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For other uses, see BB8.
BB-8
Star Wars character
A robot with a spherical body and a smaller hemisphere for a head. It is white with orange and silver decoration.
First appearanceThe Force Awakens (2015)
Last appearanceThe Force Awakens (2015)
Created by
Portrayed byDave Chapman
Brian Herring
(puppeteers)
Voiced byBill Hader
Ben Schwartz
In-universe information
SpeciesRobot
OccupationAstromech droid
AffiliationResistance

BB-8 is a robot character in the Star Wars franchise, first appearing in the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens. BB-8 is portrayed by both a rod puppet and a remote-controlled robotic unit.

Background

In August 2013, The Force Awakens cinematographer Daniel Mindel and Episode VIII director Rian Johnson each stated that The Force Awakens director J. J. Abrams would use little computer-generated imagery (CGI) and more practical, traditional special effects in order to recreate the visual realism and authenticity of the original Star Wars film.[1][2][3] To that end, the droid BB-8 was a physical prop developed by Disney Research,[4] created by special effects artist Neal Scanlan and operated live on set with the actors.[5][6][7] For shooting, several BB-8 models were constructed. The most prominent was a puppet, controlled by puppeteers Dave Chapman and Brian Herring. In addition, there were several radio controlled units and some static prop versions. A full 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.[8]

Scanlan told Entertainment Weekly in November 2015 that the robot's design came from an original sketch by Abrams, saying "It was a very simple sketch, beautiful in its simplicity of a ball with this little dome on top."[9] Of BB-8's design "with differently shaped panels on each side to help the viewer’s eye track movement", Scanlan said "If you had parallel patterns that ran around the circumference, they would be less informative as to the direction BB-8 was traveling than a slightly more chaotic pattern."[9] 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.[9] Abrams also named the robot, telling Entertainment Weekly in August 2015, "I named him BB-8 because it was almost onomatopoeia. It was sort of how he looked to me, with the 8, obviously, and then the two B's."[10] The name was conceived early on in the film's production and was one of the few to never be changed.[10]

The voice of BB-8 was supplied by comedians Bill Hader and Ben Schwartz, both credited as "BB-8 vocal consultants" in the film. The voice was created by Abrams manipulating their voices through a talkbox, attached to an iPad running a sound effects app.[11]

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 head piece. 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."[9] 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."[9]

The Force Awakens

BB-8 was first seen in the 88-second The Force Awakens teaser trailer released by Lucasfilm on November 28, 2014.[12] Its name was revealed by Entertainment Weekly in a Lucasfilm-designed Topps-style trading card mockup in December 2014.[13][14]

In the film, the robot is the astromech droid of the Resistance X-wing fighter pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac).[15] Poe entrusts him with a map that must be delivered to the Resistance headquarters in order to determine the whereabouts of Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker. While Poe is captured and interrogated by the sinister First Order commander Kylo Ren, BB-8 flees across the desert of the planet Jakku and finds sanctuary with the plucky scavenger Rey. Eventually Rey, the renegade stormtrooper Finn, Han Solo and Chewbacca bring BB-8 to Resistance leader Leia Organa, and ultimately reunite him with Poe.

Merchandising

The official September 4, 2015 launch of all merchandise for The Force Awakens[16][17][18] included an 11.4 centimeter tall mobile app-enabled BB-8 robot toy developed by Sphero.[4] Sphero had participated in a Disney-run startup accelerator program in July 2014, during which Disney CEO Bob Iger 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.[19][20][21][22][23][24] Wired called the BB-8 toy "the only truly cutting-edge item" in the Force Awakens collection.[19]

Other BB-8 merchandising includes household items,[25] luggage and bags,[26][27] a life-size plush,[28] action figures and other toys.[27][29][30][31]

Reception

Anthony Breznican 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."[9] The droid has been called a breakout character of the film,[28] and of 2015.[32] Alex Fitzpatrick of Time 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."[21] Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the droid "serves as a welcome robot reboot from the sidelined (but hardly vanquished) R2-D2",[33] and Emily Asher-Perrin of Tor.com described BB-8 as "the perfect hybrid of R2-D2 and WALL-E".[34] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote that "no one can steal a scene from BB-8".[35] According to Tor.com:

We haven't even seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens but we (as in: humanity) don't need to in order to know that BB-8 is the break-out star. This soccer ball that thinks it is a robot is a masterpiece of evocative design that instantly evokes a galaxy far, far away. You see BB-8, even if only in silhouette, and you immediately think Star Wars. Rey and Finn and Poe’s little pal is a hint of the continuing universe that will unfold with The Force Awakens, and a promise to fans that the filmmakers of the new films have a deep understanding of what makes Star Wars fun and mythic.[36]

BB-8 appeared with several other Force Awakens characters on the December 2015 cover of Rolling Stone,[37][38] and alone on the cover of the December 18, 2015 issue of The Hollywood Reporter.[39] 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).[40][41][42] This was the first time the magazine has offered two covers for editions worldwide.[40] 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."[40]

References

  1. ^ Taylor, Chris (August 22, 2013). "Star Wars Episode VII to Use Film, Be More Like Original Trilogy". Mashable. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  2. ^ McMillan, Graeme (August 18, 2014). "Rian Johnson Says Next Star Wars Will Have Less CGI, More Practical Effects". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  3. ^ Otero, Jose (April 16, 2015). "Star Wars Celebration: Why Star Wars 7 uses practical effects". IGN. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Hackett, Robert (May 26, 2015). "Disney just developed the most adorable walking robot". Fortune. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  5. ^ Couto, Anthony (December 13, 2014). "Mark Hamill Says Star Wars: The Force Awakens' BB-8 Is a Prop, Not CGI". IGN. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  6. ^ Fischer, Russ (April 16, 2015). "Watch Awesome The Force Awakens Droid BB-8 Appear Live on Stage". /Film. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  7. ^ Russon, Mary-Ann (April 17, 2015). "Star Wars: The Force Awakens – The BB8 robot droid is a real machine, not a puppet or CGI". International Business Times. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  8. ^ Brooks, Dan (August 26, 2015). "DROID DREAMS: HOW NEAL SCANLAN AND THE STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS TEAM BROUGHT BB-8 TO LIFE". StarWars.com. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Breznican, Anthony (November 13, 2015). "BB-8: Creating the roly-poly droid from Star Wars: The Force Awakens". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  10. ^ a b Breznican, Anthony (August 12, 2015). "Star Wars: The Force Awakens: J.J. Abrams explains what's in a name". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  11. ^ McWeeny, Drew (December 15, 2015). "Wait a minute... who played the voice of BB-8 in Star Wars: The Force Awakens?". HitFix. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  12. ^ Lewis, Andy (December 1, 2014). "Trailer Report: Star Wars Teaser Beats Age of Ultron In Debut". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
  13. ^ Breznican, Anthony (December 11, 2014). "Star Wars: The Force Awakens character names revealed (in coolest way possible)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  14. ^ "Star Wars: The Force Awakens Digital Trading Cards". StarWars.com. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  15. ^ "Databank: BB-8". StarWars.com. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  16. ^ "Star Wars: The Force Awakens Products Coming on September 4". ComingSoon.net. May 3, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  17. ^ McNary, Dave (August 26, 2015). "Disney Sets Massive Star Wars Toy Promotion". Variety. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  18. ^ McMillan, Graeme (August 26, 2015). "Star Wars: The Force Awakens Toys to Be Unveiled During 18-Hour YouTube Marathon". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  19. ^ a b McFarland, K. M. (September 3, 2015). "The Story (And Tech) Behind That Awesome Star Wars BB-8 Toy". Wired. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  20. ^ Nakashima, Ryan (August 15, 2015). "Disney's support for start-ups led to one new company winning a dream Star Wars contract". The National. Abu Dhabi. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  21. ^ a b Fitzpatrick, Alex (September 3, 2015). "This Will Be the Star Wars Toy Every Kid Wants This Holiday". Time. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  22. ^ Miller, Ross (September 3, 2015). "You can now buy Star Wars adorable BB-8 droid and let it patrol your home". The Verge. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  23. ^ "How Sphero Created Their BB-8 Toy". StarWars.com. September 10, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  24. ^ Lewin, Sarah (November 4, 2015). "Makers of Star Wars BB-8 Droid Toy Promise Hidden Tricks". Space.com. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  25. ^ Burton, Bonnie (September 4, 2015). "Force Friday furnishings: New Star Wars decor from ThinkGeek". CNET. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  26. ^ Walsh, Michael (December 3, 2015). "Journey Through the Galaxy with BB-8 Luggage". Nerdist.com. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  27. ^ a b "First Look at Star Wars: The Force Awakens Toys". IGN. September 1, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  28. ^ a b Kooser, Amanda (September 22, 2015). "Hug this life-size plush BB-8 Star Wars droid". CNET. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  29. ^ Walsh, Michael (September 3, 2015). "Hot Topic Force Friday Boasts Funko POP! Figures and Other Star Wars Goodies". Nerdist.com. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  30. ^ "75102-1: Poe's X-wing Fighter". Brickset.com. 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  31. ^ Wong, Raymond (September 19, 2015). "Hasbro's remote-controlled BB-8 is bursting with charm, even when it fails". Mashable. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  32. ^ Faraci, Devin (April 16, 2015). "BB-8 Is the Breakout Character of 2015". BirthMoviesDeath.com. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  33. ^ McCarthy, Todd (December 16, 2015). "Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  34. ^ Asher-Perrin, Emily (December 21, 2015). "One Fan's Blow-By-Blow Reaction to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, or, How Episode VII Made Me Sob Continuously in Front of My Friends Forever". Tor.com. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  35. ^ Travers, Peter (December 16, 2015). "Star Wars: The Force Awakens". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  36. ^ Stubby the Rocket (December 9, 2015). "The Sci-Fi/Fantasy Characters We Couldn't Stop Talking About in 2015". Tor.com. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  37. ^ "Cover: Star Wars Strikes Back". Rolling Stone (1250/1251). December 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  38. ^ Hiatt, Brian (December 2, 2015). "Star Wars Strikes Back: Behind the Scenes of the Biggest Movie of the Year". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  39. ^ Bond, Paul (December 9, 2015). "How Star Wars Will Change Hollywood (Again)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  40. ^ a b c Miskell, Kyle (December 3, 2015). "Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Everybody's Favorite Droids Grace the Cover of Time Magazine". Collider.com. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  41. ^ Grossman, Lev (December 14, 2015). "How J. J. Abrams Brought Back Star Wars". Time. 186 (24). Retrieved December 16, 2015. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)
  42. ^ Rothman, Lily (December 3, 2015). "See Every Star Wars Cover in TIME Magazine History". Time. Retrieved December 16, 2015.

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