CAPTAIN GILAD PALLAEON Novel! No wait, Live Action?
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Hasbro Pulse/Shop Disney Exclusive Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. G1283
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #359
Includes: 3 figures with accessories, Pallaeon has a blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $49.99
Availability: May 2025
Appearances: Heir to the Empire, etc.
Bio: The loyal Captain Pallaeon works as Thrawn's right-hand man to restore the Empire to its former glory. (Taken from the cardback bio.)
Image: Adam's photo lab.
Availability:
Click here to buy it at eBay now!
Commentary: This is a weird one.
Captain Gilad Pallaeon has been around in our imaginations since 1991, most of the time portrayed as an old white guy with a white mustache. The look has some wiggle-room - the style of the facial hair sometimes changes, as do his nose or other features. That's what makes this one so weird. The figure's head doesn't look like the cardback painting - both look good, and both look right, but they're not the same. Interestingly, the figure looks
a lot like Xander Berkeley - that's who played him on
The Mandalorian. I was wondering if it was some casual "all old white guys look alike" thing, but the more I looked the more I'm not so sure. The slightly tanner skin, the very distinctive ears, and the face that looks pretty gosh darn close to an actual human being makes for a pretty good release. I'm not saying it was meant to be live action Xander Berkeley Pallaeon, but it looks closer to Pallaeon than a lot of Han Solo figures looks like Harrison Ford. If Hasbro never makes another version of the character, this should fit the bill as "good enough" regardless of which version you want.
On TV, he has a specific symbol on his shoulder - this figure does not have that. Why? Probably because Hasbro continues to use the same good, but not distinctive, Imperial Officer body. Everybody looks pretty much the same in uniform, with the same odd gloved hand that can't hold a blaster on the left and a perfectly good right hand for blasting. He has a holster and a blaster that fits in there just fine. The gray looks great, both on his hair and uniform, so he'll fit in with your other officers fairly well. This is a character fans have had in the middle or maybe end of their wish lists since the 1990s, and it's great to finally have one that is yet another shining example of Hasbro doing a good job.
The head is incredible. The hat is molded to the head, and is a perfect fit. The paint on the silver ornamentation all looks good, and his face is dynamite. It never ceases to amaze me what Hasbro can do. To the human eye, Pallaeon has a little shine to his skin, perfectly good eyebrows, great sideburns, a wonderful mustache and eyes that have a slight twinkle. Even a crank like me who has been thinking "Why am I still collecting after all these years?" can look at a figure like this and go "Oh, that's why." Every few yers we see a big jump in terms of Hasbro's skill at making human heads the size of a peanut, with this being yet another reason why you should collect this line. Maybe every figure isn't for you, but if you quit collecting 10 years ago, I'd say this is a set worth returning to buy.
Again, I can't say it was Hasbro's intention to replicate Xander Berkeley because I don't know it for a fact. Maybe the figure looks a little like the character, and the man looks a little like the character, and the figure looks a little bit like everything, so you can't really say what it is or isn't - but I think it's good enough to make collectors pretty happy. I expect Hasbro may tweak this figure a bit to look more like the on-screen uniform at some point and rerelease it. I don't know that you'll need to buy it twice, but if you missed it? Get whatever version you can. (Also, if Hasbro ever made a Kenner-style 5-jointed one, I'd buy that too.)
Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse.
--Adam Pawlus
Day 3,262: July 29, 2025
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