Editing Admiral Ackbar (section)

====''Legends'' continuity====
Ackbar was a central character in ''[[Strike Force: Shantipole]]'', an adventure book for use with the ''[[Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game]]'' released in June 1988 by [[West End Games]]. Set before the chronological events of ''Return of the Jedi'', the book portrayed Ackbar's secret development of the B-wing starfighters and his efforts to recruit the Verpine, the alien species building the ships, into the Rebel Alliance.<ref name="Rolston3-4" /><ref>{{cite magazine |last=McAvennie |first=Michael | date=August 1998 |title=Gamelog: Unreal Entertainment |magazine=[[Starlog]] |issue=253 |page=8}}</ref> In the storyline, the B-wings are designed in a research facility on an asteroid named Shantipole, and the project is nearly compromised by an Imperial spy, forcing Ackbar and other characters to repel an Imperial attack and escape.<ref name="Rolston3-4" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Sansweet|Hidalgo|2008b|p=144}}</ref> Ackbar appears in ''[[Dark Empire]]'', a six-issue comic book series that detailed the resurrection of Emperor Palpatine, as well as Luke Skywalker's brief conversion to the [[dark side of the Force]]. In the comics, Ackbar and [[Mon Mothma]] attempts to lead the Rebel Alliance through the crisis, and Ackbar later organizes a response when his home world is attacked by the Empire's new superweapons, the World Devastators.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Johnson |first1=Kim Howard |last2=Kanalz |first2=Hank |date=February 1992 |title=Return to Star Wars |magazine=[[Starlog]] |issue=175 |page=33}}</ref>

In the ''Star Wars'' novels written between [[1991 in literature|1991]] and [[1998 in literature|1998]],<ref name="Anderson131" /> following the events of the ''Return of the Jedi'', Ackbar maintains a key position in the command hierarchy of the Rebel Alliance, as well as that of the [[New Republic (Star Wars)|New Republic]], the government established to replace the Empire.<ref name="Sansweet9" /><ref name="Anderson131">{{Harvnb|Anderson|Wallace|2005|p=131}}</ref> He was a signatory on the formal declaration of the New Republic and one of nine individuals to join the New Republic Provisional Council, the initial governing body of this new form of government.<ref name="Anderson131" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Sansweet|Hidalgo|2008a|p=178}}</ref> Ackbar is part of the many mop-up operations that targets the Empire's dwindling territories,<ref name="Sansweet9" /> including the defeat of Grand Admiral Peccati Syn during the liberation of the [[Wookiee]] planet [[Kashyyyk]],<ref name="Anderson137">{{Harvnb|Anderson|Wallace|2005|p=137}}</ref> and the defeat of Imperial warlord Zsinj.<ref name="Sansweet9" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Anderson|Wallace|2005|p=145}}</ref> Before his death, Zsinj brainwashes several aliens and forces them to make assassination attempts against several high-profile Rebel leaders, including Ackbar.<ref>{{Harvnb|Sansweet|Hidalgo|2008b|p=46}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Anderson|Wallace|2005|p=142}}</ref>

Ackbar appeared in the [[Thrawn trilogy|''Heir to the Empire'' trilogy]] of books written by [[Timothy Zahn]] and published from 1991 to 1993, which were widely credited with rejuvenating interest in ''Star Wars'' at the time.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Grebe |first=Coralee | date=January 1993 |title=Heir to the Wars |magazine=[[Starlog]] |issue=186 |page=56}}</ref><ref name="Stoller0728">{{cite news |last=Stoller |first=Bettina |title=New 'Star Wars' saga struggles to truce |work=[[Times Union (Albany)|Times Union]] |date=July 28, 1991 |page=H6}}</ref> In those books, which are set five years after ''Return of the Jedi'', Ackbar is instrumental in working with Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia Organa, and Mon Mothma in reestablishing the New Republic and defeating [[Grand Admiral Thrawn]], the new leader of the remaining forces of the Empire.<ref name="Stoller0728" /> In the second novel of the series, ''[[Thrawn trilogy#Dark Force Rising|Dark Force Rising]]'', Thrawn attempts to frame Ackbar for treason by placing stolen money into his personal accounts.<ref name="McGranaghan0929" /><ref name="Pages0206">{{cite news |last=Pages |first=Jared |title= Stars without limits – Author Zahn pens his sixth "Star Wars" novel; this one about Luke |work=[[Standard-Examiner]] |date=February 6, 2004}}</ref> [[List of Star Wars Legends characters#Borsk Fey'lya|Borsk Fey'lya]], a political rival of Ackbar, exploits this and has him arrested and placed on trial,<ref name="McGranaghan0929" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Anderson|Wallace|2005|p=151}}</ref> but Han Solo and Lando Calrissian obtain evidence that proves his innocence, and he is restored to his military position.<ref name="McGranaghan0929" /><ref name="Pages0206" /> Ackbar plans a raid against Thrawn on the planet Bilbringi, seeking to severely damage the Grand Admiral's shipbuilding capability and steal Imperial technology. Thrawn learns of the raid and sets a trap for Ackbar and his forces, but the New Republic ultimately win the battle after Thrawn is assassinated by his own bodyguard.<ref>{{Harvnb|Anderson|Wallace|2005|p=153}}</ref>

Ackbar played a prominent supporting role in the ''[[Star Wars: X-wing (book series)|Star Wars: X-wing]]'' series of novels,<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Chrissinger |first=Craig W. | date=March 1996 |title=Flying For the Rebellion |magazine=[[Starlog]] |issue=24 |page=46}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Cole |first=Simon |title=Books |work=[[Birmingham Mail]] |date=June 19, 1999 |page=39}}</ref> which detailed Ackbar leading the successful campaign to recapture the capital planet of [[Coruscant]], among other events.<ref name="Anderson137" /> This series also portrays the death of Ackbar's niece, Jesmin Ackbar, a Rogue Squadron starfighter pilot who is killed in action.<ref name="Sansweet9" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Fry|2002|p=58}}</ref> Ackbar played a supporting role in the [[Jedi Academy Trilogy|''Jedi Academy'' Trilogy]], a set of novels by [[Kevin J. Anderson]] released in 1994 and set two years after the ''Heir to the Empire'' trilogy.<ref name="Butler0514">{{cite news |last=Butler |first=Robert W. |title=Lucas, skywalker Director is the force behind and beyond 'Star Wars' |work=[[The Kansas City Star]] |date=May 14, 1999 |page=4}}</ref> In those novels, Ackbar's personal starfighter crashes on the planet of [[List of Star Wars planets and moons#Vortex|Vortex]] in an incident that kills numerous innocent aliens and nearly kills Ackbar himself.<ref name="Sansweet9" /><ref name="Anderson164">{{Harvnb|Anderson|Wallace|2005|p=164}}</ref> In disgrace, he resigns from his post and retires to his home planet. It is later revealed that the crash was the result of Imperial sabotage, and Leia tries to persuade Ackbar to return to military service.<ref name="Anderson164" /> During that time, Mon Calamari is attacked by Imperial Admiral [[List of Star Wars Legends characters#Natasi Daala|Natasi Daala]], one of the primary antagonists of the ''Jedi Academy'' trilogy.<ref name="Butler0514" /> Ackbar leads the successful defense of his planet and defeats Daala,<ref name="Anderson164" /> and later returns to his military post.<ref>{{Harvnb|Anderson|Wallace|2005|pp=166–167}}</ref>

Ackbar retires from military service before the beginning of ''[[The New Jedi Order]]'' series of ''Star Wars'' novels,<ref name="Databank" /><ref name="Sansweet9" /> which were first published in 1999 and were set about 25 years after the original trilogy.<ref name="Sansweet9" /> However, even as his body begins to fail him due to his advanced age, he comes out of retirement when the [[List of Star Wars species (U–Z)#Yuuzhan Vong|Yuuzhan Vong]] attempt to conquer the galaxy in a bloody war that nearly destroys the New Republic.<ref name="Sansweet9" /><ref name="Databank" /> He appeared in the book ''[[Destiny's Way]]'' (2002),<ref name="Sansweet9" /> and upon his return to military service, the message "Ackbar is back!" is transmitted to the entire Defense Force, inspired by a similar real-life transmission "Winston is back!" reportedly issued to the British fleet about [[Winston Churchill]] during [[World War II]].<ref name="Schedeen0811" /> In the book, Ackbar serves in a command post in the newly formed Galactic Alliance government, where he formulates strategies that result in a major victory against the Yuuzhan Vong, the Battle of Ebaq, ultimately helping turn the tide of the war.<ref name="Sansweet9" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Anderson|Wallace|2005|p=221}}</ref> It is revealed in ''[[The Unifying Force]]'' (2003), the final novel of the ''New Jedi Order'' series, that Ackbar dies of old age shortly before the end of the war,<ref name="McGranaghan0929" /><ref name="Dolloff0529" /><ref name="Bradley0110" /><ref name="UnifyingForce">{{cite web|first=Scott|last=Chitwood|title=Books &ndash; Reviews &ndash; New Jedi Order &ndash; The Unifying Force|url=http://www.theforce.net/books/reviews/r_unifying-force.asp|publisher=[[TheForce.net]]|date=November 2003|access-date=August 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111017225110/http://theforce.net/books/reviews/r_unifying-force.asp|archive-date=October 17, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> after which he receives a grand memorial service.<ref name="Bradley0110" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Anderson|Wallace|2005|p=227}}</ref> His death, which occurs 29 years after the events of the first ''Star Wars'' film,<ref name="Jones1218">{{cite magazine |last=Jones |first=Nate |title=The Only Bad Thing About ''The Last Jedi'' Is How It Treated Admiral Ackbar |magazine=[[New York (magazine)|Vulture]] |date=December 18, 2017 |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/12/the-last-jedi-admiral-ackbar-deserved-better.html |access-date=June 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002000930/http://www.vulture.com/2017/12/the-last-jedi-admiral-ackbar-deserved-better.html |archive-date=October 2, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> does not occur within the prose of the novel; rather, the characters are notified that his death occurred.<ref name="UnifyingForce" /> A Galactic Alliance Star Destroyer is named in his honor; the ''Admiral Ackbar'' first appears in the novel ''[[The Unseen Queen]]'' (2005), set several years after the character's death.<ref>{{Harvnb|Sansweet|Hidalgo|2008a|p=11}}</ref>

Ackbar has appeared in several ''Star Wars'' video games, starting with the 1993 [[LucasArts]] [[space simulation]] computer game ''[[Star Wars: X-Wing (video game)|Star Wars: X-Wing]]'',<ref name="Saurav0405" /><ref name="Hayden0604" /> in which he provided military briefings for the pilot character controlled by the player.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=McAvennie |first=Michael | date=May 1995 |title=Gamelog: X-Winging It |magazine=[[Starlog]] |issue=214 |page=10}}</ref><ref name="Manning0526">{{cite news |last=Manning |first=Ric |title=It has been 12 years since "Return of the Jedi" was released and it will be another three years before George Lucas says he will have his new "Star Wars" movies out |work=[[USA Today]] |date=May 26, 1995}}</ref> Ackbar made an appearance in ''[[Star Wars Galaxies]]'', an [[Massively multiplayer online role-playing game|MMORPG]] developed by [[Daybreak Game Company|Sony Online Entertainment]] and first released in 2003. The game is set shortly after the events of the first ''Star Wars'' film, and Ackbar has a rank of [[Captain]].<ref name="Wiker36" /> Ackbar also appeared in the 2007 video game ''[[Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron]]'', in which he was kidnapped by the bounty hunter [[Boba Fett]] and handed over to the Empire, who imprisoned him aboard an Imperial cruiser. In the game, the player is a member of Renegade Squadron, a military unit formed by Han Solo composed of pirates and smugglers, and the rescue of Ackbar is one of the game's playable missions.<ref>{{cite news |last=Szadkowski |first=Joseph |title=The battle of good, evil with renegade assistance |work=[[The Washington Times]] |date=October 6, 2007 |page=C08}}</ref> Ackbar can be played as a hidden character in the [[Nintendo]] [[Wii]] version of the 2008 video game ''[[Star Wars: The Force Unleashed]]'' if the player entered the cheat code "ITSATWAP".<ref>{{Harvnb|Brady Games|2009|p=359}}</ref>