BB-8 (STAR WARS)

BB-8, sometimes spelled Beebee-Ate, was a BB-series astromech droid who operated approximately thirty years after the Battle of Endor. It had a dome head, similar to that of R2 series astromech droids, with the bulk of its body made up of a ball on which the droid’s head rolled. BB-8 was mostly white, with some silver and orange on its body, as well as a black photoreceptor. The droid belonged to Resistance pilot Poe Dameron, whom he accompanied during his flights on his T-70 X-wing fighter.

Characteristics

A BB-series, BB-8 had a dome head, similar to that of R2 series astromech droids, with the bulk of its body made up of a dense, well-sealed ball on which the droid’s head rolled. BB-8 was mostly white, with some orange and silver on its body, as well as a black photoreceptor.

Though BB-8’s self-preservation protocols meant the droid was skittish and easily frightened, its experiences formed a strong loyalty subprogram. BB-8’s manifest personality was, to his master and friend Poe Dameron, somewhat of an unpredictable one: while most droids were predictable to certain stereotypes (bossy, sullen, grumpy) within their respective programming, BB-8 was his own case, sometimes childlike, sometimes precocious. In fact, Dameron sometimes wondered if the droid daydreamed, even though that implied the absurd—that BB-8 had an active imagination. When communicating, BB-8 spoke in 27th generation droidspeak code, a compressed version of binary.

BB-8 was loyal to his master Poe, who regarded him as a confidant. When Poe could not trust the rest of his squadron, he turned to BB-8 as a “sounding board.” BB-8 knew how to operate a T-70 X-wing and was familiar with the model’s design and accessories. BB-8 also knew how to fight. On two occasions, he helped Poe outsmart and disarm the First Order Agent Terex. BB-8 also played a supporting role in Poe’s operations. On one occasion, he led the other astromech droids on a successful operation to disable Megalox Beta’s gravity shields. BB-8 also outwitted and defeated a security droid during the course of the Megalox mission.

BB-8 was courageous and daring enough to put his existence on the line to aid his Resistance comrades. On one occasion, he used a cable to hang on to the top of a cave while he collapsed a stalactite on top of Agent Terex’s Ranc gang. While BB-8 was shot down, he survived the fall and electrocuted Terex, saving Poe’s life a third time.