Brian Vernel (born 1991) is a Scottish actor best known for his film role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and as the character Odda the Younger in the TV series The Last Kingdom. Early life A Glaswegian, Vernel attend St Mungo's Academy in Bridgeton before training at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama) after a one-year general arts foundation course at Glasgow University. Career He played the role of Bala-Tik in the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Vernel's character spoke in a Glaswegian accent.