Although Akbar was designed for Return of the Jedi, the fans first met the Mon-Calamari leader in the daily Star Wars comic strip by Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson. These cartoons have been reprinted into classic Star Wars by Dark Horse Comics Company, and will soon be provided to members of Hyperspace: Official Star Wars Fan Club as part of the daily online serial comic series.

Combining a half-height puppet with an easy-to-remove mask can bring Admiral Akbar to life, depending on what kind of lens is needed. In the close-up with dialogue, Akbar is a puppet with extremely realistic details, manipulated by Tim Roth. He also manipulated Sarasheth Cram.

Akbar was listed as a Mongolian from Duck and Water World in the early report of the newsletter Bansa Footprints of Star Wars Fan Club.