Star Wars' Admiral Ackbar Made His Debut In A Story You Probably Never Knew Existed

From his noted ability to recognize traps to his high ranking in the Rebel Alliance, Admiral Gial Ackbar (Tim Rose, with Erik Bauersfeld providing the voice) is one of the most recognizable figures in the original "Star Wars" trilogy. Though a largely peripheral player in the Skywalker Saga, the Mon Calamari military mastermind has grown into quite a looming presence over the decades since his first on-screen appearance in 1983's "Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi." By this point, the character has made appearances in numerous "Star Wars" films, TV shows, novels, and other entries in the franchise. Even so, all but the most perceptive "Star Wars" fans might not know that he actually made his grand debut before "Return of the Jedi" hit theaters.

Admiral Ackbar is a major character in Al Williamson's "Return of the Jedi" prequel comic strip "Revenge of the Jedi," which was printed in newspapers belonging in the Los Angeles Times Syndicate from November 15, 1982, to January 21, 1983 (thus concluding four months before "Return of the Jedi" bowed on the big screen). Among other stories, the strip details the way Ackbar and his people ended up joining the Rebels, which incidentally gives Ackbar more focus than "Return of the Jedi" does.   

Ackbar's surprisingly robust comic strip debut before his minor onscreen role in "Return of the Jedi" is oddly fitting, considering how prominent he has become in "Star Wars" projects over the years. The thing is, while I myself started this article with an "It's a trap!" joke, Admiral Ackbar is much more than just the meme his most famous line has become. As a memorable Rebel Alliance notable from the original trilogy, Ackbar has been a popular character in auxiliary "Star Wars" media, making appearances in pretty much every format you can imagine (from comics and TV shows to Funko Pops).

Admiral Ackbar belongs in the same school of great "Star Wars" characters as Boba Fett (who's been portrayed by various actors, most famously Jeremy Bulloch and Temuera Morrison): A memorable look and minimal screen presence combine to establish intrigue, which the franchise then explores outside the movies. Both characters eventually returned to the big screen, too — Fett in a newly-added cameo in 1997's "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope" Special Edition and as a child in 2002's "Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones," and Ackbar in the sequel trilogy.

In Ackbar's case, his return comes with a fun little trivia detail. The good admiral was initially going to appear in 2016's "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" as the officer leading the attack on Sharif, but this plan fell through after director Gareth Edwards learned that J.J. Abrams had already earmarked the Mon Calamari for "Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens." This, in turn, led to "Rogue One" creating Admiral Raddus (Paul Kasey and Stephen Stanton), who's since gone on to become arguably the second most prominent Mon Calamari in the franchise.