The four-issue comic Star Wars Allegiance that came out this fall as part of the Journey to The Rise of Skywalker was a bit disappointing, as it didn’t give us quite as much insight into the post-The Last Jedi world as it was presumed to and remained fairly bland.
But there was something pretty cool about it, and it was that the comic gave Leia Organa a chance to mourn the death of Admiral Gial Ackbar… on Mon Cala… with Ackbar’s son!
The basic storyline of the comic is that Leia, needing ships and aid for the Resistance, decides to personally venture to Mon Cala, a longtime ally. She travels in the Millennium Falcon with Chewbacca, Rey, Rose, and C-3PO, but they don’t receive a warm welcome. Leia is blamed for bringing death and destruction to Mon Cala during the rule of the Empire. But Aftab Ackbar speaks up and defends Leia, who are reunited after a long time. Leia and Aftab journey together to the Mourning Shrines of Mon Cala to pay tribute to Gial, who was killed aboard the Raddus not long before. Aftab reveals that his father had only seen him once since his spawning, as Gial’s focus was elsewhere, but Aftab had studied his every battle and victory.
Leia tells Aftab that she needs ships and support, but this proves much easier to ask for than to actually get. Leia goes before the King and pleads her case, but the Mon Calamari are divided and need to deliberate. Meanwhile, some of them engage the Resistance in combat and secretly contact the First Order. Rey and the others are arrested, and Rey winds up challenging a massive Mon Cala droid to one-on-one combat, only to be rescued by Rose. This leads to the Resistance being forced to leave, but before they can there is an attempt on their lives made – and the First Order then arrives. The Mon Calamari King then realizes that it was some of his own men who lured the First Order there and not the Resistance, and he pledges support. Leia and the Resistance forces leave with some Mon Calamari ships, including one commanded by Aftab.
This, at least, feels like a significant plot development for the Resistance. We know that they are severely lacking in people, ships, and resources at the end of The Last Jedi, and they’re slowly but surely rebuilding all of that. The Mon Calamari ships played a very important role in the Rebellion, and that has continued to be the case for the Resistance as well, such as the Raddus. But that was destroyed as Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo saved the Resistance, so Leia found herself once more in need of ships.
She got them through her efforts on Mon Cala, and even though it wasn’t easy, the Resistance now has some much needed additions to their fleet – and Aftab Ackbar to help lead some of it.
One of the really cool things about this time period, taking place three decades after the Galactic Civil War, is that not only are there veterans of that war still around and fighting (like Leia), but there also are plenty of people whose parents fought in that war (like Poe). That’s of course true of Aftab too, as his father was a hero of the Rebellion and a brilliant military strategist. It doesn’t sound like he was the best father, but he was devoted to his craft. If Aftab truly did learn from studying his battles, then he could prove to be a key asset to the Resistance. He had a role in The Rise of Skywalker as part of the Resistance, so we can see the Ackbar legacy continuing on.
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