Ruescott Melshi

Ruescott Melshi was a human male who came to resent the Galactic Empire, the successor state of the Galactic Republic, growing up. By 5 BBY, he was imprisoned and forced to labor at the Imperial Prison Complex on the moon Narkina 5, producing complex machinery bound for the Empire's secret superweapon, the Death Star. He met fellow inmate Cassian Andor during his stay, warning him not to maintain hope about escaping. Soon after an incident occurred on another prison level, rumors began spreading that the Empire had killed a whole unit of prisoners.
After their imprisoned colleague Ulaf suffered a stroke and was euthanized, Andor discovered that the Empire had been covering up that a prisoner meant to be released had been transferred between levels instead. As a result, the manager of Melshi's room, Kino Loy, rallied the room's inmates to start an uprising the next day. The prisoners successfully fought their way out, helping the rest of the prison escape as well. Afterward, Melshi and Andor fled through Narkina 5's canyons. They were netted by two aliens when trying to steal their quadjumper, but the aliens sympathized and helped them escape to the planet Niamos. There, Melshi parted ways with Andor in hopes of doubling their chances of spreading the word about the prison on Narkina 5.
Melshi joined the Alliance to Restore the Republic and its Special Forces during the early years of the Galactic Civil War against the Empire, becoming a sergeant. He and Andor, who had since become an Alliance Intelligence captain, continued to be friends. A veteran soldier and a respected commander, Melshi led his troops by personal example. In 1 BBY, when the Alliance learned about the existence of the Death Star, Melshi led a rebel extraction team during the rescue of Jyn Erso—the daughter of Galen Erso, the Death Star project's chief engineer—from a labor camp on the planet Wobani.
After Erso's liberation, the Alliance employed her to make contact with her father, discovering that he had deliberately left a crucial weakness in the Death Star's design as an act of sabotage. In an effort to retrieve the Death Star schematics needed to pinpoint that weak spot, Melshi helped Andor assemble a ragtag group of volunteers dubbed "Rogue One." The squad then set off on a mission to the Imperial security complex on the planet Scarif, where the Empire stored the plans. During the subsequent battle on the planet, Melshi and the rest of Rogue One successfully obtained the Death Star plans, but they all gave their lives to ensure the mission's success.
==Biography==
===Prisoner of the Empire===
====The new inmate====
Ruescott Melshi was a human male born between around 40 BBY and 31 BBY. Growing up in a galaxy ruled by the Galactic Empire, the successor state to the Galactic Republic, Melshi grew to detest the fascist government. He was eventually imprisoned by the Empire in the Imperial Prison Complex on the moon Narkina 5 as he, alongside all the other prisoners there, were deemed labor-worthy. Because of this, prisoners were all put in teams of seven to work assembly lines that produced complex mechanical widgets that were eventually used in the construction of the Empire's secret planet-killing superweapon known as the Death Star. Melshi was assigned to Table Five in Unit Five-Two-D on the facility's fifth level, where he labored in twelve-hour shifts in a team that included the prisoners Jemboc, Xaul, Taga, Ulaf, and Ham.
Melshi went through a daily routine, including eating food from a tube, waiting for the floor to be safe to step on, group showering, and working. The unit, managed by the prison laborer Kino Loy, saw its seven tables pitted against one another, with the top table getting flavor in their food and the last placed one getting "fried" by the electrified floors made out of Tunqstoid steel. In 5 BBY,Andor Season 1 takes place in 5 BBY per the reasoning here. a rebel infiltration team managed to steal the quarterly payroll for an Imperial sector from the garrison on the planet Aldhani. This resulted in the Public Order Resentencing Directive legislation being passed, which doubled all prisoners' sentences, including Melshi's.
One day, Melshi's table experienced a new vacancy, which resulted in the team running behind on the unit leaderboard the day after their seventh member was lost. During the last hour of their shift, the room was called to a halt to receive a new prisoner for table five. The new inmate was Cassian Andor, who was going by the alias "Keef Girgo." Unbeknownst to Melshi, Andor was among the rebel infiltrators who robbed the Aldhani garrison but was arrested on the planet Niamos while trying to evade Imperial authorities. After having a rundown with Loy, Andor went to table five as the laborers resumed their shift and had an introduction with Melshi's team.
The team soon started to discuss the repercussions of falling behind on the leaderboard by ten points. Upon questioning whether Loy would be lenient due to the team vacancy, Melshi claimed that ten points was too much to allow that, soon adding that the Imperial superiors were laughing at them. When Xaul called Andor "new guy," Melshi corrected the inmate, telling him to call "Keef" by his name. Shortly after, Loy received a message that their work levels were too low, and he instructed them to work extra fast for the remaining thirty-nine minutes of the shift. The team got to work, with Andor watching and learning from what they were doing. The table ultimately came last in the unit; thus, the seven inmates were fried as standard discipline.
====The routine====
After the shift, the unit's inmates were led back to their sleeping block, where Andor was given a brief tour of it by Jemboc. Upon prompts by Melshi, the prisoners questioned "Keef" about the Public Order Decree. As it had occurred during their sentence, the prisoners were desperate for news, though Andor denied any knowledge of it. As the other inmates spoke about getting punished for the rebel activity, Melshi chimed in and told Andor that the days on his sentence did not matter: the Empire would simply keep them there until they no longer had any need for them, and leaving was just a dream. Loy overheard the prisoner and shoved him against the wall to stop him speaking. At that moment, the nightly alarm began sounding, prompting the prisoners to head for their beds as the floor prepared to electrify.
Over the next thirty shifts, Andor began conspiring with Melshi and fellow unit prisoner Birnok to try and form an escape plan. In the meantime, Andor became accustomed to the daily factory routine Melshi had already gotten used to. Not long after, Veemoss, a worker at table three, took his own life by stepping on the sleeping block hall's floor while it was electrified during sleeping hours. Melshi and the other inmates threw around comments about the loss of a worker and the disturbance until Loy told them to be quiet and the intercom voice gave the rest of the unit ten seconds to return to their beds.
====Level two incident====
The next day, Melshi and his table were laboring when Andor began predicting that a new inmate would arrive to join table three, additionally choosing to swap with Ulaf when the old man had a problem with his hand. After Loy confirmed Andor's suspicions on the new arrival, the latter smirked at Melshi, who looked back with a placid expression. As the prison guards prepared to bring the new arrival, Andor left to run to the refresher to file and weaken a water pipe as part of the escape plan. Melshi watched the man depart for the refresher room.
After the new inmate was taken in and the shift finished, Melshi and the rest of the unit waited at their bridge alongside their room's night shift unit. With no sign of movement, Melshi remarked that the Imperials could keep them on the bridge forever, though Loy rebuked that he had said enough. Taga began receiving sign messages from the inmates on the other side, indicating that something was occurring on the far side of the facility's second level. A few seconds later, the lights on the bridge cut off, then were shortly reactivated. Loy made excuses about the prison staff making counts, but Melshi sarcastically questioned why they cut the power to do so, to the floor manager's annoyance. Taga and other sign communicators began receiving word that something serious had happened on level two, and Loy argued with them before the group was advised by the intercom and proceeded to their sleeping block as usual.
At their beds, Melshi watched from his bunk as Andor attempted to probe information from Loy—whose bunk was beside Melshi's—about the guard numbers, though the floor manager was insistent that such behavior would be regrettable. Taking a different approach, Andor supported Melshi's stance on the facility, stating that the prisoners were cheaper than droids and easier to replace. After Loy made his opinion clear, Melshi shrugged his fingers at Andor, who proceeded to assert to the manager that the Imperials were not listening to them.
====Breaking point====
The next morning on the bridge, the Five-Two night shift had heard a rumor that both shifts of unit two-five on level two had been "fried." Skeptical, Kino turned to Zinska, the Five-Two night shift floor manager, who said it was because the inmates were causing trouble. After the two shifts were put "on program," Ulaf asked what had happened, and Melshi responded that they all had been set free. Without hesitation, Loy turned and began beating Melshi for sharing his opinion again, but Andor quickly stopped him, encouraging Loy not to reveal their level of awareness.
Near the end of the day's shift, Ulaf's well-being was severely degrading, and at the end of the shift, the old man collapsed from a stroke. Though the team tried to cover him up, it was no use, and Melshi and Cassian promptly assisted Ulaf halfway across the bridge before he could not walk any longer. Loy supervised, having Zinska summon a med-tech to tend to the suffering worker. Waiting for a med-tech to arrive, the floor manager ordered Melshi to continue to the sleeping block while he and Andor stayed with Ulaf. Unfortunately for Ulaf, the medic, Doctor Rhasiv, was unable to help him and had the man euthanized.
When Kino and Cassian entered the sleeping block, the other prisoners were able to see that Ulaf had not made it back. Andor then began spreading what he and the floor manager had heard from Rhasiv: that Unit-Two-Five had been "fried" because a released inmate from Level 4 had reappeared among them, and the facility staff wished to quash the rumors. Several other inmates in the block were skeptical of Andor's claim until Loy shouted that no one was getting out. The floor manager confirmed the rumors to be true and advised Melshi and the others to get their heads back in their cells and figure out their situation.
====The uprising====
The next morning, the inmates rose from their beds, and Loy announced that their days of counting shifts were over, telling them to make their escape look good. Thus, the unit went to their usual shift, with Melshi glancing at Andor as the latter eyed the barely visible prison guards above them. As the guards began preparing to bring in a new inmate, Andor made a final run to the refresher to burst the water pipe he had been filing. Once a guard checked that the room's inmates were working as usual, Melshi gave the go-ahead to the rest of table five, who began gathering equipment to use against the guards along with the other tables. The prisoners were then placed on program, with many, like Melshi, concealing tools behind their backs.
Andor returned, having burst the water pipe to start a flood coming from the refresher. Once the new prisoner began descending on a lift, Ham and Xaul started a fake fight, distracting the security so that Andor could jam the lift halfway. After another table broke pipes as a distraction, Melshi threw a tool at Loy, and the floor manager had the unit begin throwing equipment at the prison guards. The guards fired at the prisoners, killing the new inmate, Birnok, and several others. The security then activated the floor, but the growing pool of water from the refresher short-circuited the electricity, cutting the power to the floor. Loy led Melshi and the others in continuing their assault, though some, like Xaul, fell victim to blast fire.
Andor was able to climb up and defeat the guards, and Loy ordered the others to start climbing. Melshi and his companions made it up and gathered available DH-17 blaster pistols, splitting up to free other workrooms. He and several others made their way to one room, where a security guard gunned down one of his fellow inmates. Melshi fired back at his attacker and took cover before coming out again to shoot the guard down. The prisoner then shouted to the room, now interrupted from their shift, advising them to climb out. A trio of prison guards then tried to ambush Melshi and his companions, only to be gunned down from behind by a group of inmates, including Ham, Jemboc, and Taga. The two groups started walking down another corridor.
Meanwhile, Loy and Andor seized control of the facility's command center and had the main power supply cut, which made the complex resort to its backup supply. Loy then broadcasted a message to all of the inmates, condemning the prison owners and calling on the prisoners to take control and escape. During the announcement, Melshi ascended the prison stairs and reached the command center. He stood guard until Loy finished his speech, with the pair and Andor making their way toward the exit with many other prisoners. They reached a landing pad overlooking Narkina 5's oceans, with Andor telling Melshi they had made it. With inmates jumping into the sea to get away, Loy revealed that he could not swim, though Andor and Melshi could not hear what he could say. As the floor manager said it louder, the crowd of escapees pushed the other two off the ledge.
====Fleeing Narkina 5====
Melshi and Andor swam to land and were separated from the other escapees. The pair ran across the land as Imperial patrols began searching for escapees. The next day, the two hid on the side of a dried-out quarry as a TIE/rp Reaper attack lander patrolled for fleeing prisoners. Melshi lost feeling in his hands and complained to Andor, stressing that he could not climb back up. He then confirmed with his companion that the TIE was leaving, and they were able to get back up.
Eventually, Melshi and Andor spotted two alien fishers. Cassian deduced that they had not walked there, and Melshi concluded they should go around for a better look. As Melshi and Andor got to a closer spot to the aliens, the former spotted a starship, which Andor identified as a quadjumper, though he was unsure whether he could fly it as the model was old. Melshi thus got up and started running for the ship. Andor wanted him to be careful, but Melshi doubted that the aliens were fast enough to stop them, ignoring his friend's further warnings. The pair sprinted toward the quadjumper, only to activate a trap that snared the escaped inmates in organic netting. 
The Keredian fisher, Dewi Pamular, spoke to his brother, Freedi Pamular, about the reward for turning escapees in, adding that the prison had spoiled their water. Melshi and Andor insisted they had done nothing wrong, specifying that the Empire was to blame. Freedi claimed that it did not matter if the two were alive or dead, drawing their knife. Melshi and Cassian begged them not to go through with it when Dewi began ranting about how the Empire would kill anyone. The Keredian assured the prisoners that they would not die and Freedi released them from the nets. After Dewi asked where they wanted to flee, Melshi and Andor exchanged looks before the latter suggested Niamos.
The aliens took Melshi and Andor there, where Andor retrieved some of his possessions from before the Empire had imprisoned him. Afterward, Melshi waited by the sea while Andor made contact with an associate of his, Xanwan, on his homeworld Ferrix. During the call, Andor learned that his mother, Maarva, had died. Once the call was over, Melshi checked on his companion, then remarked that all the space and fresh air felt like a dream. He questioned how many other prisoners might have made it off of Narkina 5 and said that the galaxy had to know what the Empire was doing with its prisoners. Melshi advised his friend that they should split up to double their chances, and Andor, in agreement, gave him the civil servant Syril Karn's B1-NAStar Wars: Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide blaster pistol. The two then embraced before parting ways.
===Early Alliance service===
Melshi readily joined the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the early Galactic Civil War against the Empire, intent on fighting the Empire every step of the way. An experienced soldier and infiltrator,Star Wars: Rogue One: Secret Mission Melshi was given the rank of sergeant in the Pathfinders branch of the Rebel Alliance Special Forces due to his experience as an undercover soldier. During his time with the rebels, Melshi was a good friend of Andor, who had become a captain in the Alliance Intelligence. As an infiltrator, Melshi served as a leader on several missions and often had to perform dirty work in the name of the Rebellion.
At one point, Melshi served with Lieutenant Caluan Ematt on the planet Gaulus, befriending the lieutenant during his time there. Sharing his expertise with other members of the Rebellion, Melshi also made additions to a rebel field manual, writing a section on various Imperial stormtrooper variants and describing the distinctive features of each of those branches. By 1 BBY, Melshi was a member of the Massassi Group, the largest rebel cell operating from the Great Temple on the fourth moon of the planet Yavin, where he answered to General Davits Draven. By then, the sergeant was considered one of the Alliance's seasoned veterans.
===Rescue of Jyn Erso===
In 1 BBY, Andor received intelligence that the Empire was building a superweapon with enough firepower to destroy a planet. It was, in reality, the Death Star superweapon that he and Melshi had unknowingly contributed to while on Narkina 5. The Alliance attempted to make contact with the weapon's leading engineer, Galen Erso, by locating his daughter, Jyn. The rebels uncovered recent arrest files on Erso indicating that she was being held inside Imperial Detention Center & Labor Camp LEG-817 on the planet Wobani under the alias "Liana Hallik." Having verified that information, General Draven approved the formation of Extraction Team Bravo, a rapid-response team of Marine Corps led by Melshi. The team included two other rebel troopers as well as K-2SO, a reprogrammed Imperial KX-series security droid, which was recommended to Melshi by Andor.
A rescue plan was personally devised by Melshi, who was able to find the exact location and moment when a rescue could be attempted.Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy The extraction team used a U-wing starfighter designated Bravo One to reach Wobani,Star Wars Battlefront: Rogue One: X-wing VR Mission'' timing their arrival to coincide with the moment when Erso was being transported on a workers' convoy. Evading Imperial sensors, the team landed on the planet and proceeded undercover to a halfway point between the prison and the convoy's destination. With great risk to themselves, the team overtook and boarded one of the Empire's HCVw A9 turbo tanks that held the captive Erso. Melshi and his men took out two stormtrooper guards, after which the sergeant unlocked Erso's stuncuffs, informing her that she was being rescued. However, Erso believed that Melshi was a member of the Partisans group, sent by her former mentor Saw Gerrera with the mission to assassinate her. As such, when another prisoner asked Melshi to unbind him, Erso took advantage of the distraction, punching Melshi in the face and grabbing a nearby shovel. Erso knocked out Melshi and his companions with the shovel before rushing from the tank, only to be intercepted by K-2SO outside.
With Erso taken into custody, Melshi and the extraction team returned to Bravo One and left the planet. However, the team experienced a technical malfunction with the U-wing's navigation computer, rendering them unable to make the jump to hyperspace and forcing them to take refuge inside an asteroid field in the Wobani system. The situation necessitated K-2SO to call for assistance from the Alliance Fleet, which quickly responded by sending Red Flight, a group of four T-65B X-wing starfighters, to assist Melshi's team and provide escort until the rebel CR90 corvette Vigilant arrived to pick up the team. However, as soon as the Vigilant arrived in the system, an Imperial-class Star Destroyer emerged from hyperspace, destroying the corvette and catching Bravo One with a tractor beam. While Red Flight fought off the Star Destroyer's complement of TIE fighters, K-2SO was able to repair their craft's navigation computer. Red Flight then destroyed the Star Destroyer's targeting array, momentarily turning off the tractor beam and allowing Melshi's team to make the jump to hyperspace.
===Breaking the rules===
Safely arriving on Yavin 4, Melshi escorted Erso to a meeting with the Alliance High Command, keeping her in binders and warning her not to try to escape again. After delivering his captive, Melshi also made sure to inform Lieutenant Voren Na'al that, despite her young age, Erso should not be taken lightly, telling the lieutenant about Erso's ability to overpower trained Alliance troopers during her escape attempt on Wobani. The Alliance recruited Erso on a mission to locate her father, a task she completed.
Through Galen, Jyn learned that the Imperial superweapon project was named the "Death Star" and that her father had secretly sabotaged the project. Galen had placed a crucial weakness in the station's design that could be taken advantage of in order to destroy the superweapon. However, the only way the Alliance could identify that weak spot was by obtaining a copy of the Death Star's technical readouts, which were kept inside a secure vault in the Imperial security complex on the planet Scarif. Jyn attempted to persuade the Alliance High Command to assemble a strike team to retrieve the plans, but the rebel leaders vetoed the mission.
However, before the official decision was even announced, Andor had started assembling a volunteer force to accompany Erso to Scarif. Melshi was against the Alliance High Command's decision to do nothing, so when he was approached by his friend and asked to form an infiltration team, he enthusiastically accepted the offer. Melshi hastily began assembling a team among the SpecForce commandoss, making it clear that the mission was voluntary and those who joined were disobeying orders.
Melshi was grateful when more than a dozen commandos volunteered for the mission—including the Drabatan warrior Paodok'Draba'Takat and a higher-ranking officer, Lieutenant Taidu Sefla—as well as some non-SpecForce soldiers, such as Corporal Stordan Tonc. Melshi and his recruits joined a team consisting of Andor, Erso, K-2SO, defected Imperial pilot Bodhi Rook, and the Guardians of the Whills Chirrut Îmwe and Baze Malbus to form a squad of over two dozen men. After appropriating as much rebel equipment as it could, the team—taking on the callsign Rogue One—boarded a stolen Imperial cargo ship, SW-0608, and departed for Scarif.
===Battle of Scarif===
An important Imperial location, Scarif was protected by a planetary shield, with the orbital Shield Gate space station providing the sole means of entry. Since Rogue One was in possession of the stolen shuttle's Imperial access codes, the rebel infiltrators were able to pass through the Shield Gate. As the shuttle approached Landing Platform Nine of the Imperial security complex, Andor and Erso instructed the members of Rogue One in their plan. Melshi, Pao, Îmwe, and Malbus were to go with the main rebel team, which was supposed to provide a distraction and draw out as many Imperial forces from the complex as possible, allowing Andor, Erso, and K-2SO to sneak inside the data vault and steal the Death Star plans.
Due to his complete trust in Melshi's skills and belief that the sergeant had mission-specific knowledge crucial to the mission's success, Andor assigned him as the overall commander of the rebel forces instead of the highest-ranking officer, Lieutenant Sefla. After the shuttle landed, an Imperial inspection team boarded it, but the rebels, hidden inside a cargo compartment, overpowered them. Andor and Erso disguised themselves with uniforms taken from the Imperials and left the ship. Leaving five men aboard the shuttle with Rook, Melshi took the rest of the rebel troops and sneaked away through the shuttle's bottom hatch, using cover provided by blasts of coolant that spewed from the shuttle's purge vents per standard Imperial landing procedures.
As instructed by Andor, Melshi led his troops into Scarif's jungles eastward from the shuttle until they reached a small hillock near some Imperial barracks. Distributing demolition charges among his team, Melshi had his troops set explosives on the various landing pads outside the complex while Îmwe and Malbus dispatched any stormtroopers who posed a danger to the infiltrators. After planting the charges, the team reassembled at Melshi's position at the barracks, taking cover and preparing for an ambush of Imperial forces. When Andor, Erso, and K-2SO entered the Imperial complex, Melshi received contact from Andor, who gave him the go-ahead to detonate the explosives. Melshi triggered the bombs, and the explosions on multiple landing pads led the Empire to believe that numerous groups of rebels were attacking it at once; Rook added to the confusion with false reports of rebel activity via radio. Responding to the attacks, the Imperial garrison rushed from the barracks into the path of Rogue One's fire.
Due to the surprising nature of Melshi's attack, the battle at the barracks initially went in the rebels' favor. However, as Imperial reinforcements began to arrive in great numbers, Rogue One took heavy casualties. Melshi's troops attempted to hold their ground at the hillock, but the stormtroopers took a spearhead formation in an attempt to break their defense. In the heat of the battle, Melshi spotted a brief opportunity to break the Imperial formation. The sergeant ordered his forces to attack, and Rogue One destroyed a number of Imperials with a well-aimed shot from a missile launcher. However, Rogue One failed in its last-ditch attempt and had to retreat into the jungle, as the Empire threw all of its forces, including AT-ACT walkers and TIE strikers, at the rebels.
===Last chance for victory===
Meanwhile, the Rebel Alliance fleet—having intercepted Imperial communications regarding rebel activity on the planet—arrived at Scarif to assist Rogue One. The Alliance was able to reinforce Melshi's squad on the surface with a number of U-wings carrying rebel troopers, while X-wings from Blue Squadron provided air support. The Empire quickly responded by closing the Shield Gate, effectively trapping the rebel forces on the surface and preventing them from contacting the rebel fleet. Melshi and a dozen survivors from the battle at the barracks emerged from the jungle onto the beach of Scarif, where they witnessed the arrival of rebel reinforcements, who successfully destroyed several AT-ACTs. Amid the continuing battle with Imperial forces, Melshi was contacted by Tonc—one of the troopers left behind at the shuttle with Rook—through the long-range communications booster that the sergeant carried.
Tonc and Rook informed Melshi that he needed to locate a "master switch" in order to link up the Imperial complex's massive Citadel Tower with Rook's shuttle. Doing so would allow Rook to contact the rebel fleet in space and instruct them to create an opening in the planetary shield, enabling Andor and Erso to transmit the Death Star plans to the rebel ships. Rook told Melshi that the master switch was located inside a bunker complex within the outer perimeter of the Citadel Tower. Following Rook's instructions, Melshi led the remainder of Rogue One—partially reinforced by arriving rebel troops—to the Citadel Tower. While the team was approaching the bunker complex, elite Imperial death troopers joined the fight, killing rebel soldiers one by one.
As he tried to help a wounded rebel to safety, Melshi was hit by enemy blaster fire. Gravely injured, he was forced to take cover at the door of the bunker complex. The only ones who made it to the bunker alongside Melshi were Îmwe, Malbus, and Sefla. Melshi was contacted by Rook, who informed him that Andor and Erso had successfully retrieved the Death Star plans; now the rebels desperately needed to turn the master switch, which Melshi spotted located at a workstation ten meters away from the bunker, directly in the line of fire of the death troopers. Sefla attempted to make a run for it, but the enemy soldiers immediately gunned him down.
Soon after, rather than ordering one of the others to attempt the run, the already injured Melshi made his own run for it, making it farther than Sefla before also being fatally gunned down. However, Îmwe was able to activate the master switch before he and Malbus also met their ends at the hands of the death troopers. With the link between the Citadel Tower and Rogue One's shuttle established, Rook successfully contacted the rebel fleet, telling them about his plan to transmit the Death Star plans before being killed. The Alliance Fleet eventually destroyed the Shield Gate, allowing Andor and Erso to beam the Death Star plans to the rebel fleet. Meanwhile, the Death Star arrived in orbit and fired its superlaser, destroying the Imperial security complex and killing the remaining rebel forces still on the planet's surface, including Andor and Erso.
===Legacy===
The Battle of Scarif was the first major victory for the Rebellion in the Galactic Civil War, and the successful extraction of the Death Star plans by Melshi's team allowed the Rebel Alliance to destroy the battle station shortly afterward during the Battle of Yavin. Lieutenant Ematt felt sorry for Melshi's passing, believing the sergeant had met his end too early. After the events of Scarif, some noticed that the rebel commanders seemed almost embarrassed by the successful actions of Rogue One, despite the fighters who had taken action having died and the ones who had not still being alive.Star Wars (2015) 39 In 1 ABY, Jedi-in-trainingStar Wars: Timelines Skywalker admittedStar Wars (2015) 42 he had thought how Rogue One's members persevered through obstacles during their Scarif mission, including sacrificing themselves so he could destroy the Death Star. The callsign of the doomed Rogue One group, which Melshi was a part of, was retired in their honor after the Scarif endeavor to honor their sacrifice and heroism.
By 4 ABY,Star Wars: The Rebel Files establishes that The Rebel Files was buried during Hendri Underholt's mission to Durkteel on the same day as the Battle of Endor, which Star Wars: Timelines dates to 4 ABY. As the former also states that The Rebel Files was rediscovered thirty years after the battle, the artifact must have been found in 34 ABY. rebel documents mentioning Melshi, as well as a copy of his field manual, were collected by archivist Hendri Underholt for the compilation of non-electronic documents known as The Rebel Files. Decades later in 34 ABY, after The Rebel Files were discovered during an excavation on the planet Durkteel, Ematt—now a major in the Resistance against the First Order—made annotations on the documents, fondly remembering the fallen sergeant after seeing his field manual. Ematt also considered using Melshi's successful extraction plan of Jyn Erso as a template for similar Resistance operations.
==Personality and traits==
===Hopeless prisoner===
Standing at 1.83 meters, Ruescott Melshi was a tall,Rebel Rising light-skinned man with brown eyes, black hair—which he later kept almost completely shaven—and facial hair stubble. Imprisoned by the Empire, Melshi eventually lost hope of being freed by his incarcerators. He was conscious of the Imperial guards watching his work room, assuming that they were laughing at his table when they were behind in competition with the rest of their room. The prisoner cynically concluded that his team would not be let off for being behind because of being an inmate down until Cassian Andor was rotated in. Melshi went out of his way to correct Xaul when the man called "Keef" the new guy, instead of his name. He was also sure to warn the new guy that his days of hope were over.
Melshi was attentive and watched those around him, prisoners or guards. During the Level 2 incident, he sarcastically claimed the Empire could keep him and his cohorts on the bridge forever and mockingly questioned Loy's explanation for the power cut. The prisoner went to Ulaf's aid when the man had a stroke, leaving reluctantly when Loy asked him to go to his cell. Melshi frequently exchanged looks with Andor. During the prison escape, Melshi took the lead when moving through the facility's hallways with other prisoners. In his effort to help other rooms escape, he was briefly suppressed by defending guards but was swift to re-enter the firefight to defeat his enemy. When reuniting with Andor and Loy at the command center, he waited for the pair to leave with them.
While hanging on a cliff, an agonized Melshi rejected Andor's reassurance, believing for a moment that he would not make it. When spotting the Pamular brothers' quadjumper he felt that he and Andor could steal it, promptly rushing for the vessel. After being netted by the aliens, he gradually got more desperate as he tried to convince Dewi and Freedi not to turn him and Andor back in. Having made it off of Narkina 5, Melshi thought about the rest of the inmates that escaped, seeing it as his mission to spread the word about the Imperial prison if none of the other escapees made it off-world.
===Rebel leadership===
Despising the Empire, Melshi joined the Rebel Alliance and eventually became an experienced SpecForce soldier and a veteran member of the Rebellion. Melshi came to perform some dirty work for the Alliance in that capacity, never hesitating to do so in the name of the Rebellion's pure ideals. Overall, the sergeant considered the Alliance Special Forces superior to its Imperial equivalent, and he believed that the SpecForce's successes would be a major contributing factor in defeating the Empire. The sergeant led his soldiers by example and never asked his troops to do something he was unwilling to do himselfStar Wars: Rogue One: A Junior Novel to fulfill objectives that he considered achievable or at least worth risking everything for. 
Melshi displayed calm leadership when rescuing Erso, and when assembling his team to go to Scarif, Melshi made sure to choose only volunteers, thoroughly explaining all the dangers and repercussions of the upcoming mission. He cared for his fellow soldiers, trying to get a wounded rebel to safety on Scarif while being shot at by enemy troops. Due to his attitude, the troops under Melshi's command were ready to follow his orders unconditionally. After being hit with a shovel by Jyn Erso on Wobani, Melshi held a grudge against her. Recognizing her ability to disable trained Alliance soldiers, he kept her in binders all the way to Yavin 4. Upon arrival at the rebel base, he made sure to warn fellow rebels of the danger that she presented.
Melshi was acquainted with the Iakaru cover-fire specialist Bistan, finding him crazy but trusting in his ability to cover even the most dangerous landings. While serving on Gaulus, Melshi also met Lieutenant Caluan Ematt, who fondly remembered the sergeant after his death, calling him an "old nek" and lamenting his passing. Melshi was also close friends with Cassian Andor, readily accepting his request to accompany him to Scarif, unafraid of the consequences of disobeying direct orders of the Alliance command. Andor, in turn, placed his complete trust in Melshi, assigning him as the overall commander of the Rogue One team, even though he was not the highest-ranking officer present on the mission. Although Melshi himself was on Scarif in violation of the Alliance's command authority, the sergeant did not appreciate it when those under his command disobeyed his orders. When the Guardians of the Whills refused to take explosives and instead chose to pick off patrolling stormtroopers, Melshi was displeased with their disobedience but allowed them to proceed with their plans.
==Skills and abilities==
Sergeant Melshi was a combative and practical commander who never shied away from improvisation when presented with a difficult mission.Star Wars: On the Front Lines He was one of the most experienced soldiers in the Alliance, and his talent for improvisation proved crucial for the success on Scarif, where Melshi had to quickly adapt to rapid changes in strategy. Melshi was adept at reconnaissance and displayed an affinity for combat tactics, personally crafting a successful strategy to liberate Jyn Erso on Wobani. Highly intelligent, Melshi also quickly realized that since the Empire heavily outnumbered the rebels on Scarif, their only choice was to attack in such a way as to appear more powerful than they were. During the battle at the barracks, Melshi was also able to see an opening for a counterattack and tried to exploit it to regain the advantage in the fight.
Seeing rebel forces arriving to assist Rogue One on Scarif, Melshi was grateful for the help, but he also predicted the immediate Imperial response, realizing that the Empire would close the planetary shield to cut off the rebels. As an infiltrator and a member of the Pathfinders, Melshi was an expert at wilderness fighting while camouflaged, which worked to his advantage in the jungles of Scarif. When Bodhi Rook tried to explain to Melshi the importance of the master switch, the latter was fairly confused with the terminology; a soldier first and foremost, Melshi had little knowledge of communications technology. In addition to his combat prowess and agility, Melshi also had some moderate skills in diplomacy. The sergeant was not Force-sensitive.
==Equipment==
While a prisoner of Narkina 5, Melshi wore paper-thin, white-and-orange prison scrubs, bearing no footwear. During his shifts at Table Five, he utilized a riveting tool. In escaping the Imperial prison, the inmate used a DH-17 blaster pistol. On Niamos, Melshi wore a blue and gray patterned shirt over another gray shirt. He also donned gray trousers and brown shoes and was given a B1-NA blaster pistol by Andor.
As a SpecForce soldier, Melshi carried a variety of specialized equipment while on duty. When the sergeant was performing the extraction of Jyn Erso on Wobani, he was almost completely covered in gear, leading Erso to mistake him for a ruthless assassin sent after her by Gerrera. During the Battle of Scarif, Melshi was armed with an A-300 blaster rifle with a collapsed barrel and no stock, a model he favored for its compactness. He wore a standard outfit of SpecForce commandos, consisting of trousers, a jacket, and a vest—all with multiple pockets—along with reinforced gloves and boots. He was content with wearing a quilted fabric cap instead of a metal helmet worn by some of the troops under his command. A headset comlink repeater and earpiece were attached to his headgear, allowing orders to be relayed to Melshi and his soldiers and enabling the sergeant to monitor his unit's responses.
Trained to operate in any environment, Melshi was equipped with a pair of goggles to protect his eyes against shrapnel, dirt, and intrusive atmosphere particles. He also carried a long-range communications booster, which allowed him to cut through Imperial jamming on Scarif and maintain communications with his squad. His other equipment included an additional comlink, a pair of quadnoculars, and a heavy backpack with a long range communications amplifier. Melshi was responsible for handling the demolition work on Scarif, distributing the explosives, and being the one to pull the trigger.
==Behind the scenes==
===Portrayal milestones===
Ruescott Melshi first appeared in the 2016 Star Wars Anthology film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, in which he was portrayed by actor Duncan Pow. Melshi was first revealed in the second trailer for the film on October 13, 2016. In the film, the character was addressed only by his last name; the first name "Ruescott" was established in the film's novelization, as well as the books Star Wars: Rogue One: Secret Mission and Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide, all released simultaneously with the film on December 16, 2016.
===Introduction in Rogue One===
Duncan Pow joined the crew working on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story during the early stages of the film's production, between 2014 and 2015. According to Pow, he was recruited by casting director Jina Jay after he emailed his acting reel to a number of casting directors based in the United Kingdom, Jay being one of the only to respond. The actor initially worked as an assistant, helping Jay at her office with actor auditions during the casting phase. He also helped with screen tests, being in one of the original camera tests for the film. Pow then had a small part as a rebel pilot in the production.
Rogue One underwent some reshoots, where the character of Melshi had been written in. Pow was involved in the reshoots, and had a conversation about Buddhism and chanting with Tony Gilroy, the writer and second unit director who headed Rogue One reshoots. In that conversation, the actor learned of the new character of Melshi. He went on a holiday to Italy afterward, and upon return, was given the role of portraying the character, an opportunity he was immensely grateful for. Pow quickly came to understand his character as someone who was willing to give everything for a cause.
Pow described the experience of playing Sergeant Melshi and being a part of the Star Wars universe as a "dream come true," as the original trilogy film Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back was the first ever film that he had seen at the cinema. He praised the overall filming experience as an amazing chance to live out his childhood dreams. With regard to the filming of the Scarif scenes—which were shot on the Maldives—Pow especially remembered the hot climate. His favorite scene to film was the action sequence in which Melshi got shot during the approach to the bunker. Pow has been following the portrayal of Melshi in other media adaptations of Rogue One, and he is aware of the first name of his character.
===Reprisal in Andor===
====Pow's return====
By November 8, 2018, development had begun for a live-action Disney+ show expanding the backstory of Cassian Andor, eventually named Andor. Gilroy himself was made showrunner for the series. Upon first hearing about Andor, Pow was optimistic about being able to get involved. While he had maintained contact with Gilroy in the time since the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story production, he did not initially know that his friend had been put in charge of Andor. That was until Gilroy had the show's casting director Nina Gold reach out to Pow's agent in around February 2020, asking about the actor's availability and requesting that he reach out to Gilroy again. Pow was called by the showrunner immediately after messaging him, Gilroy telling him about Andor and his reprisal of Melshi in the show.
While Gilroy wished to catch up further in London, Pow's holiday plans and then the COVID-19 pandemic delayed their conversation by around a year until circa March 2021, when the showrunner called him again to discuss his role of Melshi in the series. Gilroy spoke to the actor about what his character would be like in the show, Pow taking notes for all of it. The idea was put across that Melshi would be an independent thinker and implemented aspects of Pow's own personality into it, including his Buddhist ideals of being free in the mind. Pow was also asked about availability for filming dates and if he was still in shape, the actor having to work on his fitness prior to being on set.
====Production====
For his character, Pow thought about Melshi's characterization in Rogue One and considered what might bring him to that point through Andor. Despite Pow's skepticism, Andor's actor Diego Luna still recognized him after a number of years since filming for Rogue One. His first shoots occurred shortly after the end of a COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom. The scenes were the ones on Niamos, which were photographed at the beach town Cleveleys in Lancashire, United Kingdom. Footage of Pow on that set was leaked online on May 8, 2021. On June 3 of that year, the insider Bespin Bulletin shared a scoop on a podcast that Melshi would be reappearing in the show.
Filming for the Narkina 5 scenes in "Daughter of Ferrix" took place in Middle Peak Quarry in Wirksworth, Derbyshire, United Kingdom, near to the town of Matlock where Pow once lived. The Narkina 5 prison scenes were done at Pinewood Studios, the last to be filmed for Andor Season 1 according to Sanne Wohlenberg. In the almost two months spent filming the prison sequences, Pow enjoyed working with the other actors of Table Five and considered the production lifestyle to also be prison-like because of the regulations set in to prevent the spread of COVID-19. A lot of the props used for the prison were motorized. Melshi made his debut for the series in the first season's eighth episode, "Narkina 5," released on October 26, 2022. For the tenth episode, "One Way Out," which was released on November 9, 2022, Leo Woodruff served as Pow's stunt double for Melshi.
===Inconsistencies===
The adult and the junior novelizations of Rogue One give conflicting information with regard to the exact circumstances of Melshi's death. In the adult novel, Melshi succumbs to the blaster shot wound he received earlier and dies at the bunker doors. In the junior novel, more than four people reach the bunker doors. After Sefla unsuccessfully tries to reach the master switch, Melshi—seeing as there are no more volunteers to complete the mission—makes his own attempt to run for it rather than ordering one of his own men to do so. He makes it slightly farther than Sefla before he is gunned down by the enemy. Since his death in the film occurs off-screen, it is impossible to determine which variation of his death is canonical. This article currently follows the junior novel's depiction of events.
Another contradiction is presented in the book Star Wars: Rogue One: Ultimate Sticker Encyclopedia, which does not mention Melshi at any point. Instead, the book states that Lieutenant Sefla commanded the rebel troops on the ground during the Battle of Scarif.Star Wars: Rogue One: Ultimate Sticker Encyclopedia However, other sources, such as Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide, have established that Melshi was the commander of ground forces despite being outranked by Sefla.
In a magazine article written by Mark Newbold and Sander de Lange, "Galactic Britain II: Cassian's Travels," his surname is incorrectly spelt as "Melchi." The article was published in 219th issue of the Star Wars Insider magazine on June 13, 2023.
==Appearances==
==Sources==
==Notes and references==
==External links==
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Category:Alliance Military enlisted personnel
Category:Authors
Category:Extraction Team Bravo personnel
Category:Humans
Category:Individuals with he/him pronouns
Category:Males
Category:Narkina 5 Imperial Prison Complex prisoners
Category:Pathfinders
Category:Rogue One personnel