Ace Merrick Captain Ace Merrick was a Human male pilot in the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War . As leader of Rascal Squadron , he led his cousin Ina Rece and Rookie One to the Belt of Arah in 3 ABY to locate and disable a hidden mining facility being used by the Galactic Empire . The Rebels successfully destroyed the mining facility , but Merrick was killed in a surprise attack by three TIE Phantoms before he could return to the Alliance Fleet . Biography . Ace Merrick joined the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War as a starfighter pilot . By 3 ABY , Merrick held the rank of captain and was assigned to Rascal Squadron alongside his friend and cousin Ina Rece . After the Rebels were driven from their main base on the remote ice world of Hoth in 3 ABY , they learned that the Galactic Empire was processing oridium ore at a hidden mining facility in the Belt of Arah to fuel the TIE Phantom , a new cloaking device - equipped starfighter which the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader intended to use to destroy the scattered Alliance Fleet . In an attempt to learn more about the new threat , Admiral Gial Ackbar dispatched Merrick to lead pilots Rece and Rookie One in T - 65 X - wing starfighter s to the Dreighton Nebula to locate and disable the mining facility . When Rascal Squadron arrived at the Belt of Arah , they found the perimeter protected by derillium mine s . Merrick led the Rebels through the asteroid field , destroying any mines they encountered along the way , but no sooner had they cleared the perimeter than the group came under attack from numerous TIE interceptors . During the ensuing skirmish , two of the Imperial starfighters were able to get behind Merrick ; unable to shake his pursuers , Merrick had to rely on his wingmates to clear the interceptors from his tail . The Rebels soon cleared the Imperial fighters and proceeded on to the mining facility , built into one of the larger asteroids . Merrick led the group into the facility through a transport corridor designed for shuttles and cargo drone s . Once inside , Rookie One destroyed the shield emitters at an exchange junction , providing access to the reactor core . Evading fire from sentry guns , the Rebels destroyed the reactor ' s cooling system and Merrick led them to safety through an exhaust vent moments before the reactor went critical , destroying the facility . With their mission complete , Merrick ordered Rascal Squadron to return to the Alliance Fleet . As he prepared to jump to hyperspace , however , three TIE Phantoms decloaked behind the Rascals and opened fire , killing Merrick with their opening salvo and destroying Rece ' s X - wing before Rookie One managed to escape . Rookie One later proved instrumental in ending the threat of the TIE Phantoms . Personality and traits . Merrick was a light - skinned , overweight Human male who believed that life should be entertaining and tried to live it to the fullest . He enjoyed his work with the Rebel Alliance and could think of no more enjoyable activity than engaging in combat against the Empire . As flight leader of Rascal Squadron during their mission to the Arah mining facility , Merrick used his experience to help his younger wingmates safely navigate the asteroids and the derillium minefield . When engaged by enemy starfighters , Merrick designated targets for his wingmates and helped to drive the Imperials into their sights . Behind the scenes . Ace Merrick was created for the 1995 LucasArts video game " " , in which he was portrayed by actor Roy Conrad . Merrick appears in the levels " The Asteroid Field " , " Interceptor Attack " and " The Mining Facility . " If the player as Rookie One is killed during any of these levels , a game over cutscene shows Merrick and Rece continuing the mission without him . Although he is called " Ace " by Rece , the character is listed on the credits only as " Captain Merrick . " 2008 ' s " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " confirmed that his full name is Ace Merrick . " Rebel Assault II " designer Vincent Lee ' s storyboards and scripts document , dated November 16 , 1994 , included a brief description of Merrick . Though not included in the game or its manual , the biography was adapted for use on the LucasArts website and the document was later printed in Rob Smith ' s " " . Lee ' s original version describes Merrick as " early to mid thirties " but this was not included in the online biography . Lee also made notes on the actors he thought most resembled each character in the game , choosing to represent Merrick .