Syfy Insider Exclusive

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!

Sign Up For Free to View
SYFY WIRE Star Wars

Admiral Ackbar actor miffed that Mon Calamari leader got fried in Star Wars: The Last Jedi

By Andrea Ayres
Admiral Ackbar in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

While most of us are still riding high from all the Star Wars news and exclusives to come out of Star Wars Celebration, there are those who are still lamenting some beloved characters' less-than-fortunate fates in the saga.

Case in point: Tom Kane. In an interview on The Star Wars Show Live!, the famed voice actor, who recently played Rebel leader Admiral Ackbar, said he was "not really thrilled" with his character's death in 2017's Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

The interview begins innocently enough, with Kane fielding a few questions about what it's like to be the voice for such iconic characters as Yoda and C-3PO. Kane then went on to discuss his role as Ackbar, whom he has voiced since the death of Erik Bauersfeld — who voiced the Mon Calamari Rebel leader in Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens — in 2016. Kane's mention of Ackbar appears to have brought up some unresolved feelings regarding the character.

Speed ahead to 6:36:18 in the clip below —  there, Kane launches into his feelings regarding Ackbar's untimely death, lamenting, "I was not really thrilled about how they blew him out of the side of the ship."

The death of Admiral Ackbar in the opening fight sequence of The Last Jedi shocked many — apparently even Kane himself. Ackbar's death on the Raddus' bridge after TIE fighters attack it has been a sore spot for Star Wars fans who believe the Rebel leader deserved a more dignified send-off, or at the very least a funeral.

Kane also shared his displeasure with Vice Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern), quipping, "I'm like, 'Who's this Holdo woman? Nobody knows her, no one's invested in her, who is she? Why is she saving the fleet?' If anyone's going to save the fleet, it'd be Ackbar."

Well, now that everyone's uncomfortable ...

The audience and interviewer didn't seem sure of how to react. Some clapped, some laughed, but most were silent. Kane appeared to take it in stride as he laughed to himself. The interviewer then paused for a moment, before quickly steering the conversation toward a less divisive topic, The Clone Wars.

It's easy to see why Kane would want to have the iconic heroic scene given to Holdo. Who wouldn't want to save the fleet? That, however, may have been too predictable for The Last Jedi's writer/director, Rian Johnson. Johnson clearly wanted to keep audiences on their toes by subverting and challenging expectations, as discussed in a 2017 interview with Business Insider.

Tom Kane should rest comfortably knowing that while Ackbar may be gone, he certainly won't be forgotten anytime soon. Hey, we'll always have "It's a trap!"