Ello Asty Ello Asty was a talented but reckless and singular male Abednedo T - 70 X - wing fighter pilot who worked for the New Republic ' s precision air team . When Senator Leia Organa founded the Resistance years after the Battle of Endor , the pilot was recruited into it as he felt it was important work . Asty , who came from the planet Abednedo , went on to fly with Red Squadron in 34 ABY during the Battle of Starkiller Base , but was shot down trying to destroy the superweapon , although the battle was ultimately a victory for the Resistance . During his final battle , he flew under the callsign Red Six . Biography . New Republic service . Ello Asty was an extremely skilled , though occasionally reckless , Abednedo T - 70 X - wing fighter pilot approximately twenty four years following the Battle of Endor . The male pilot was known for his superb abilities in the cockpit — and for his trouble remembering that a squadron relies on teamwork . He came from the planet Abednedo . During that time , Ello Asty was a member of the New Republic Defense Fleet ' s precision air team alongside pilots Joph Seastriker , Zari Bangel , Ledaney and " Snap " Wexley , which flew mostly patrol missions and air show s . Stationed in the Galactic Senate complex ' s main hangar on the capital planet Hosnian Prime , Asty and the others grew bored with the assignment . When it became clear that Seastriker was involved in a greater cause , Asty and the other pilots expressed a desire to become part of it as well . Road to war . Months later , when Senator Leia Organa organized the burgeoning Resistance movement after foreseeing the secession of many Centrists systems , Asty and other precision air team pilots were in attendance at the movement ' s first meeting in Organa ' s newly - leased hangar on Hosnian Prime . Asty flew with the Resistance ' s Cobalt Squadron during the cold war . During that time , he managed to log the highest ratio of combat hours to total flight time . The conflict came to a head thirty years after the Battle of Endor when the First Order revealed their new Starkiller Base superweapon by destroying the Republic capital in the Hosnian system in 34 ABY . After the destruction , Asty joined in the briefing about Starkiller Base with the other pilots and General Leia Organa ' s handpicked staff at their D ' Qar headquarters . During the battle against the superweapon before it could fire at the Resistance base , Asty flew with Red Squadron with the callsign Red Six . At one point , he saved Blue Nine from a pair of seekers by redirecting the missile s . Asty then joined in the final run against the superweapon ' s thermal oscillator led by Black Leader Poe Dameron and escorted the lead craft through the trench , firing at weapons emplacements and base defense walkers . Asty ' s craft was subsequently shot down during the run by ground fire . Although he was killed , the Resistance succeeded in destroying Starkiller Base . Legacy . During a ceremony held at the Resistance base on D ' Qar for Han Solo after his death on Starkiller Base , Organa read out the names of the pilots who ' d never returned from Starkiller Base . Personality and traits . As a pilot , Asty was skilled at the controls , but acted recklessly and without the support of his teammates , since he preferred to fly by himself . When his fellow precision air team pilots commented on how Seastriker appeared to be doing important work , Asty added that whatever it was , it was more important than the team flying air shows . During his time with the Resistance , he assisted his wingman in understanding fellow Abednedo pilot C ' ai Threnalli , who repeatedly misplaced his translator fob . The starfighter pilot zealously attacked First Order patrols during the leadup to the First Order conflict , earning a reputation as someone who " shoots first and questions second . " At the time of his death , he had the highest ratio of combat encounters to total flying time among the Resistance as a result of this aggression . Despite Asty ' s preference for flying solo , during the attack on Starkiller Base , he responded promptly to Black Leader Dameron ' s orders to form up alongside Red Four , Bastian . Following their initial bombing run on the oscillator , Asty commented that their barrage had produced no effect . He stood 1 . 88 meter s tall , and spoke with a low and sonorous voice . As an Abednedo , he was a member of a gregarious and creative species , and had brown fur lining the sides of his face . Equipment . Asty wore the standard Resistance pilot flightsuit , with flight vest , Guidenhauser ejection harness , boot s , and life support equipment , and gauntlets . The letters on the Resistance ' s flight harness read " pull to inflate . " His specially - modified helmet sported the Resistance symbol , yellow - and - black checkerboard pattern , and Abednedish lettering . The checkerboard pattern was part of the Resistance ' s practices of honoring the heroes of the Rebel Alliance . The phrase " Born to ill " was written on the side in Aurebesh alongside the unit insignia for Cobalt Squadron . He also carried a Glie - 44 blaster pistol . Behind the scenes . Portrayal . Ello Asty appears in the 2015 " Star Wars " saga film . The character was performed physically by Paul Kasey and voiced by veteran " Star Wars " voice actor and technician Matthew Wood . For his portrayal , Kasey , also a member of the motion capture section , wore an animatronic mask and costume . The masks used in the film helped , in Neal Scanlan ' s words , to help the performers " . . . tell a thousand words . " The pilot was created based off concept art entitled " Bullhead Pilot . " The actor can also be seen in costume during the Resistance briefing scene during a behind the scenes look at the making of documentary " Secrets of " The Force Awakens " : A Cinematic Journey . " Asty is one of the pilots to appear in the " X - wings Prepare for Lightspeed " deleted scene , which features the Resistance pilots taking off for the Starkiller Base battle . Asty also features in the 2016 video game " " . He is present at the Resistance base during an incident that started " a small fire " and led to the closing of the blast door s . Unlike his canon appearance , he survives the battle of Starkiller Base and has additional lines , including informing the player of damage . His figure can be bought at the D ' Qar base . Background . The character was first revealed in his StarWars . com Databank entry , released in advance of the film . The action figure for the character was also released beforehand . His name is a reference to the album " " by the hip hop group , and the inscription on Asty ' s helmet , " Born to Ill , " references their debut album " " . The film ' s director J . J . Abrams said the name was a suggestion from the creature department , which he approved for both the Beastie Boys reference , having previously featured their song " Sabotage " in " Star Trek " and " Body Movin ' " in " Star Trek Into Darkness " , and the fact it served as a phonetic reference to his television show " . " Asty ' s costume was re - used for another Abednedo pilot , who was seen at the Resistance base during the celebration scene after the Battle of Starkiller Base . The pilot was later identified as C ' ai Threnalli in the " Escape from Starkiller Base " DLC expansion for . In initial sources such as the character ' s Databank entry , it says the pilot is part of Blue Squadron , but in the film " Star Wars " : Episode VII " The Force Awakens " his call sign is Red Six . Later sources including " " clarify that he is part of Red Squadron . " " , a 2017 canon reference book by Daniel Wallace , expands his backstory in a Tales of Valor profile . It introduces a minor continuity error when it says that Asty was shot down by a missile and not turbolaser fire .