Admiral Raddus

"I say we fight!"

- Admiral Raddus’ most famous line Admiral Raddus was a Mon Calamari military admiral for the Rebel Alliance in the Star Wars universe. He is famous for helping Rogue One squad in their hour of need when they were stealing the plans to the first Death Star from an Imperial based on the planet Scarif.

History
Raddus was a gruff, hardy, thick-blooded Mon Cala who was notorious for being more intimidating than polite to people. He was sparse with pleasantries and was happy to flaunt his polar region race’s hardy, thick-blooded reputation. But in spite of his unpleasant, aggressive personality, he cared about the Rebel cause greatly, and was a man of action, believing that strength and might were not only the answer to the Empire, but the only thing the Empire chose to understand.

At the beginning of the official Galactic Civil War, when Rebel newcomer Jyn Erso defied the orders of Rebel High Command and went with a small squad of allies to Scarif to steal the Death Star plans, Raddus, who greatly admired Erso’s dedication to action and defiance of the troublesome Rebel council, followed her there with much of the Rebel Fleet to support and back her up. From his ship, the Profundity, the admiral guided the actions of his fighters and cruisers with expert efficiency. He made several X-Wings and U-Wings fly through the planet’s shield gate, and also had a Rebel corvette pulverize the shield by ramming into the two Star Destroyers orbiting the planet.

The mission ultimately succeeded, but unfortunately, the Death Star suddenly came out of hyperspace, and all members of Rogue One who were not killed in battle were destroyed by the battle station’s superlaser when it fired on the base, including Erso. Gruff or no, Raddus was not devoid of love or compassion, and offered a sad, farewell blessing to Rogue One as the last of them died: “Rogue One, may the Force be with you!” 

Afterwards, Raddus was about to jump to hyperspace with the transmitted plans, but Darth Vader’s Star Destroyer, the Devastator, suddenly came out of hyperspace, and Vader and his troops disabled and boarded Raddus’ ship in an attempt to retrieve the plans. Fortunately, the Rebels managed to scan them to a datacard, and get them into the capable hands of Leia Organa, who later gave them to R2-D2, who made sure they safely got back to Yavin 4, where the Rebels used it to destroy the battle station with Luke Skywalker firing the shot. Sadly, Raddus didn’t live to see this happen, as he was killed when the Profundity was destroyed at Scarif.

Legacy
Raddus was long remembered as one of the greatest and most legendary of his race, on par with the famed, and more loved, Admiral Ackbar. Decades later, during the war against the First Order, a Mon Cala Resistance flagship was named the Raddus in honor of the legendary Admiral, and it was used in the same spirit as Raddus the person was, being a powerful and steadfast weapon against the First Order, and being sacrificed in the end along with the Resistance’s Vice Admiral Holdo to shred the First Order Fleet.