Commander Jorg Sacul (Rebel Pilot) - SW [S - P1] - Basic (Exclusive)

Among X-wing pilots, Commander Jorg Sacul is renowned for his inner strength, his ability to remain calm under fire, and his mentoring of younger Squadron members. Once a reckless dreamer, his life changed course after a near-fatal crash in his T-16 Skyhopper on his homeworld of Tatooine. He went off to the Academy and emerged as the top pilot in his class and a natural leader. A visionary storyteller, he entertains the pilots in his command with far-flung tales of distant galaxies thousands of years before the Republic. Rumored to be Force sensitive, many say Sacul would have become a great Jedi...if only he had been born in a different time..

2002 was a special year for Star Wars. It was the silver anniversary of the franchise. Hasbro began celebrating that milestone as soon as possible, and the very first “silver” Star Wars figure was produced: the Toy Fair Darth Vader figure. More silver figures would follow, but Hasbro had also been working on a truly special release behind the scenes as well. To commemorate not only the 25th anniversary of Star Wars, but also the second Star Wars Celebration convention, Hasbro produced the Commander Jorg Sacul (Rebel Pilot) figure (a concept of their own) to pay homage to the man who changed our lives forever. Released exclusively at the Celebration II event at the Indianapolis Convention Center from May 3rd to May 5th, it was one of the most sought after action figures of all time creating lines of momentous proportions. To make things even trickier, a running change existed and sent collectors scattering to obtain both versions. Gray beard. White beard. Black registered trademark symbol. White registered trademark symbol. It was madness. And it took many collectors who couldn’t attend Celebration II quite some time to secure their own samples for their collections. Ultimately, the figure was hot because of what it represented: the creator of Star Wars donning a Rebel pilot outfit. It’s not like we see these types of figures with any relative frequency. Again, this is meant to celebrate an unbelievable 25 years of the Star Wars brand. And what a special ride it has been!

The packaging of Commander Jorg Sacul (Rebel Pilot) is nothing out of the ordinary. Housed in the standard Star Wars “Saga” [Phase I] line look, the figure has a cardboard scene as a backdrop which depicts the Rebel base on Yavin IV. Perhaps it’s safe to assume that Commander Jorg Sacul (Rebel Pilot) was part of the Battle of Yavin, just off screen. Other than a special card back (reverse side) and a special 25th anniversary nod on the front, Commander Jorg Sacul (Rebel Pilot) doesn’t come with noteworthy packaging and it will fit into your Star Wars “Saga” line rather flawlessly. The figure itself is interesting however. Based on the 1998 POTF2 [FF/TKC] Biggs Darklighter figure, Commander Jorg Sacul (Rebel Pilot) has been give an all-new head sculpt with a fair likeness to George Lucas. The head is a little bit pinched (vice head as collectors call it) but we have to admit that at certain angles it looks pretty darn good. Hasbro dug deeply into the reaches of their parts catalog and cobbled together this figure’s accessories in a very surprising way. Commander Jorg Sacul (Rebel Pilot) comes with gun of 2002’s SW [S - P1] Captain Typho (Padmé’s Head Of Security) (’02 #09) figure, the helmet of 2001’s POTJ Luke Skywalker (X-wing Pilot) figure and an X-wing model that is just a Micro Machines vehicle with a stand to hold it up. The combination of parts is interesting, but makes for a powerful celebratory figure regardless.

Obviously a POTF2 body (albeit streamlined by 1998) seems to be the wrong choice for 2002 as those sculpts haven’t aged well, surprisingly, Commander Jorg Sacul (Rebel Pilot) doesn’t look all that dated. Besides, this figure was meant to be milestone marker and not the world’s greatest action figure. (We’re not defending shoddy action figures, but hopefully you catch our drift here.) We imagine that not too many loose samples of Commander Jorg Sacul (Rebel Pilot) will exist as most will keep this figure “protected” behind a yellow bubble. With six points of articulation, obviously you’re not going to get a great deal of movement out of this figure. But that’s alright because this is really a display piece anyhow. Still a popular show exclusive, it is surmised to do its limited availability that Commander Jorg Sacul (Rebel Pilot) will continue to maintain its elevated aftermarket prices. In all honesty, online auctions don’t fluctuate that greatly. Originally priced at $10 and limited to two pieces per person, Commander Jorg Sacul (Rebel Pilot) has been a steadily sought after collectors’ item. There is no doubt that the figure will continue to age, but you have to keep in mind that it isn’t everyday that we get a George Lucas action figure. Collectors want to see Mr. Lucas portrayed in jeans and a flannel shirt, but the Maker himself has expressed he never wants to see an action figure like that ever get produced. So, we will just have to wait and see if that ever comes to pass.