Dang Hasbro, you used to be cool.  The dive into some of the deeper backgrounders started with the Power of the Force “2” (POTF2) Freeze Frame line, but it really kicked into gear with the Power of the Jedi (POTJ) line. In this case, they brought me a figure that I didn’t even know I wanted until I saw it.  It’s the classic case of context in world building scale.  The more Home One based figures we get, the more I want.

I had always thought this was supposed to be the Mon Calamari Officer from the Death Star briefing scene as there are three unnamed Mon Calamari in the background, but only one is dressed like this figure.  The other two are wearing more of a combat fatigue style uniform:

The character depicted with this figure is more commonly seen on the bridge of Home One:

It’s clear these guys are the equivalent of Navy Officers in their khaki uniforms, and the ones wearing fatigues are the equivalent of the Mon Calamari Marines.  I will use small words in case they are reading.

Hasbro got creative by using the POTF2 Admiral Ackbar figure to bring us an entirely new character.  It’s not just a simple repaint.  It’s a partial retool.  Some of the greebles from Ackbar’s chest have been removed, presumably to indicate a lower rank.  Ackbar’s dress shoes have been replaced by some high top sneakers.  I kid you not.  This figure has sculpted laces.  Do they have laces in the Star Wars? That seems decidedly low tech.  Perhaps the biggest addition is the inclusion of the removable helmet.  As you can see in the screenshot above, one of the officers was waring a helmet (most are not).  The Mon Cal cutting a rug in Bright Tree Village is also wearing a helmet at the end of the movie.  It’s always huge when Hasbro gives us screen accurate configurable load outs for “army builders”.

Unfortunately, it’s based on a POTF2 figure.  The proportions were still a ways from being dialed in and it retains Ackbar’s barrel chest.  Additionally, in something that is a callback to the vintage Kenner area, the lower tunic is sculpted into the legs.  This always causes an odd appearance when the legs are articulated.  A chunk of the tunic moves and the rest stays in place.  The base score for a limited articulated figure is a three, but this gets a 4 out of 10 due to the removable helmet.

I would LOVE it if modern day Hasbro would copy this pattern and make some minor retooling to the VC22 - Admiral Ackbar to bring us a Mon Calamari Officer that is up to today’s standards.