Star Wars: In loving memory of Nien Nunb, Rebel paragon

Star Wars heartlessly killed Nien Nunb, so let’s all gather together here today and remember this magnanimous Sullustan, a Rebel superstar.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker tip-toed out of killing a lot of characters. They’re “gotcha!” moment with the fake Chewbacca death was cringe-worthy and other than Ben Solo, that the full and comprehensive list of any brushes with death. Or so we thought. Until the recent disgrace to the heroic Nien Nunb.

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Nien Nunb, the greatest laugher the galaxy has ever seen, was supposedly killed in the battle over Exogol, and yet again, the fractured Star Wars community has come together in unity to mourn the loss of a truly wonderful Sullustan who deserved so much better than a death confirmation a month after the fact.

And so, I thought it would be good and proper to say a few things about our dear friend Nien Nunb, who perished fighting the same foe he thought he defeated over Endor.

Please bow your heads in silence (but also keep reading).

Oh, Nien Nunb. You helped the Rebellion bring new hope to the galaxy from the co-pilot chair in the Millennium Falcon, where you and Lando celebrated joyously, laughing like two children on Christmas morn. Thus, you were immortalized as the laugher of laughs, the living depiction of revelry.

How you stood as a paragon of Rebel virtues. When your people shied away from the Rebellion, and when your employment sided with the Empire, you stood as a beacon of hope in something better, and ensured the safety of the surviving Alderaanian. You hid them from imperial hunters and thus declared yourself a friend of the Rebellion.

For just cause, you were rewarded by Leia, and your watch began.

When the New Republic began, you remained steadfast in your values, never deviating. And when the time came that Leia again put out the call, this time to join the Resistance, you were among the first pilots to join the cause, again standing as the truest ally of freedom.

And now, a brief intermission to share in Nien Nunb’s joy. (Please watch all ten minutes before continuing.)

Welcome back. We continue with our eulogy of a Rebel hero.

At the Battle of Starkiller Base, Nunb’s expertise helped secure victory, and he was one of only a handful of surviving pilots. While it was always Poe Dameron who was called the best pilot in the galaxy, Nunb could not have been far behind.

After the escape from Crait, it was Leia who, in Poe Dameron 27 told Nunb that he had “as much right to the co-pilots seat on the Falcon as anyone.” High praise for one deserving of such words.

In finality, Nien Nunb, you were unjustly done away with in The Rise Of Skywalker because the filmmakers had to kill someone, and with no respect for the Sullustan’s rich history in the Rebellion and Resistance, a history that extends far beyond anyone else’s in the fleet, they chose to off our beloved Nunb without so much as a memorial death scene, the likes of which even Jek Porkins received when his time came.

Nien Nunb, you deserved so much better. Your death was mitigated to the extended edition like some commoner. You are not a commoner. You are royalty. And we will always remember your laugh fondly in our hearts until the end of days.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is currently in theaters.