Baze Malbus Baze Malbus was a human male born on the desert moon of Jedha fifty - three years before the Battle of Yavin . Once a devoted member of the Guardians of the Whills , Malbus became a freelance assassin during the age of the Galactic Empire . Nevertheless , he maintained a friendship with Chirrut Îmwe , who also served with the Guardians . Following the destruction of Jedha City , Malbus and Îmwe became part of the Rebel group known as Rogue One . After Îmwe ' s death in an explosion during the Battle of Scarif , Malbus rushed the Imperial death trooper s and was killed by a C - 25 fragmentation grenade . Biography . Early Life . Born in 53 BBY on the desert moon of Jedha , Baze Malbus joined the Guardians of the Whills alongside his best friend Chirrut Îmwe . As members of the religious order , they were tasked with guarding the Temple of the Kyber in Jedha City . Age of the Empire . In the aftermath of the Proclamation of the New Order , the holy city of NiJedha was occupied by the armed forces of the Galactic Empire . The harsh conditions of Imperial occupation transformed Malbus into a cynical soldier , although he also remained lifelong friends with the spiritual Îmwe . Joining the Rebellion . By 0 BBY , approximately two decades into the Age of the Empire , Malbus and Îmwe encountered Jyn Erso and Captain Cassian Andor of the Rebel Alliance in NiJedha . During the ensuing insurgent attack on Imperial troop s , Îmwe came to Erso and Andor ' s aid and defeated a group of stormtrooper s , leading Malbus to shoot several more trooper s in order to protect his blind comrade . The two friends and their Rebel acquaintances were subsequently captured and taken to the Catacombs of Cadera by Saw Gerrera ' s followers , but ultimately managed to escape when the Death Star obliterated NiJedha . Malbus and Îmwe followed the Rebels on their mission to Eadu — the location of Galen Erso , Jyn ' s father and the chief scientist responsible for the creation of the Empire ' s new battle station . The assignment led to a firefight between Imperial and Alliance forces , resulting in the death of the elder Erso . After the battle , Malbus accompanied his allies to the Alliance headquarters on Yavin 4 . Battle of Scarif . Shortly after their arrival , Jyn Erso made an unsuccessful attempt to persuade the Alliance leaders in sending a fleet to Scarif , believing her late father ' s revelation that a fatal flaw in the Death Star ' s design could be found in its schematics . In spite of the Alliance leadership ' s unwillingness to act , Erso was joined by Malbus , Îmwe , and a group of soldiers in an unsanctioned mission to Scarif . The newly - formed Rogue One successfully infiltrated the Imperial stronghold , but were forced to fight a battle against the planet ' s garrison while Erso and Andor searched for the plans in the Imperial security complex . During the battle , Îmwe sacrificed his life to help deactivate the planetary deflector shield , causing Malbus to begin repeating his good friend ' s mantra before proceeding to kill several death trooper s , maintaining the offensive until he himself was killed by a grenade . Though the remaining members of Rogue One also perished , their sole mission ended in the successful transmission of the Death Star plans to the Alliance Fleet . Personality and traits . Baze Malbus was a human male who stood at 1 . 80 meter s . He had brown eye s , black hair , and tan skin . Unlike the deeply spiritual Chirrut Îmwe , whom he regarded as his best friend and moral compass , Malbus had lost his sense of spirituality , including his belief in the Force , as a result of enduring the harsh conditions of Imperial occupation on Jedha . In contrast to Îmwe , Malbus developed a pragmatic viewpoint but ultimately reaffirmed his faith in the Force after his friend ' s death on Scarif . Malbus was highly adept at long - range combat . His preferred weapon was the heavy repeater cannon which he could utilize with expert marksmanship . Behind the scenes . Baze Malbus is portrayed by Jiang Wen in the " Star Wars Anthology Series " film " " . Wen ' s casting in the film was first announced on August 15 , 2015 . At this time , the first photo of the character was released as well . The first footage of the character was shown in the " Rogue One " teaser trailer on April 7 , 2016 . Baze and Chirrut replaced another pair featured in early treatments of the story — that of the alien s Senna and Lunak . Lunak was cut entirely from the final version of the movie , while Senna eventually became the mercenary Moroff .