Just as Admiral Ackbar is seen as an esteemed individual in the world of “Star Wars,” performer Tim Rose’s puppetry career is held in similarly high regard. His many credits include such titles as “The Muppet Show,” “The Great Muppet Caper, “The Dark Crystal,” “Return to Oz,” “Howard the Duck,” and “The Muppet Christmas Carol.” He has also worked as a designer and puppeteer on the “Star Wars” standalone films “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”
Undeniably, his first “Star Wars” role remains his most fondly remembered. And while returning to the part over three decades later for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” was a dream come true for Rose, the actor was less than satisfied with his character’s outcome. Speaking with Cinemablend, Rose shared that, after much of Ackbar’s material was cut from “Awakens,” he had high hopes for its 2017 follow-up.
“So in ‘The Last Jedi,’ I was quite looking forward to maybe them giving him something more juicy,” Rose said. “We were only given the script on the day when we were shooting that piece of script, so each day I would come to work going, ‘Is today the day when Ackbar gets something a bit more involving?’ And I looked at my script and I went, ‘Oh, Ackbar’s going out of the window. Well, that’s that then!'” Ackbar’s untimely demise in “The Last Jedi” may have been frustrating for Rose to experience, but it’s done little to put a dent in the honorable reputation of his iconic “Star Wars” persona, with the actor continuing to make regular appearances at comic cons and fan events.
