A pair of new Star Wars animated shorts shine a spotlight on the antics of R2-D2 and BB-8. While the galaxy far, far away has no shortage of memorable characters, few are as popular and lovable as the two astromech droids, both of whom have taken part in universe-defining events throughout their film appearances. Artoo served in the Clone Wars and Galactic Civil War, while BB-8 spent most of The Force Awakens in possession of a map that led to the exiled Luke Skywalker. The two have never been insignificant background figures, typically playing sizable roles in the movies. George Lucas was such a fan of Artoo, he made sure there was a moment in the first six installments where the droid saved the day.
Lucasfilm, of course, is keenly aware that their robots are instantly recognizable, making sure to include them in promotion for whatever project they have lined up next. Merchandising for The Last Jedi has already made BB-8's "evil twin," BB-9E, a star, but the heroes of the saga aren't being shortchanged. Fans can check Artoo and BB-8 in action in two Star Wars Blips shorts.
Released by the Star Wars Twitter account, the clips make for fun watches as viewers count down the days until Episode VIII. In the first, BB-8 and some friends (including the rustier Resistance BB units) are enjoying a highlight reel of Artoo's best moments from the prequel and original trilogies before he rolls by the group. The second one depicts BB-8 and BB-9E crossing paths, and they don't exactly get along with each other. Check out both in the space below:
The droid the droids are looking for. #StarWarsBlips pic.twitter.com/H00dgppDvR— Star Wars (@starwars) September 3, 2017
The Mirror Match. #StarWarsBlips pic.twitter.com/Gi05f5gNBm— Star Wars (@starwars) September 2, 2017
Even though not much is known about The Last Jedi at this juncture, moviegoers do have some idea how all three droids will factor into the narrative. Artoo accompanied Rey and Chewbacca to find Luke on Ahch-To, where he will be emotionally reunited with his old friend. BB-8, the Buster Keaton of the Star Wars series, will be alongside Finn and Rose Tico on their secret mission for the Resistance, which sees them travel to the Canto Bight Casino and sneak aboard a First Order Star Destroyer. While BB-8 may not be the driving force of the plot like he was in Episode VII, he'll hopefully continue to prove his worth. BB-9E is the most mysterious right now, though his inclusion in the Kylo Ren's TIE Silencer LEGO set implies he is the dark side user's personal astromech, similar to Artoo and Luke.
Though there probably won't be many major revelations involving any of these three, that doesn't mean they won't make for fun inclusions in Episode VIII. Scene-stealing droids are a well-known Star Wars trope, and though The Last Jedi aims to write some new rules for the series, it surely won't cheat the fans on that aspect.
MORE: What We Know About BB-9E
Source: Star Wars Twitter (via CBR)
