Gial Ackbar/Legends

Admiral Ackbar (44 BBY – 30 ABY) was a Mon Calamari, and perhaps the finest military commander in the service of the Rebel Alliance and the New Republic. However, unlike many career officers, he was unable to play the political game, relying on his trusted friend Mon Mothma to cover him. When Mon Mothma retired from political service, Admiral Ackbar found severe difficulties in facing the political realities of high command, though he did have an ally in Leia Organa Solo, Mothma's successor. Admiral Ackbar has the distinction of having been the Supreme Commander of the New Republic Defense Force for nearly two decades. He wrote the manual for the New Republic Fleet Academy, titled 'Fleet Combat and Methodology'.

Biography
He was, for a time, enslaved to Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, where it appeared that he learned much about the art and skill of command. Rebel forces later rescued him, and he swiftly rose through the ranks, finally achieving the rank of Admiral after his role in the Shantipole Project, was a secret project to develop the Verpine designed B-wing starfighter. Mon Mothma, noticing the skills of Ackbar, named him Supreme Commander of the Rebel Fleet and head of all Rebel military operations. In terms of tactics, he is most well known for his audacious, close-range assaults first seen at the Battle of Endor. He fought numerous campaigns against the Galactic Empire, and numerous splinter warlord groups. He weathered the political manipulations of Borsk Fey'lya and an attempt at framing him for treason masterminded by Grand Admiral Thrawn. His niece Jesmin Ackbar fought in Wraith Squadron alongside Wedge Antilles, however she died in combat. One of his greatest victories was the defeat of Imperial Remnant forces shortly before the Corellian crisis. Commanding the Third and Fifth fleets from the bridge of the captured SSD Guardian, Ackbar managed to reduce the Imperial navy drastically, forcing Pellaeon to retreat and shrinking the size of the Imperial Remnant to just eight sectors. This victory is credited with convincing the Remnant to persue peace with the New Republic. He retired some time after peace was signed with the Imperial Remnant, when his old rival Fey'lya was elected Chief of State. However, senior members of the Defense Force (including Dif Scaur, Etahn A'baht, Traest Kre'fey, and Sien Sovv, Ackbar's replacement) managed to ensure that Ackbar recieved a number of important analyses.

When the Yuuzhan Vong invasion came, Ackbar was in very poor health, but he was still fully cognizant. When the New Republic relocated to Mon Calamari, he pulled himself out of retirement, to plan a trap against those forces in the Deep Core. That plan was highly successful, and in addition to being a legitimate strategic victory, was crucial in restoring morale after the losses suffered in the invasion. Near the very end of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, Ackbar died of natural causes, to the great grief of the Mon Calamari and the Galactic Alliance.

Ackbar had several accomplishments that have not been equalled, including defeating two Imperial Grand Admirals, Osvald Teshik and Peccati Syn. The only one known to have bested him in combat was Thrawn.

Behind the Scenes
For SomethingAwful.com, LUELinks.net and Fark.com users, Ackbar has risen to level of Photoshop cliché, often used with the phrase "it's a trap!" or a variation thereof. The basis for this cliché is "Next time you watch Return of the Jedi, note that all Ackbar wants to do, from the minute the assault on the Death Star begins, is leave." Ackbar, however, ordered a retreat just once, when it was revealed that the Death Star II was operational. Also, the risk of the entire Alliance fleet being eliminated by the superiorly numbered and armed Imperial fleet was more than enough reason to withdraw.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * Dark Empire
 * Heir to the Empire
 * Dark Force Rising
 * The Last Command
 * Dark Apprentice
 * Champions of the Force
 * Specter of the Past
 * Vision of the Future
 * Vector Prime
 * Destiny's Way
 * Ylesia
 * The Unifying Force