Shollan

"Admiral, we have the plans!"

―Shollan —

Lieutenant Shollan was a Mon Calamari male who served under Admiral Raddus in the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Hailing from the waterworld of Mon Cala, he and fellow Mon Calamari Caitken were aides to Raddus, and in 1 BBY, the three attended a briefing where the possibility of an attack on the planet Scarif to steal the Death Star plans was discussed. When the mission was carried out by a group of rogue rebels, Raddus joined their attack onboard his flagship, the Profundity, with Shollan and Caitken by his side.

At Scarif, Shollan gave Raddus several updates throughout the battle. In the course of the fight, the Profundity was able to destroy the Shield Gate at the instructions of former Imperial pilot Bodhi Rook, who was on the surface, at which point Shollan excitedly reported to Raddus that they were receiving a transmission from Scarif. The Death Star, whose plans they had stolen, then emerged from hyperspace, so Raddus called for the fleet to jump to hyperspace; however, the Profundity was disabled by an Imperial-class Star Destroyer, and most of the crew aboard it perished.

Biography[]

Aide to the admiral[]

"I say we fight!"

―Raddus, while standing in front of Shollan —

Listen (file info)^[2]

White Calamari — Caitken (left) and Shollan (right) served as aides to Admiral Raddus.

Shollan hailed from the waterworld of Mon Cala on the planet's colder polar regions.^[1] He^[4] served as a lieutenant^[6] and comms officer^[3] in the Alliance to Restore the Republic.^[2] Alongside fellow Mon Calamari Caitken, Shollan was an aide to Admiral Raddus^[1] and, at some point, put together a report on the status of the Alliance Fleet starships, which Raddus then forwarded to Alliance leader Mon Mothma.^[7] In 1 BBY,^[8] Shollan and Caitken stood next to Raddus during a meeting in Alliance headquarters on^[2] the moon^[1] Yavin 4, in which Alliance High Command discussed whether or not the intel from the recently rescued rebel Jyn Erso on the Galactic Empire's Death Star superweapon was accurate. However, without the full support of the council, an attack would not be authorized.^[2]

Nonetheless, Erso, along with many other rebels, commandeered a Zeta-class Heavy Cargo Shuttle that they had stolen from the Empire, intending to go to the planet Scarif to steal the Death Star plans themselves.^[2] A rebel soldier informed Raddus of this move, who agreed with it. With Shollan and Caitken at his side, he ordered that his flagship, the MC75 Star Cruiser Profundity, be made ready for departure, and it quickly was. The fleet then jumped into hyperspace to join the rogue rebels, Rogue One.^[9]

Battle of Scarif[]

"What's going on down there, lieutenant?"
"Unknown, sir. We can't raise them. All rebel frequencies are blocked."

―Raddus and Shollan —

Listen (file info)^[2]

MonCalamariTrio-RO — Shollan, Raddus, and Caitken on the *Profundity*

The fleet arrived at Scarif, and Raddus ordered the squadron leaders where to take their starfighters as Shollan and Caitken interacted with devices affixed to their chairs. As the battle progressed, Raddus asked Shollan what was occurring below them inside the Shield Gate. However, Shollan reported that that information was unknown and that they had tried to raise the rebels there, but all rebel frequencies were blocked;^[2] the Shield Gate was jamming communications.^[3] Raddus turned around to inform him to keep trying, and the admiral ordered his aide to engage the Imperial I-class Star Destroyers and begin probing the shield.^[2]

As rebel forces were lost in the battle, Shollan informed Raddus that they were having no effect on the Shield Gate and were sustaining heavy losses, which the admiral affirmed. When the Y-wing starfighters of Gold Squadron disabled an Imperial-class Star Destroyer, Shollan called out that the destroyer had lost power.^[3]

Receving the plans[]

"Admiral, receiving transmission from Scarif!"

―Shollan —

Listen (file info)^[2]

ReceivingTransmission-RO — Shollan informs Raddus of the transmission.

Just then, former Imperial pilot Bodhi Rook, who was on Scarif, tried to contact the rebel fleet to inform them that they would have to break open the Shield Gate in order to transmit the Death Star plans. He reached the Profundity, and Raddus confirmed to Rook that they heard him as Shollan listened. Rook explained that Erso and Captain Cassian Andor had found the Death Star plans but needed the Shield Gate down to transmit them, so Raddus ordered Shollan and the other rebels behind him to call up a Sphyrna-class Hammerhead corvette. The corvette successfully knocked one Star Destroyer into the other, causing both of them to fall to the planet's surface and destroy the Shield Gate. Shollan stood up in his place as the plans were beamed to the Profundity, excitedly informing Raddus that they were receiving a transmission from Scarif.^[2] Raddus ordered him to check the data, and once he did so, he eagerly told the Admiral that they had the plans.^[3]

However, the Death Star whose plans they had retrieved then emerged from hyperspace, and Shollan and Caitken stood up on the bridge to look at it.^[2] Shollan called out to Raddus that there was a massive energy buildup in the battle station, but the admiral cut him off.^[3] The station targeted the Imperial security complex below, where Rogue One was trapped. Shollan, Raddus, and Caitken watched as the complex and surrounding area was destroyed. After a moment of silence, Raddus ordered all craft to jump to hyperspace; many ships did so successfully, but the Profundity was then disabled by an arriving Star Destroyer^[2] and destroyed,^[10] with most of the crew, including Raddus, perishing.^[11]

Personality and traits[]

"Engage those Star Destroyers and let's start probing that shield!"
"Yes, sir!"

―Shollan —

Listen (file info)^[2]

Shollan, along with Raddus and Caitken, was eager to pay back the Empire for what they did to the Mon Calamari.^[4] He and Caitken promised to Raddus their all.^[12] Shollan was a Mon Calamari^[2] male^[3] with gray eyes^[2] and albino, white skin.^[5] Due to his hailing from the colder regions of Mon Cala, his blood was said to have been especially thick.^[1]

Skills and abilities[]

Shollan was efficient in following Raddus's orders.^[1] He was highly intelligent and had advanced diplomatic skills, along with average speed, strength, and fighting ability. He was not Force-sensitive.^[4]

Equipment[]

He wore a dark, gray uniform with blue sleeves and a black belt.^[2] He also carried a datapad.^[1]

Behind the scenes[]

"I said to fans at the time, they are going to want a younger guy who can do it not an old man who needs to go for a pee. That actually did happen in Rogue One…I was Shollan in that one. We had gone for six hours solid without a pause break, and my character held up his claw and said, 'I'm sorry but the old man has to pee,' and at that point we got a break."

―Tim Rose^[13]

ShollanCaitkenBTS — Shollan and Caitken on the set of *Rogue One*

Shollan was created for the anthology film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,^[2] released December 16, 2016,^[14] where he was portrayed by Tim Rose,^[15] a puppeteer who portrayed another Mon Calamari, Admiral Gial Ackbar, in the 1983 original trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.^[16] Rose was credited as a creature puppeteer.^[2] At one point during the production of Rogue One, after filming for six hours without taking a break, Rose held up one of Shollan's hands to indicate that he needed to take a break to use the bathroom, which he was then granted.^[13]

An image of Shollan was first showcased prior to the film's release in a StarWars.com article titled "Much to Learn You Still Have: 10 Things You Might Not Know about the Mon Calamari," published August 31, 2016.^[17] Shollan was identified in the accompanying reference book to Rogue One, Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide,^[1] published the same day as the film.^[18] The coloring book Art of Coloring: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,^[6] published on December 20 of that year,^[18] confirmed that Shollan is the Mon Calamari referred to as "lieutenant" in the film.^[6]

The novelization for Rogue One by Alexander Freed mistakenly attributes the line "Sir! Enemy fighters coming in!" to Shollan,^[3] while the film shows Caitken saying it.^[2]