Is it a trap? University officials at Ole Miss let students vote Tuesday to decide whether they should have a hand in picking the school’s next mascot.
The measure passed, and now a student committee will be formed to decide what sort of symbolic visage will replace Colonel Reb. Who many felt symbolized Confederate nostalgia.
If some students have their way, however, their next mascot might, like the venerable colonel, also be something of a rebel. That’s because one front runner in the contest to replace Reb is Admiral Ackbar, the fictional, lizard-like leader of the rebel alliance in the Star Wars films.
In recent years, Ackbar has become a cultural icon, largely because of a single line, “It’s a trap!,” that the character delivered in the film “Return of the Jedi.”
That line has made its way into the modern vernacular, making Ackbar a favorite symbol in his own right. On Facebook, for instance, a fan page featuring Ackbar’s face with the words “it’s a trap” has more than 14,000 members.
Ole Miss discontinued using Colonel Reb in 2003, fearing that continued references to the Old South would alienate minority students.
No date has been set for students to decide Colonel Reb’s successor.
Tags: Admiral Ackbar, It's a trap!, Ole Miss, Star Wars