Ackbar
February 24, 2010 3:26 PM   Subscribe

Students at the University of Mississippi voted yesterday to help select a new mascot. The previous mascot, Colonel Reb, a white-bearded old man with a cane and wide-brimmed hat, was removed from sporting events in 2003. There is now a student-led effort to select "Star Wars" character Admiral Ackbar (video of Ackbar saying "It's a trap!" here) as the new mascot. This effort includes a Facebook group and twitter account. The slogan is, "This time it's not a trap." Officials at the University say "No chance." Meanwhile, the "Save Colonel Reb Foundation" has sponsored a series of radio ads, including this one.
posted by bguest (41 comments total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
New mascot: The Grey Fox.
posted by mazola at 3:33 PM on February 24, 2010


Well, he is a Rebel, and being an Admiral is definitely higher ranked than a Colonel.
posted by jabberjaw at 3:34 PM on February 24, 2010 [13 favorites]


Do it for Keggy, the failed Dartmouth mascot!
posted by furious at 3:37 PM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]


But why would Ackbar eat a cheerleader? This whole thing is throughly messed up.
posted by mccarty.tim at 3:40 PM on February 24, 2010


(video of Ackbar saying "It's a trap!" here )

Gee, thanks for spoiling it.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 3:45 PM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]


So, I'm the only one thinking, Holy shit, Admiral Ackbar would be the coolest fucking school mascot ever?
posted by reductiondesign at 3:45 PM on February 24, 2010 [13 favorites]


Wouldn't there be serious licensing issues to be worked out here?
posted by anazgnos at 3:49 PM on February 24, 2010


When my high school built a new lunch room to be opened in 1970, they allowed the students to pick the name of the new cafeteria by popular vote. Heh. We got away with The Alfred Packer Cafeteria until someone ratted us out.
posted by beelzbubba at 3:54 PM on February 24, 2010 [7 favorites]


How bout they just change his name to Colonel Traitor? Colonel Trait'?
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 3:58 PM on February 24, 2010 [3 favorites]


Wait 'til they find out his first name is Allahu.
posted by PlusDistance at 4:01 PM on February 24, 2010 [10 favorites]


How bout they just change his name to Colonel Traitor? Colonel Trait'?

Mississippi still carries the symbol of the Slavers' Treason on their state flag, and fight viciously against attempts to remove it. They won't stand for the university doing that.
posted by kafziel at 4:11 PM on February 24, 2010


When I was at the University of Chicago, many people (including myself) argued that Enrico Fermi should be the school mascot.

Better than some stupid on fire bird anyway
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 4:13 PM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]


They should have multiple-choice mascots.

A) Jeff, The Guy Who Takes his Important Calls in the Library
B) The Fightin' Dean (Motto: Sports? Sure! Just tell'em you're a business major)
3) A giant No.2 pencil
C) All of the above
posted by kuujjuarapik at 4:26 PM on February 24, 2010


Having a Star Wars character as a mascot would mean they'd have to royalties for things like T-shirts and showing the character on TV. That's probably going to put a damper on that idea.
posted by doctor_negative at 4:30 PM on February 24, 2010


How about the Navin R. Johnsons?
posted by drjimmy11 at 4:38 PM on February 24, 2010 [2 favorites]


Enrico Fermi should be the school mascot.

I can't decide if I'm loving or hating the idea of someone monkeying around the sidelines of the football field in a foam Enrico Fermi costume.
posted by Zed at 4:39 PM on February 24, 2010


in re: to it being a trap. The next line is "they're heading for the medical frigate!"

Wtf?? What kind of asshole military brings a hospital ship on an attack??? I'm sure they guys who were recuperating from past battles loved that. "So where are we headed? The tropical beach planet, for R&R?" "Well, not exactly... it's more of a last-ditch attack in which we're hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned, and the enemy has the most destructive weapon ever created." "Awesome."

If you want this for your next movie, Kevin Smith, go for it.
posted by drjimmy11 at 4:41 PM on February 24, 2010 [3 favorites]


I think even Mississippi slave seller and Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest would have been impressed by Ackbar's supreme strategy during the Battle of Endor.

Ackbar: We'll take them completely by surprise and knock out their Death Star!

Rebel Fleet shows up, suddenly the Death Star blasts one of the capital ships out of the sky and a massive Imperial fleet appears.

Ackbar: It's a trap! Run away! Run away!

Lando: No, wait, let's move into the Imperial fleet!

Ackbar: Are you insane?! We won't last ten minutes in there! (Let's run away! = implied)

Lando: We'll last longer than out here being blasted away, and we'll only have this chance to win!

Ackbar: Fine, fine. Let's do it. (subdued: I'd rather run away!)

Battle ensues! The Super Star Destroyer kicks butt and takes name!

Ackbar: Direct all fire power on the super star destroyer!

By freak accident, a scout fighter A-wing, hit and spinning to its doom is directed by its pilot (screaming in terror) into the bridge of the super star destroyer! The massive miles long ship's apparently non-redundant maneuvering system sends the downward to impale into the Death Star.

Ackbar nods wisely as if he his command is completely responsible for the suicide / freak accident attack.

Meanwhile, General Lando, who had opted not to retreat but to fight on, daringly flies the Millennium Falcon with an escort of X-wings, Y-wings and A-wings into the Death Star and by the time they reach the battle station's core only a few of the ships survive. The battle is won as they fire their torpedoes, setting off a series chain reactions which leads to the Death Star blowing up.

Well, wait, who would Forrest be impressed by?

1) Lando? Nah, he's African-American. He's automatically disqualified.

2) Ackbar? Well, Forrest is famous for declaring his strategy was "Get there furstest with the mostests." That sounds about right for Ackbar's freak out and run when he realizes he wasn't first and doesn't have the most ships.

So after this analysis, I do believe Ole Miss should adopt Admiral Ackbar.
posted by Atreides at 4:47 PM on February 24, 2010 [7 favorites]


The medical frigate was there to treat the wounded from the battle of Endor.
posted by vibrotronica at 4:49 PM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]


I can't decide if I'm loving or hating the idea of someone monkeying around the sidelines of the football field in a foam Enrico Fermi costume.

It's OK. We haven't really played football since the 1920s.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 4:50 PM on February 24, 2010 [2 favorites]


I can't decide if I'm loving or hating the idea of someone monkeying around the sidelines of the football field in a foam Enrico Fermi costume.

If that's not an item in the 2010 ScavHunt, SOMEONE'S NOT PAYING ATTENTION.

Ahem. Don't make me sic the Prophet Elijah on you!
posted by eriko at 5:25 PM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]


Lando? Nah, he's African-American

Likely not a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...
posted by l33tpolicywonk at 5:39 PM on February 24, 2010


Wtf?? What kind of asshole military brings a hospital ship on an attack???

The US Navy sent hospital ships along with invasion forces in the Pacific in WWII. The USS Comfort was struck by a kamikaze plane during the Battle of Okinawa.

The Spanish fleet at the invasion of Minorca in 1781 included 3 hospital ships.

Presumably, these aren't the only instances.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 6:16 PM on February 24, 2010




Ackbar nods wisely as if he his command is completely responsible for the suicide / freak accident attack.


The only reason the A-Wing got through was because the shields were brought down by the rebel fleet. It was only a matter of time, Akbar gets credit for the choice of target.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 6:18 PM on February 24, 2010


Noted University of Mississippi historian David Sansing has long pointed out that the model for the original Colonel Rebel emblem was a black man.

Let's say that this is true. (click on the "history" link.)

Doesn't the fact that Ole Miss depicted this black man (Blind Jim Ivey) to instead look like Colonel Sanders illustrate purely racist intent?
posted by three blind mice at 6:23 PM on February 24, 2010


Do it for Keggy, the failed Dartmouth mascot!

failed? pshaw. Dartmouth still hasn't settled on a mascot after rejecting (among other things) the moose, the yeti, and the woodsmen. Well, maybe not so much "rejecting" as "failing to acknowledge," but the result is the same.

Keggy, on the other hand, still pops up at sporting events and in the occasional video.
posted by theoddball at 6:27 PM on February 24, 2010


As an Ole Miss alumna, I was happy to see Colonel Reb go. Admiral Ackbar is clearly the best choice for a new mascot. If either the University administration or LucasFilm's lawyers strike this down, we will become more powerful than they can possibly imagine.
posted by asperity at 6:29 PM on February 24, 2010 [5 favorites]


Will the cheerleaders be Traps?
posted by benzenedream at 6:53 PM on February 24, 2010


If that's not an item in the 2010 ScavHunt, SOMEONE'S NOT PAYING ATTENTION.


Also the lab coat should glow in the dark.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 6:54 PM on February 24, 2010


Wonder how many slaves Col. Reb had.
posted by Ironmouth at 7:46 PM on February 24, 2010


They should have gone with German ALF
posted by HP LaserJet P10006 at 8:01 PM on February 24, 2010


Knowing what a douche George Lucas is, either a) he wouldn't allow use of Admiral Ackbar in the first place, or b) he'd charge Ole Miss a bazillion dollars and then a bazillion more every time they used it.
posted by zardoz at 10:43 PM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]




Knowing what a douche George Lucas is, either a) he wouldn't allow use of Admiral Ackbar in the first place, or b) he'd charge Ole Miss a bazillion dollars and then a bazillion more every time they used it.


George, this is the Internet. Please just let them use the mascot, let this one go, for us. The Internet, you owe us.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 11:06 PM on February 24, 2010


Leave it to the 2000s to take an opportunity with the potential to do something subversive and creative and ruin it with a pop culture cum internet meme with no chance of success.

UC Santa Cruz did it better (As did UC Irvine) in the 80s. Go Banana Slugs! (And Anteaters!)
posted by StrangerInAStrainedLand at 12:24 AM on February 25, 2010 [2 favorites]


George, this is the Internet. Please just let them use the mascot, let this one go, for us. The Internet, you owe us.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 2:06 AM on February 25 [+] [!]


If the internet wanted George Lucas to owe the internet a favor, the internet should have been nicer to George Lucas about the whole Jar Jar Binks thing.
posted by Comrade_robot at 5:19 AM on February 25, 2010 [1 favorite]


Both are stupid ideas. One because it is outdated and anachronistic, the other because it is a property of some filmmaker. You'd think a university would be able to scare up some, you know, creative ideas on their own.

Either own your ironic racism and keep the old one, or come up with you own ideas. I mean, come on! Only grade-school kids borrow Star Wars stuff for their iconography. By the time you are a legal adult, you are supposed to know that doing this is morally and legally wrong unless you /really/ know your art deconstruction.

And, let's face it. Anything that is going onto a t-shirt to support football (or whatever sport they do at U. Miss.) is not expected to be ironic or artsy.
posted by clvrmnky at 5:38 AM on February 25, 2010


The Ole Miss Rebels used to be called The Flood, but they changed in the 1930s. Rebels won over the other leading candidate, Ole Massas. According to the student newspaper, "The Confederate army nickname was selected because Ole Miss Rebels was easier to say than Ole Miss Ole Massas."

James Meredith was the first African American student at Ole Miss. When he tried to register there was a riot that left two people dead, 48 soldiers injured, and 28 U.S. Marshals wounded by gunfire. There's a James Meredith monument there now, which is a nice start, but they need to change the mascot if they're going to leave their past behind.
posted by kirkaracha at 6:49 AM on February 25, 2010 [1 favorite]


I'd say the chances of Ole Miss adopting a "Star Wars" character as a mascot are about as good as the chances of a tornado not passing anywhere within Mississippi's borders in the next three months.
posted by blucevalo at 9:21 AM on February 25, 2010


It's a trap!
posted by dirtdirt at 1:33 PM on February 25, 2010 [1 favorite]


Ackbar would be a great mascot. He was like cross between Simon Bolivar and Dwight D. Eisenhower. And an amphibian.
posted by vibrotronica at 4:30 PM on February 25, 2010 [2 favorites]


Leave it to the 2000s to take an opportunity with the potential to do something subversive and creative and ruin it with a pop culture cum internet meme with no chance of success.

Is that what the 2000s were about? Wow, I'm more in tune with modern culture than I thought!

Go Acbars! *dons foam finger*
posted by Xezlec at 9:38 PM on February 25, 2010


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