnitude!" mirroring his line about the Second Death Star's laser during the Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi.

Ackbar is a playable character in both of the two most recent Lego Star Wars video games from Lucasarts. The Admiral first appears in a cutscene from the last level of Episode IV, titled "Rebel Attack". Later, players can purchase Admiral Ackbar from the cantina and play as him in any level. His weapon is a pistol, like Han Solo and Grand Moff Tarkin.He is also a playable hero in Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron.

External links

• Admiral Ackbar in the StarWars.com Databank
• Ackbar on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki