Jesmin Ackbar, a Mon Calamari female and the niece of the celebrated Admiral Gial Ackbar, chose a path as a pilot for the New Republic. Before joining Wraith Squadron, however, Jesmin rarely experienced combat while piloting a starfighter. Throughout her early service, officers in Starfighter Command frequently overlooked her due to her familial connection to the Admiral of the Fleet; no squadron commander wanted the responsibility if she died. Jesmin felt her training was a waste because of this. Despite her relatively short time with the Wraiths before her death, she demonstrated the validity of her uncle's and commander's belief in her capabilities.
Jesmin's birthplace was Dac, and she was the offspring of a sibling of the renowned Admiral Gial Ackbar. Eventually, she decided to emulate her uncle, enlisting in the New Republic Defense Force. In 6 ABY, Jesmin questioned her uncle about the wisdom of allowing former Imperial officers to defect; he responded by pointing out that Juno Eclipse, a founder of the Rebel Alliance and the New Republic, was a former Imperial. This exchange was later included in volume 8 of Ackbar: Wartime Correspondence. Jesmin excelled in her initial pilot training, graduating at the top. She then pursued further training as a communications expert, again achieving top marks. However, upon assignment to a line unit in Starfighter Command, her superiors restricted her to routine scouting missions with little chance of combat. Worse, she was often assigned desk duties because of fears of the Admiral's niece dying. Discouraged, Jesmin sought opportunities to prove she wasn't a waste of the credits spent on her training, and she desperately requested a transfer to Wraith Squadron.
When Commander Wedge Antilles began assembling his pilot-commando unit, he sought pilots with histories of mistakes, insubordination, and generally those with failing careers who wanted another chance. Although Jesmin was neither a poor pilot nor a troublemaker, and had exemplary training marks, she was brought in as the squadron's communications specialist. During the unit's initial training, Triogor Sllus, a Quarren candidate, struck her. Due to a prior incident, he was removed from the squadron two days later.
The unit's first action was at the defense and evacuation of Folor Base after Project Morrt, a parasite tracking droids program developed by Warlord Zsinj, discovered it. Jesmin was crucial in preparing for the battle when she detected incoming Imperial communications. After analyzing the transmissions and some creative slicing by Eurrsk "Grinder" Thri'ag under Kell Tainer's orders, the signals indicated the approach of the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Implacable. Jesmin shot down two fighters during the Battle of Folor, but her X-Wing was badly damaged. She was ordered to retreat to the squadron's departure point to avoid drawing more enemy fire.
After the battle and the subsequent capture of an enemy vessel in the Xobome system, Jesmin and her uncle met. During their conversation, Jesmin's role in the squadron was discussed. Ackbar, surprised to see her name on the roster, questioned her about it. Jesmin explained her reasons and asked him not to blame Wedge if she died in combat with the Wraiths. Ackbar simply asked if she was happy, and when she said yes, he agreed to "hold him blameless." Ackbar expressed faith in Jesmin's abilities and Wedge's training, advising her to trust the commander's teachings.
Now stationed aboard the captured modified CR90 corvette Night Caller, Wraith Squadron faced Warlord Zsinj as they systematically dismantled the financial empire funding his war efforts. As the squadron's communications specialist, Jesmin helped Grinder set up and oversee a complex holoprogram to disguise Garik "Face" Loran as the corvette's former master, Captain Zurel Darillian. This was necessary because the former captain had secret dealings with many of Zsinj's contacts. As per Antilles' plan, the vessel continued its usual rounds. This deception allowed the Wraiths to uncover more information about Zsinj's dealings and fool the warlord and Admiral Apwar Trigit when they communicated with Night Caller. During one of the Wraiths' first commando raids on Xartun, Jesmin's advanced comm gear allowed them to enter the transparisteel refining and manufacturing facility undetected. However, unexpected complications arose when Viper probe droids appeared. After dispatching the droids, Jesmin alerted the other Wraiths to approaching troops, opening the facility's hangar door to provide cover.
During an assault on the pirate gang based aboard the Blood Nest, who had encamped their crippled transport on one of the moons of M2398-3, Jesmin's X-wing was struck by a ground-based pulse cannon mounted on tank treads. Her snubfighter suffered severe damage, including a failed inertial compensator. Despite Kell Tainer's attempts to redirect her fighter away from hills, it crashed on the moon's surface. However, before being shot down, Jesmin scored three kills against the pirates' Uglies, bringing her total to five, officially making her an ace of the New Republic. The loss of her inertial compensator caused Jesmin to lose consciousness due to G-forces, preventing her from recovering or ejecting before impact, resulting in her death. Tainer received the Kalidor Crescent for his bravery. Wedge wrote a letter to her uncle, and a short funeral was held aboard Night Caller.
Later, after the Implacable was destroyed and Admiral Trigit killed, the Wraiths reorganized and received new pilots. Following Jesmin's death, Hohass "Runt" Ekwesh volunteered to become the unit's new communications specialist, using field experience to compensate for his lack of formal training.
Years later, Wraiths Kell and Tyria Sarkin Tainer named their daughter after the fallen Mon Calamari Wraith.
Like most Mon Calamari, Jesmin was naturally peaceful, but fiercely loyal and dedicated to her cause and comrades. She was a skilled pilot with high training scores, and also adept at communications, including protocols, technology, and basic cryptanalysis. She used these skills to detect Imperial traffic and warn of the Implacable before the Battle of Folor Base, and during commando raids like the one on Xartun.
It surprised her uncle and commanding officer when Jesmin applied for and was accepted into Wraith Squadron, a unit meant for misfits and those seeking to prove themselves. Her loyalty and desire not to be a burden drove her. Jesmin also had a light-hearted sense of humor, enjoying her comrades' jokes and engaging in banter. Her time in the squadron and death profoundly affected her fellow pilots and Wedge Antilles.
Author Aaron Allston created Jesmin Ackbar for X-Wing: Wraith Squadron. In Allston's X-Wing: Iron Fist, she is mistakenly called Jasmin Ackbar.
Allston originally planned for Ton Phanan to die with Jesmin in his first novel. However, he felt Phanan had more to contribute, so he died on Halmad in X-Wing: Iron Fist. Allston used Ton Phanan to develop Garik Loran's story, and decided to kill off Jesmin instead.
In X-Wing: Mercy Kill, the latest X-Wing novel series installment by Allston, Jesmin is honored by name in Jesmin Tainer, the daughter of Wraith Squadron members Kell and Tyria Sarkin Tainer.