Star Swirl the Bearded as General Joe Colton, aka "The Original G.I. Joe."

The reason — General Colton was introduced in the Marvel Comics as the original covert operations specialist code-named G.I. Joe (ie. the original 12-inch action figure) who's missions and exploits inspired and paved the way for the modern G.I. Joe team. In much the same way, Star Swirl the Bearded was a legendary mage and leader of the Pillars of Equestria, who's adventures and accomplishments inspired Twilight Sparkle and the Mane Six. So a fusion of the two made perfect sense to me.