Star Wars Writer Voices Admiral Ackbar’s Son in Live-Action Debut

At long last, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has arrived in theaters and despite being divisive among critics and fans, the film introduced a flurry of characters to live-action previously found in other forms of media. Heads up, super light spoilers for The Rise of Skywalker are up ahead!

As many expected in the lead-up to the film — especially after you could see a glimpse of the character in some of the movie’s promotional marketing — The Rise of Skywalker officially featured the live-action debut of Aftab Ackbar. In the movie, the character ends up having a few lines, including a pretty big moment in the final battle against the Final Order. If you listen closely, you’ll recognize the character’s voice as that of Chris Terrio, one of the screenwriters behind the movie. In 2012, Terrio won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for his work on Argo. He’s also won a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay after writing Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

As you likely know by now, Aftab is the Mon Calamari son of the late Admiral Gial Ackbar, the fan-favorite character who was killed during the events of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

The character had had a quick rise to prominence, first being mentioned in the canon novel Spark of the Resistance, released October 4th. Aftab then went on to appear in a few issues of Marvel’s Allegiance comic series in the lead-up to The Rise of Skywalker. Though appearing on the cover of Allegiance #1, many might suggest the character’s real first appearance is in Allegiance #2.

As the story goes, there was some point after The Last Jedi where General Leia visited Mon Cala and convinced Aftab and his army to join the Resistance in their fight against the First Order. Despite some initial hesitation from his advisors — especially in the wake of Admiral Ackbar‘s death — Aftab agreed, ultimately allowing him to appear in The Rise of Skywalker.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is now showing in theaters.

What was your favorite Rise of Skywalker moment? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!