Meet B2EMO, the new droid created for Star Wars: Andor
Andor is right around the corner, and new details about the highly anticipated Star Wars show are starting to spill out. The most recent information regards a brand new droid called B2EMO, an old salvage droid that will presumably act as Cassian Andor’s R2-D2.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Andor series creator Tony Gilroy said the goal when designing B2 was to have a “loyal companion for the Andor family.”
"I said, ‘Okay, I want to have a salvage droid, and I want to have a family dog.’ It’s an old dog. That’s where we started."
The new droid in Star Wars: Andor is created entirely with practical effects
B2 is a squat red droid with wheels. He was created entirely with practical effects, which means series star Diego Luna was able to interact with the droid in real time. B2 moves via remote control, allowing the crew to improvise movements and sounds to create spontaneous moments with the actors on set. “It was wonderful to work with him because he’s real,” Luna told EW. “He’s there, and he interacts with you the way you’ll get to see him on screen. There’s nothing he couldn’t do that he will do in the series. It’s all mechanical.”
This is a departure from the droid K2SO, which appeared alongside Luna in Rogue One: a Star Wars Story. K2, who was voiced by actor Alan Tudyk, was a mostly CGI character. In the original version of Andor, K2 was supposed to be a series regular until Gilroy rewrote the script. The inclusion of a practical effects side character like B2 is reminiscent of the decision to make Grogu a puppet instead of a computer-generated character in The Mandalorian, a decision most people are probably happy with.
“It was actually a piece of metal moving, but a metal that was as expressive as any actor I’ve worked with and as precise too,” Luna said. “That’s another thing that is not easy. The team making him move and talk is just the best of the best.”
The first three episodes of Star Wars: Andor premiere on Disney+ on September 21.
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