SPECULATION Who is Ello Asty?

It's refreshing to see more alien pilots. I love the design... could he be the 'new Wedge'?

 

He's got a bit of a Sebulba look about him, I'm glad a alien is being given the chance solo not just be a nagging co-pilot, the subtitle radio chatter will be awesome when a space battle occurs.

 

He has a similar marking on his helmet as Biggs... hope he doesn't meet the same kind of fate.

 

Given the origin of his name (Ello Asty = El Oh Es Tee = LOST), I do not think his role will be large. Probably similar to Wedge Antilles' role. However, I agree that he looks cool.

 

I'm sure he will be as indispensable as Prune Face was in the OT
xD

 

Fists of Prune Fury.

 

As @Chairman Kaga first observed in another thread, the name Ello Asty is almost certainly another Beastie Boys reference from Abrams.


The text on his helmet even says "Born to ill", a Full Metal Jacket-esque nod to their albums Licensed to Ill and Ill Communication...

 

Didn't somebody say Greg Grunberg was Blue Leader, and signed up for all 3 movies?

Anyway, here's something from Moving Target:



Notice the guy in the bottom right?
Looks a bit like our friend Ello Asty... but it's not.
This one's name is Antrot, a friend of Leia's, and his species seems to be known as "abednedo."
There was another not-so-friendly abednedo in Aftermath by the name of Toomata Wree.

So I guess Ello Asty is also an abednedo?

 

Already a lot of new characters are introduced, probably a background role.
My guess is one of the Resistance pilot that is killed by General Hux in the dramatic space battle over Tanodaka, probably along fan favorites Ackbar and Nien Nunb.

By the way, have you noticed that masked characters (actors with remotely controlled facial articulation), works A LOT better as background characters with very little screen time. It worked in the OT (Ackbar, Nien Nunb, Ewoks, Jabba's court, The Cantina, Yak Face, etc.)... They replaced a lot of these practical effects with the Special Edition... with a LOT of criticism... And for the prequels... they gave a lot of screen time to practical masked characters (The Neimodians, the Jedi Council).... failed... and then went CGI crazy (lazy) (From Puppets to pixels)... it failed and became fake (and it's worst now since it aged terribly... not only for Star Wars, but King Kong....Gollum....etc.).

Some exceptions came with either great mastery of the art (Frank Oz and Yoda)...or a huge price tag (Jabba).

That being said My guess is all masked (remotely controlled-articulated facial expression...whatever) characters will remain background characters (and great action figures).

 

Ten minutes wouldn't be that bad... not even Luke get's 10 minutes in this film.

 

So Ello Asty is a reckless squid-face X-Wing pilot who listens to the Beastie Boys?

Sold. best character in Star Wars ever.

 

There's an infinite amount of aliens you can design. It's fun to keep having new species.

 

It's a galaxy after all!

 

On target find, is that trandoshan they are facing, abenedo you say I haven't heard of that one, any idea what planet they come from?

 

No. The big guy is a "draedan"... at least, that's what I've gathered.
And no idea where the abednedo come from, I just know that we already have 3 of them appearing in the new canon.