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Admiral Ackbar deleted scenes - new Tim Rose interview

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In a video interview published today by Jamie Stangroom, Tim Rose talks about shooting extra material for TFA that wasn’t used, and a proper death scene for TLJ. Source: https://www.fanthatracks.com/news/film-music-tv/admiral-ackbars-spectacular-unseen-death-scene-details/?fbclid=IwAR17vDbXVJ2rnN4V_d-_dEiX0166nsIUuDfxG8pWiqDDEIeMkZnNm_IvLsE

Interviewer: In the last Jedi, did you know that he died? Before you saw the film, as obviously we don’t see it.

Tim Rose: We filmed it all.

Interviewer: You filmed a death scene?

Tim Rose: Oh yes. Even in this day of CG, we finished all our dialogue and they brought in these stuntmen in their flame proof costumes, and it was so dangerous – my death scene – that everybody had to leave set. And they blew them right across the set and with the glass broken in the capsule they get sucked out into the void of space. So the explosion happened which blew them all towards camera, and they were on snap lines and they got sucked to the top of the stage. So it was totally spectacular. Now im not privy to the editing side of things but having seen it for real I suspect they looked at it and said what have we just done.

Interviewer: I like The Last Jedi a lot, but for me I would have gone for the epic Ackbar death. Were you a little disappointed just to have a verbal exit from the saga?

Tim Rose: Yeah, very much so. After The Force Awakens, for whatever reason, length of picture, whatever, it all got cut out. So after waiting 30 years to reprise Ackbar I was a little disappointed with Ackbar’s role in that picture. So in The Last Jedi I was quite looking forward to maybe them giving him something more toothy. We were only given the script on the day we were shooting that piece of script. So each day I would come to work going is this the day that Ackbar gets something more involving. And I looked at my script and said Ackbar’s going out the window, so that’s that then.

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 (Edited)

He is one of the most recognizable individuals in Star Wars.

So time doesn’t actually matter here.

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Recognizable does not equal important. Admiral Ackbar is not important. He’s a gag character; a squid-man from a race called the Mon Calamari.

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 (Edited)

Arguably, he’s more beloved than Mr. Binks. Why would he be a gag character? He’s not there for any cheap jokes, nor is he a subject of ridicule.

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Where were you in '77?

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SilverWook said:

Arguably, he’s more beloved than Mr. Binks. Why would he be a gag character? He’s not there for any cheap jokes, nor is he a subject of ridicule.

Yes I agree. The interview is actually very sad. The man had to excuse himself from the room sobbing because of the joke about “It’s a wrap” they made him do. While I’m one of the few who enjoyed the Last Jedi, Ackbar is still a fan favorite. His death certainly didn’t help the hate train, but it also just really sucks what Tim went through.

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There’s a little tidbit in the interview about Tim’s decision in ROTJ for Ackbar to slouch in his chair once the Alliance wins the day. The choice regarding the slouch was a character decision Tim made. He stood up to Richard Marquand and defended his portrayal of Ackbar and the decision he made. He wanted him to stand and cheer, but Tim’s personal stance on war influenced the choice that this wouldn’t be such a joyous moment for Ackbar. It’s great stuff and I had no idea this happened BTS. The saddest thing is that his choice in ROTJ fits in with one of the main themes of TLJ, that war and the decsions we make aren’t always so clear cut. Maybe if Tim had this same conversation with Rian, things could’ve been different. I don’t know. RIP Fishface

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Yeah, I think they forgot an actor gets attached to a character, and their “death” can be an emotional experience. Rose has lived with Ackbar for three decades. On one level Ackbar’s death is as cavalier as Boba Fett’s in ROTJ. A decision made without regard to what the fans had invested in a character in spite of little screen time, and they’ve been trying to walk that one back ever since.

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Where were you in '77?

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How is it EU? Is he portrayed as a regular man in ROTJ? I mean, the whole Mon Calamari thing is EU but he’s still a squid-man.

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I thought they were more like amphibians. There was a squid guy in Jabba’s palace though.

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Where were you in '77?

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I think the thing with Admiral Ackbar is he was huge in the Old EU games and books and the character really transcended the 5 min of screen time he had in the films.

It must of felt bad being an actor with that much history with the character to be treated so casually.

Yet, he had like no screen time in the sequels either, so there wasn’t really any reason the film makers NEEDED to put him in the movie yet they did because it was expected and then they killed him.

I get that the creators didn’t have any obligation to put him in… I don’t know. The more I think about it the more I feel bad for the guy.

After being beaten and battered by prequel hate, I promise not to be that to the next generation.

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pleasehello said:

Recognizable does not equal important. Admiral Ackbar is not important. He’s a gag character; a squid-man from a race called the Mon Calamari.

More rubbishing of the OT to defend the ST. Of all places I expect it to happen, OT.com is not one of them yet it’s where I’ve encountered it the most.

Ackbar like a number of other OT characters were brought back simply to appeal to nostalgia and get bums on cinema seats. Ackbar despite his short amount of screen time in the OT, became one of the iconic OT characters that are loved by fans and he deserved far better than his off screen death in TLJ.

I feel almost as sad for Ackbar’s actor feeling the way he does as I do for the obvious way Mark was affected by how they wrote Luke for TLJ.

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I didn’t know he was in TFA until I saw the movie. It certainly wasn’t hyped beforehand.

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Where were you in '77?

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Yeah me neither. And honestly I didn’t even think it was him until someone pointed it out to me. I’d forgotten about him in TFA enough not to even notice that he was in TLJ - or maybe I thought he was just a random Mon Calamarian (or whatever it’s called) since because of the RO admiral I guess I thought that species had tons of high ranking officers in the Alliance? I don’t know. All I know is that next day after coming back from the theaters for TLJ the fanbase was tearing itself apart and one of the reasons was Ackbar’s death, and I couldn’t believe that I’d missed it, thinking it had been something as great as it was being pointed out. Not the case at all, though.

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I mean obviously I feel for the actor, who wouldn’t in that situation. But at the end of the day, just because he’s become a meme doesn’t make him a character who’s important to the story. I mean, where’s Dodonna and Reikkan and Madine and Mothma If rank is so important? If fan favorites are so important, whether there’s a justification or not, where’s Bossk? Why isn’t he in the movie? At the end of the day, whether you got attached to the character because he’s got a memorable face and line in a movie you liked as a kid, or whether you were the actor who portrayed him, the simple truth of the matter is that he was always a bit role that was inconsequential to the story of the film (his scenes were literally shot in parallel with a completely different, interchangeable character saying the same lines). Anyone expecting more from his story in future installments is living in crazy land. Same goes for anyone disappointed that Wedge hasn’t had an important role in these movies - he didn’t have an important role in the last ones either.

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 (Edited)

Wedge was the first one to take down an Imperial Walker on Hoth, and he helped blow up the DSII, that’s not important?
Oh yeah, he also saved Luke’s butt in the battle of Yavin. 😉

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Where were you in '77?

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 (Edited)

SilverWook said:

Wedge was the first one to take down an Imperial Walker on Hoth, and he helped blow up the DSII, that’s not important?
Oh yeah, he also saved Luke’s butt in the battle of Yavin. 😉

No, those aren’t important. Cut him out and the movies are almost exactly the same.

I get why SW fandom overemphasizes background characters and bit players - these are movies we’ve seen hundreds of times so we know who says every line, plus EU/action figure/imagination potential - but when it gets down to the actual content I think fans need to remember to put things in perspective.

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Valheru_84 said:

pleasehello said:

Recognizable does not equal important. Admiral Ackbar is not important. He’s a gag character; a squid-man from a race called the Mon Calamari.

More rubbishing of the OT to defend the ST. Of all places I expect it to happen, OT.com is not one of them yet it’s where I’ve encountered it the most.

Ackbar like a number of other OT characters were brought back simply to appeal to nostalgia and get bums on cinema seats. Ackbar despite his short amount of screen time in the OT, became one of the iconic OT characters that are loved by fans and he deserved far better than his off screen death in TLJ.

I feel almost as sad for Ackbar’s actor feeling the way he does as I do for the obvious way Mark was affected by how they wrote Luke for TLJ.

Not “rubbishing” the OT. OT is great except for ROTJ, which is passable. Admiral Ackbar is a fun side character, but he’s not important to the story of the OT.

And I’m not defending the ST. Those movies clearly have problems, but giving Admiral Ackbar a sentimental death scene would not make TLJ a better movie. Plus, I don’t think you could get any real emotion out of a squid face. Any attempt at that kind of thing would be laughable at best.

DominicCobb said:

I mean obviously I feel for the actor, who wouldn’t in that situation. But at the end of the day, just because he’s become a meme doesn’t make him a character who’s important to the story.

Thank you. Yes, Admiral Ackbar is a meme and not much more.

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DominicCobb said:

SilverWook said:

Wedge was the first one to take down an Imperial Walker on Hoth, and he helped blow up the DSII, that’s not important?
Oh yeah, he also saved Luke’s butt in the battle of Yavin. 😉

No, those aren’t important. Cut him out and the movies are almost exactly the same.

I get why SW fandom overemphasizes background characters and bit players - these are movies we’ve seen hundreds of times so we know who says every line, plus EU/action figure/imagination potential - but when it gets down to the actual content I think fans need to remember to put things in perspective.

Blame Kenner. 😛

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Where were you in '77?

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 (Edited)

SilverWook said:

DominicCobb said:

SilverWook said:

Wedge was the first one to take down an Imperial Walker on Hoth, and he helped blow up the DSII, that’s not important?
Oh yeah, he also saved Luke’s butt in the battle of Yavin. 😉

No, those aren’t important. Cut him out and the movies are almost exactly the same.

I get why SW fandom overemphasizes background characters and bit players - these are movies we’ve seen hundreds of times so we know who says every line, plus EU/action figure/imagination potential - but when it gets down to the actual content I think fans need to remember to put things in perspective.

Blame Kenner. 😛

No I mean I definitely get it. Growing up with the PT was fun because it meant you became attached various Jedi through their action figures only to see them all be unceremoniously killed in ROTS.

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I don’t see the term “Expanded Universe” used anymore. I just see “canon” and “legends”.

Most of what used to be referred to as the EU is now legend.

The Clone Wars is canon.