Antoc Merrick Antoc Merrick was a human male pilot who served in the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War . Around 0 BBY , General Merrick participated in the Alliance ' s acquisition of the Galactic Empire ' s plans to their ultimate weapon , the Death Star , in the Battle of Scarif , flying a T - 65B X - wing starfighter as leader of Blue Squadron . However , he was shot down and killed during the battle . Biography . Life on Virujansi . Antoc Merrick was born in 46 BBY on Virujansi . Merrick served as the flight leader of the planet ary defense force known as the Rarified Air Cavalry on his homeworld . After the formation of the Galactic Empire , Virujansi experienced a political transformation when an Imperial governor displaced the ruling Virujansi council . This resulted in the forced disbanding of local military forces loyal to the ruling council . Merrick rejected an offer extended to pilot s of the Rarified Air Cavalry to join the Imperial Navy seeing it as hollow . Seeing that the Rebel Alliance ' s starfighter squadron s demonstrated greater unit coherence and piloting ability than those of the Empire , Merrick and fellow pilot Garven Dreis opted for early retirement , left Virujansi , and sought membership with the Rebel Alliance . General in the Rebellion . Sometime after joining the Rebel Alliance , Merrick was given the rank of General and direct authority over all assembled starfighters at the Base One on Yavin 4 . He also would fly in command of Blue Squadron as Blue Leader . When the entirety of the Massassi starfighter squadrons were scrambled , Merrick had authority over the other squadron leaders . In Merrick ' s absence , General Dodonna commanded the starfighter fleet . Additionally , he served on the rebel council allowing him to have sway over the course of the Rebellion . Around 0 BBY , Merrick listened to Jyn Erso testimony to the rebel council about Death Star ' s full power . When the alliance received word of Rogue One ' s infiltration of Scarif , Merrick and Blue Squadron along with the entire starfighter wing at Base One scrambled to provide assistance . Blue Squadron entered combat above Scarif in conjunction with the Rebel Fleet led by Admiral Raddus . Merrick then led Blue Squadron ' s X - wings and U - wings through the Shield Gate to provide air support to the pathfinders on Scarif ' s surface . He and his squadron then destroyed several of the AT - ACTs harassing rebel forces . During the ensuing air combat with TIE strikers , Merrick was shot down resulting in his death . Personality and traits . A male , light - skinned human , Antoc Merrick had blue eye s and blondish - brown hair . He deeply cared for those under his command , and refused to needlessly risk their lives . Knowing the extra responsibility of others lives that U - wing pilots bear from personal experience , Merrick felt particularly protective towards them . Equipment . As a pilot of the rebellion , Antoc Merrick wore a blue flight suit and helmet while operating a T - 65B X - wing starfighter known as " Blue One " . , manufactured by the Incom Corporation . Behind the scenes . Antoc Merrick , portrayed by Ben Daniels , is a character created for " " , the first installment in the " Star Wars Anthology Series " , which was released on December 16 , 2016 . The first footage of Merrick was revealed in the Celebration Europe reel on July 15 , 2016 . His name was revealed on October 15 , 2016 by " " in an exclusive trading card from .