BB-8 (or Beebee-Ate) is a
droid character in the
''Star Wars'' franchise. He appeared in the three films of the
sequel trilogy
The ''Star Wars'' sequel trilogy is the third trilogy of the main ''Star Wars'' franchise, an American space opera created by George Lucas. It is produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The trilogy ...
, ''
Star Wars: The Force Awakens'' (2015), ''
Star Wars: The Last Jedi'' (2017), and ''
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'' (2019). He also appeared as a major supporting character in the animated series ''
Star Wars Resistance
''Star Wars Resistance'' is an American 3D animated comic science fiction television series produced by Lucasfilm Animation. It follows Kazuda Xiono, a New Republic pilot who is recruited by the Resistance to spy on the growing threat of the ...
'', appearing in the first 17 episodes of season 1. He is a BB astromech droid serving the
Resistance, and is owned by
Poe Dameron
Poe Dameron is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Introduced in the 2015 film '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'', he is portrayed by Oscar Isaac. Poe is an X-wing fighter pilot for the Resistance who inadvertently brings renega ...
. Spherical with a free-moving domed head, BB-8 is portrayed by both a
rod puppet
A hand puppet is a type of puppet that is controlled by the hand or hands that occupies the interior of the puppet.Sinclair, A, ''The Puppetry Handbook'', p.15 A glove puppet is a variation of hand puppets. Rod puppets require one of the puppeteer ...
and a remote-controlled robotic unit. The character has been well received by critics and fans, and has become one of the most beloved and recognizable characters of the ''Star Wars'' saga in recent years.
Conception
Idea and design
BB-8's design was based on a sketch by ''The Force Awakens'' director
J. J. Abrams
Jeffrey Jacob Abrams (born June 27, 1966) is an American filmmaker and composer. He is best known for his works in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. Abrams wrote and produced such films as '' Regarding Henry'' (1991), '' F ...
.
According to special effects artist
Neal Scanlan
Neal Scanlan (born 1961) is a British special effects artist and make-up artist, best known for his work on the Star Wars sequel trilogy and Anthology films. He won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for ''Babe'' in 1996.
Selected filmogr ...
, "It was a very simple sketch, beautiful in its simplicity of a ball with this little dome on top."
His design included asymmetrical panels to make it easier for the viewer to track motion, because, Scanlan says, "If you had parallel patterns that ran around the circumference, they would be less informative as to the direction BB-8 was traveling".
Abrams also named the character, saying, "I named him BB-8 because it was almost
onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is the process of creating a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Such a word itself is also called an onomatopoeia. Common onomatopoeias include animal noises such as ''oink'', ''m ...
. It was sort of how he looked to me, with the 8, obviously, and then the two B's."
The name was conceived early on in the film's production and was one of the few to remain unchanged.
Before receiving his final name, the droid was nicknamed "Surly" by the pre-production team.
[
]
Constraints and realization
In August 2013, ''The Force Awakens'' cinematographer Daniel Mindel and ''Episode VIII'' director Rian Johnson
Rian Craig Johnson (born December 17, 1973) is an American filmmaker. He made his directorial debut with the neo-noir mystery film ''Brick'' (2005), which received positive reviews and grossed nearly $4 million on a $450,000 budget. Transition ...
each stated that Abrams would use little computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The images may ...
(CGI) and more practical, traditional special effects in order to recreate the visual realism and authenticity of the original ''Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' film. To that end, the droid BB-8 was a physical prop developed by Disney Research
Disney Research is a network of research labs supporting The Walt Disney Company. Its purpose is to pursue scientific and technological innovation to advance the company's broad media and entertainment efforts.
It has facilities in Los Angeles, Z ...
, created by Neal Scanlan and operated live on set with the actors. Seven BB-8 puppets were constructed for filming. The most prominent was a rod puppet, controlled by puppeteers Dave Chapman and Brian Herring. In addition, there were several radio controlled units and some static prop versions. A fully functioning, self-contained robotic unit was not practical for shooting, so most of the "walking" scenes were achieved by the puppet, with rods removed in post production. Later a self-standing remote controlled unit was constructed and used at promotional events.
Description
BB-8 is a spherical robot with a free-moving domed head. It is white, with orange and silver accents and a black optical lens on its headpiece. BB-8 also possesses multiple panels containing various tools or ports. Scanlan said of the robot's personality, "We always imagined BB-8 as being quite manipulative. I think he knows he's cute. He knows that he can win people over. And he uses that, like children do, to get his own way. In this film, he has a very important mission that he has to accomplish and so he uses his personality, his coyness, and all of those things." Of BB-8's gender he said, "I'm still not sure, dare I say, whether BB-8 is male or female ... BB-8 was female in our eyes. And then he or she became male. And that's all part of the evolution, not only visually, but in the way they move, how they hold themselves."
Calling the robot a " Swiss Army Knife that shouldn't be trusted", he noted that while each of the BB-8's panels has a specific purpose, like a port or tool, not all of them have been absolutely defined to leave options for future films.
Voice
The voice of BB-8 was supplied by comedians Bill Hader
William Thomas Hader Jr.''Finding Your Roots'', January 26, 2016, PBS. (born June 7, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is the creator, producer, writer, director, and star of the HBO dark comedy series ''Barry'' (2018 ...
and Ben Schwartz
Benjamin Schwartz (born September 15, 1981) is an American actor and comedian. He has guest starred as Jean-Ralphio Saperstein on the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation'' and Clyde Oberholt on the Showtime series ''House of Lies''; voiced Randy C ...
, both credited as "BB-8 vocal consultants" in the film. The effect was created by Abrams manipulating Hader and Schwartz's voices through a talkbox
A talk box (also spelled talkbox and talk-box) is an effects unit that allows musicians to modify the sound of a musical instrument by shaping the frequency content of the sound and to apply speech sounds (in the same way as singing) onto the so ...
attached to an iPad
The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating s ...
running a sound effects app.
Appearances
In film
''The Force Awakens'' (2015)
BB-8 was first seen in the 88-second ''The Force Awakens'' teaser trailer
A teaser (or more specifically teaser trailer) is a mini- trailer and a form of teaser campaign advertising that focuses on film and television programming. It is a videography pre-release move or television show advertisement. Short in length, te ...
released by Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is a business segment of The Walt Disney Company. The studio is best known for creating and producing the ''Star Wars'' and ' ...
on November 28, 2014. Its name was revealed by ''Entertainment Weekly'' in a Lucasfilm-designed Topps
The Topps Company, Inc. is an American company that manufactures chewing gum, candy, and collectibles. Formerly based in New York City, Topps is best known as a leading producer of American Football Card, American football, Baseball card, baseb ...
-style trading card
A trading card (or collectible card) is a small card, usually made out of paperboard or thick paper, which usually contains an image of a certain person, place or thing (fictional or real) and a short description of the picture, along with other ...
mockup
In manufacturing and design, a mockup, or mock-up, is a scale or full-size model of a design or device, used for teaching, demonstration, design evaluation, promotion, and other purposes. A mockup may be a ''prototype'' if it provides at leas ...
in December 2014.
In the film, the robot is the astromech droid
In the ''Star Wars'' space opera franchise, a droid is a fictional robot possessing some degree of artificial intelligence''.'' The term is a clipped form of " android", a word originally reserved for robots designed to look and act like a huma ...
of the Resistance X-wing fighter
The X-wing starfighter is a name applied to a family of fictional spacecraft manufactured by the Incom Corporation from the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Named for the distinctive shape made when its s-foils (wings) are in attack position, the X-win ...
pilot Poe Dameron
Poe Dameron is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Introduced in the 2015 film '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'', he is portrayed by Oscar Isaac. Poe is an X-wing fighter pilot for the Resistance who inadvertently brings renega ...
(Oscar Isaac
Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada (born March 9, 1979) is a Guatemalan-born American actor. Known for his versatility, he has been credited with breaking stereotypes about Latino characters in Hollywood. He was named the best actor of his gener ...
). Poe entrusts it with a map that must be delivered to the Resistance headquarters in order to determine the whereabouts of Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker is a fictional character and the protagonist of the original film trilogy of the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. Portrayed by Mark Hamill, Luke first appeared in ''Star Wars'' (1977), and he returned in ''The ...
. While Poe is captured and interrogated by the sinister First Order high-ranking member Kylo Ren
Kylo Ren is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He first appeared as the main antagonist of ''The Force Awakens (2015)'', in which he is portrayed by Adam Driver. Driver reprised his role in the sequel films '' Star Wars: The ...
, BB-8 flees across the desert of the planet Jakku
Jakku is a fictional desert planet in the '' Star Wars'' universe, first featured in the 2015 film ''The Force Awakens''. Remote, lawless, and inhospitable, it is the homeworld of sequel trilogy protagonist Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, and ''A ...
and finds sanctuary with the plucky scavenger Rey. Eventually Rey, the renegade stormtrooper Finn, Han Solo
Han Solo is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. The character first appeared in the 1977 film '' Star Wars'' portrayed by Harrison Ford, who reprised his role in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) an ...
, and Chewbacca
Chewbacca ( ), nicknamed "Chewie", is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He is a Wookiee, a tall, hirsute, bipedal, intelligent species originating from the fictional planet of Kashyyyk. Chewbacca is the loyal friend and firs ...
bring BB-8 to Resistance leader Leia Organa
Princess Leia Organa is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, portrayed in films by Carrie Fisher. Introduced in the Star Wars (film), original ''Star Wars'' film in 1977, Leia is princess of th ...
, and ultimately reunite him with Poe.
''The Last Jedi'' (2017)
In ''The Last Jedi
''Star Wars: The Last Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi'') is a 2017 American epic space opera film written and directed by Rian Johnson. Produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pict ...
'', BB-8 fixes Poe's X-wing weapons system by smashing his head into it. In Canto Bight, a drunken gambler repeatedly inserts coins into a slot in BB-8, thinking he is a slot machine. The droid later subdues several guards, allowing Finn and Rose to escape imprisonment. BB-8 then uses the coins to subdue a fourth guard. Later, he operates a First Order AT-ST in order to rescue Finn and Rose after they are captured by the First Order.
''The Rise of Skywalker'' (2019)
BB-8 appeared in '' Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'' where, in mission with Rey, Finn, Poe, Chewie and C-3PO on Pasaana eventually befriended a droid named D-O. Later followed them on Kef Bir and Exegol in the last war against Emperor Palpatine and the Sith Eternal. After celebrating the victory of the Resistance on Ajan Kloss, BB-8 followed Rey on Tatooine where she buried Luke and Leia's lightsabers in the Lars homestead and, in the end, the droid watched the binary sunrise along with her.
''Forces of Destiny'' (2017–18)
BB-8 makes several appearances in ''Star Wars Forces of Destiny
''Star Wars Forces of Destiny'' is a 2D animated web series by Lucasfilm Animation released through Lucasfilm's YouTube channel. Set across multiple eras of the ''Star Wars'' franchise, it is a collection of two- to three-minute shorts centerin ...
''. In "Sands of Jakku" and "BB-8 Bandits", both of which take place shortly after Rey finds him in ''The Force Awakens'', Rey helps the droid evade a Nightwatcher worm and several bandits. In "Tracker Trouble", the droid, Rey, Finn, and Han help to get a tracker off the ''Millennium Falcon'' shortly after leaving Jakku. In "Shuttle Shock", which takes place during the journey to Canto Bight in ''The Last Jedi'', BB-8 is overloaded by electrical shocks from a jellyfish monster, forcing Finn and Rose to try and fix it.
''Star Wars Resistance'' (2018–2020)
BB-8 is a supporting character in the 2018 animated TV series ''Star Wars Resistance
''Star Wars Resistance'' is an American 3D animated comic science fiction television series produced by Lucasfilm Animation. It follows Kazuda Xiono, a New Republic pilot who is recruited by the Resistance to spy on the growing threat of the ...
''.
Other appearances
Related media
BB-8 is a point of view
Point of view or Points of View may refer to:
Concept and technique
* Point of view (philosophy), an attitude how one sees or thinks of something
* Point of view (literature) or narrative mode, the perspective of the narrative voice; the prono ...
character in both the 2015 novelization of ''The Force Awakens'' by Alan Dean Foster
Alan Dean Foster (born November 18, 1946) is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction. He has written several book series, more than 20 standalone novels, and many novelizations of film scripts.
Career ''Star Wars''
Foster was the ghos ...
, and the 2017 novelization of ''The Last Jedi'' by Jason Fry
Jason C. Fry (born 1969) is an American author, editor, digital consultant and online contributor. His written works include the novelization of '' Star Wars: The Last Jedi'', as well as about a dozen other books and short stories from the ''Star W ...
. The droid also appears in the comic book series '' Star Wars: Poe Dameron'', published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
in April 2016.
Merchandising
The official September 4, 2015 launch of all merchandise for ''The Force Awakens'' included an mobile app-enabled BB-8 robot toy developed by Sphero
Sphero, Inc. (formerly Orbotix) is an American consumer robotics and toy company based in Boulder, Colorado.
Their first product, the Sphero, is a white spherical robot launched in December 2011 capable of rolling around under the control of a sm ...
. Sphero had participated in a Disney-run startup accelerator
Startup accelerators, also known as seed accelerators, are fixed-term, cohort-based programs, that include mentorship and educational components and culminate in a public pitch event or demo day. While traditional business incubators are often g ...
program in July 2014, during which Disney CEO Bob Iger
Robert Allen Iger (; born February 10, 1951) is an American businessman who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company. He previously served as the President of ABC Television between 1994 and 1995 and the President and Ch ...
showed Sphero executives on-set photos and imagery of BB-8 before anyone outside of the production team knew of the robot's existence. Sphero acquired the license in November 2014, completing the development and production of the toy in time for its September 2015 release. ''Wired
''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...
'' called the BB-8 toy "the only truly cutting-edge item" in the ''Force Awakens'' collection. In 2015, Sphero sold over 1 million of the robots.
Other BB-8 merchandising includes household items, luggage and bags, a life-size plush, a Lego ''Star Wars'' playset called Poe's X-wing Fighter, Hasbro
Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational conglomerate holding company incorporated and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of ...
's ''Star Wars: The Force Awakens'' Takodana Encounter set, and other action figures and other toys. The Lego versions of Poe and BB-8 have also appeared in the 2016 short form animated series '' Lego Star Wars: The Resistance Rises'', and the short ''Poe Dameron vs the First Order Snowspeeder''.
Reception
Anthony Breznican
Anthony Breznican (born 1976) is an American journalist and novelist who currently writes for '' Vanity Fair''. He is the author of the 2014 novel ''Brutal Youth'', about first-year students dealing with bullying at their Catholic high school. Br ...
of ''Entertainment Weekly'' wrote of BB-8 in November 2015, "He bowled us over immediately. From the moment ''Star Wars'' fans laid eyes on the droid with the roly-poly body and the babyface, it was love." The droid has been called a breakout character
A breakout character is a character in serial fiction, especially a member of an ensemble cast, who becomes much more prominent, popular, discussed, or imitated than expected by the creators. A breakout character may equal or overtake the oth ...
of the film, and of 2015. ''Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' Alex Fitzpatrick wrote in September 2015, "As a movie character, BB-8 feels destined to become a fan favorite. Some ''Star Wars'' fans have already tattooed likenesses of the droid on various parts of their body, and the movie isn't even out until December." Richard Roeper
Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American columnist and film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times''. He co-hosted the television series '' At the Movies'' with Roger Ebert from 2000 to 2008, serving as the late Gene Siskel's success ...
of the ''Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
'' noted that "the hype for ''The Force Awakens'' has been so insane and the marketing so intense, we knew about BB-8 as a pricey and cool toy well before BB-8 ever made his big-screen debut. According to ''Tor.com
''Tor.com'' is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine published by Tor Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers. The magazine publishes articles, reviews, original short fiction, re-reads and commentary on speculative fiction.
From 20 ...
'':
Peter Travers
Peter Joseph Travers (born ) is an American film critic, journalist, and television presenter. He reviews films for ABC News and previously served as a movie critic for ''People'' and ''Rolling Stone''. Travers also hosts the film interview prog ...
of ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' wrote that "no one can steal a scene from BB-8". ''The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' Todd McCarthy explained that the droid "serves as a welcome robot reboot from the sidelined (but hardly vanquished) R2-D2
R2-D2 () or Artoo-Detoo is a fictional robot character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. He has appeared in ten of the eleven theatrical ''Star Wars'' films to date. At various points throughout the course of the films, R2, ...
", and Emmet Asher-Perrin of ''Tor.com'' described BB-8 as "the perfect hybrid of R2-D2 and WALL-E
''WALL-E'' (stylized with an interpunct as ''WALL·E'') is a 2008 American computer-animated science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed and co-written by Andrew Stanton, pro ...
". ''Entertainment Weekly'' Chris Nashawaty called BB-8 "that rolling gyroscopic weeble that, if possible, may out-cute R2-D2". Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday is an American film critic. She has been film critic at ''The Washington Post'' since 2002 and is the author of ''Talking Pictures: How to Watch Movies'' (2017). In 2008, she was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.
Ear ...
wrote in ''The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' that "BB-8, a roly-poly little Wall-E of a creature, rolls, beeps and blinks with such puppy-ish charisma that R2-D2 and C-3PO
C-3PO () or See-Threepio is a humanoid robot character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise who appears in the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy and the sequel trilogy. Built by Anakin Skywalker, was designed as a protocol droid intended to as ...
might want to call their agents to make sure they're in the next installment. Stephanie Zacharek
Stephanie Zacharek is an American film critic at ''Time'', based in New York City. From 2013 to 2015, she was the principal film critic for ''The Village Voice''. She was a 2015 Pulitzer Prize finalist in criticism.
Early life
Stephanie Zachare ...
of ''Time'' also praised BB-8:
BB-8 appeared with several other ''Force Awakens'' characters on the December 2015 cover of ''Rolling Stone'', and alone on the cover of the December 18, 2015 issue of ''The Hollywood Reporter''. The droid was also featured alone on one of two alternate covers of the December 14, 2015, issue of ''Time'' (the other cover featuring R2-D2). This was the first time the magazine has offered two covers for editions worldwide. The ''Time'' cover photographer, Marco Grob, said, "The moment you meet BB-8, you almost build some form of weird human connection. It has this really cute way of looking at you."
''The Force Awakens'' received seven Visual Effects Society Award
The Visual Effects Society (VES) is an entertainment industry organization representing visual effects practitioners including artists, animators, technologists, model makers, educators, studio leaders, supervisors, PR/marketing specialists and p ...
nominations, including one for Outstanding Models in a Photoreal or Animated Project for BB-8.
References
External links
*
*
BB-8
on IMDb
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
official website Droide.online BB-8 - Spanish
{{Star Wars universe
Star Wars droid characters
Film characters introduced in 2015
Film sidekicks
Star Wars Skywalker Saga characters
Star Wars Resistance characters