Jesmin Ackbar Jesmin Ackbar was a female Mon Calamari and the niece of the famed Admiral Gial Ackbar who chose to embark on a career as a pilot for the New Republic ; however , prior to her placement in Wraith Squadron , Jesmin rarely saw combat from the cockpit of a starfighter . Throughout her early career , she was often marginalized by her superior officers in Starfighter Command because she was a direct blood - relation to the Admiral of the Fleet , and no squadron commander wanted to be held responsible for her death . This caused Jesmin to feel that her training had been a waste of resources ; though she would meet her death not long after joining the Wraiths , Jesmin nonetheless proved her uncle ' s as well as her commander ' s faith in her abilities . Biography . Early life . Jesmin was born on Dac to a sibling of the famous Admiral Gial Ackbar . She eventually made the choice to follow in her uncle ' s footsteps and joined the New Republic Defense Force . At some point in 6 ABY , Jesmin questioned her uncle why it was a good idea to allow former Imperial officers to defect to the Rebel Alliance / New Republic , with her uncle responding that one of the founders of the Rebel Alliance , and ultimately the New Republic , Juno Eclipse , was a former Imperial officer . This correspondence was later included in volume 8 of " " . Jesmin graduated from her initial pilot training at the top of her class and went on to further training as a communications expert , again achieving top grades . However , once she was assigned to a line unit within Starfighter Command , her commanders would not let her participate in anything more dangerous than routine scouting missions that had little chance of seeing combat ; even worse , she was often given desk assignments out of fear of getting the Admiral ' s niece killed . Despondent over her situation , Jesmin began to look for opportunities to prove that she was not a waste of the many credits spent in her training ; in desperation , she put in for a transfer to Wraith Squadron . Wraith Squadron service . When Commander Wedge Antilles began putting together a roster of pilot candidates for his pilot - commando unit , he wanted pilots who had track records of being chronic screw - ups , insubordinates , and generally those who would otherwise be considered to have ill - fated careers but who desperately wanted another chance to prove themselves . Although Jesmin was neither a bad pilot nor a troublemaker , and indeed had exemplary marks during her own training , she was brought in to serve as the squadron ' s communications specialist . During the unit ' s initial training , she was backhanded by another candidate , a Quarren named Triogor Sllus ; due to a previous incident on his record , he was washed out of the squadron two days later . The unit ' s first action came at the defense and evacuation of Folor Base after it was discovered by Project Morrt , a program of parasite tracking droids developed by Warlord Zsinj . Jesmin played a crucial role in the preparation for the battle when she picked up incoming Imperial comm traffic . After careful examination of the transmissions and some creative slicing executed by Eurrsk " Grinder " Thri ' ag under orders from Kell Tainer , the signals indicated the approach of the " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer " Implacable " . Jesmin shot down two fighters during the Battle of Folor but her X - Wing was badly damaged in the process ; she was ordered to fall back to the squadron ' s departure point to avoid drawing any more enemy fire . After the battle and subsequent capture of an enemy vessel in the Xobome system , Jesmin and her uncle were finally able to visit . During the conversation that followed , the topic of Jesmin ' s place in the squadron came up . Ackbar , who had been surprised to see her name on the roster , asked his niece about it ; Jesmin told him why , and asked that he not place blame on Wedge should she be killed in combat while serving with the Wraiths . Ackbar simply asked her if she was happy , and when Jesmin replied in the affirmative , he agreed to " hold him blameless . " Ackbar expressed faith in Jesmin ' s ability and Wedge ' s training methods , advising her to trust the commander ' s teachings . Now stationed aboard the captured modified CR90 corvette " Night Caller " , Wraith Squadron soon found itself pitted against Warlord Zsinj as they began the task of systematically bringing down the financial empire that funded his war machine . Jesmin , as the squadron ' s communications specialist , aided Grinder in setting up and supervising a complicated holoprogram that would disguise Garik " Face " Loran as the corvette ' s former master , Captain Zurel Darillian . This became necessary once it was discovered that the former captain had had secret dealings with many of Zsinj ' s contacts . Per Commander Antilles ' plan , the vessel continued on its formerly appointed rounds ; this deception not only allowed the Wraiths to further uncover information about Zsinj ' s dealings , but also allowed them to fool the warlord and Admiral Apwar Trigit when they communicated with " Night Caller " . On one of the Wraiths ' first commando raids on the world of Xartun , Jesmin and her sophisticated comm gear enabled them to enter the targeted transparisteel refining and manufacturing facility without setting off alarms . However , unanticipated complications would arise when a trio of Viper probe droids appeared . Once the droids were dispatched , Jesmin alerted the other Wraiths to approaching troops , again opening the facility ' s hangar door just enough to allow for good cover . Death in combat . During an assault on the pirate gang based aboard the " Blood Nest " , who had encamped their crippled transport on one of the moons of M2398 - 3 , Jesmin ' s X - wing was hit by a ground - based pulse cannon that had been mounted on tank treads . Her snubfighter suffered serious damage , including a failed inertial compensator and , despite the best efforts of fellow pilot Kell Tainer to save her fighter by using his own craft to redirect its course away from a series of hills , it was shattered on the surface of the moon . However , prior to being shot down , Jesmin scored three kills against the varied collection of Uglies which had been assembled by the pirates ; those three kills brought her total number of aerial kills to five , officially marking her as an ace of the New Republic . The loss of her inertial compensator caused Jesmin to black out due to excessive G - forces ; she was unable therefore to recover her fighter or eject before it impacted , killing her . Tainer , though his attempts to save the Mon Cal pilot proved futile , would be awarded the Kalidor Crescent for his conspicuous bravery . In the immediate aftermath , Wedge composed a letter to send to her uncle and a short funeral ceremony was held aboard " Night Caller " . Later , when the campaign against the " Implacable " had concluded after the warship was destroyed and Admiral Trigit had been killed , the Wraiths would reorganize and receive new pilots . In the wake of Jesmin ' s death , Hohass " Runt " Ekwesh would volunteer to become the unit ' s new communications specialist , using field experience to make up for his lack of formal training . Legacy . Years after her death , Wraiths Kell and Tyria Sarkin Tainer , named their daughter after the fallen Mon Calamari Wraith . Personality and traits . Like most Mon Calamari , Jesmin was peaceful by nature , yet she was also intensely loyal and dedicated to her cause and comrades - in - arms . She was a skillful pilot who scored high marks during her training , and was also highly adept at communications , both in protocols , the use of technology , and even basic to intermediate cryptanalysis . She was able to use these skills to pick up Imperial traffic and alert her fellows to the impending threat of the " Implacable " prior to the battle at Folor Base ; these skills also came in handy when plotting and executing commando raids , such as the mission to Xartun . It therefore came as a surprise to both her uncle and her future commanding officer when Jesmin applied for and was accepted into Wraith Squadron , a unit which was intended to be made up of misfits and those facing the ends of their careers but who still wanted to prove themselves ; it was this innate sense of loyalty , of not wanting to be a burden and a waste to her cause that drove her . Jesmin was also known to possess a light - hearted sense of humor ; she would frequently find amusement in the mannerisms and joking of her comrades within the squadron , as well as indulging in good - natured banter herself . Her time in the squadron and subsequent death had a profound effect on her fellow pilots as well as her commanding officer at the time , Wedge Antilles . Behind the scenes . The character of Jesmin Ackbar was created by author Aaron Allston for the novel " " . In " " , also written by Allston , she is mistakenly referred to as Jasmin Ackbar . According to Allston , Ton Phanan was originally scheduled to die when Jesmin did , in his first novel . However , he felt that Phanan still had something to contribute to the overall story before he died , which he ultimately did on Halmad in " X - Wing : Iron Fist " , his second novel . Allston decided to use the character of Ton Phanan to help build the story of another Wraith , that of Garik Loran . He knew that he could not use the character of Jesmin to further Loran ' s character , and therefore decided to kill off Jesmin instead of Ton . In the latest installment of the " X - Wing " novel series , " " , written by Allston , Jesmin is honored by name in the character of Jesmin Tainer , the daughter of Wraith Squadron members Kell and Tyria Sarkin Tainer .