When I think of how little we know about Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it kind of boggles my mind. All the toys are from the first third of the movie, and we haven’t seen most of the old characters And we’ve only seen a few of the new aliens.
Case in point, new images of a Hasbro Black Series figure for a character named Ello Asty have just made it online. It’s a character who’s been online in leaked concept art and stuff, but this is our best, full look at him. And he’s super cool. Plus, there’s an odd but awesome link to the Beastie Boys.
Minor spoilers follow.
Here are images of the character, via Jedi Insider.
What’s more, Yakface reports that the Aurebesh writing on his helmet (not visible in these pictures) says “Born to Ill,” which seems odd until you look at his name again. Add an “H” and “N.” It’s “Hello Nasty,” the name of the 1998 Beastie Boys album. They also had the album, “Licensed to Ill,” which makes that link. There’s more on Making Star Wars.
Also, don’t forget, J.J. Abrams put the Beastie Boys song Sabotage in the first Star Trek, so he’s certainly a fan.
As you can tell by Ello’s suit, he’s an pilot, much like Poe Dameron. Here’s how the official Star Wars Database describes him:
Ello Asty is a skilled if occasionally reckless X-wing starfighter pilot for the Resistance.
And right there is where it clicked. This is a character who probably doesn’t have a lot of screen time, but plays a role in this movie and we know nothing about it. There are surely dozens and dozens more like this, and we can’t wait to learn more about them.
More pics at the link! [Jedi Insider, H/T SW Underworld]
Contact the author at germain@io9.com.