From Artoo to Kaytoo, these mechanical beings have played pivotal roles in galaxy-changing events.
Whether they are your best buddy, healing you from a wampa attack, or a bounty hunter on your trail, droids have played important parts of nearly every Star Wars story. And since droids are so important to the galaxy far, far away, it’s always a good time to celebrate these versatile mechanical beings. As such, here are 20 of the most memorable droids in Star Wars.
1. C-3PO
If you’re a Star Wars fan, the chances you haven’t heard of C-3PO are approximately 3,720 to 1. His crewmates might be tempted to shut him up or shut him down from time to time, but Threepio’s protocol and translation skills come in handy more than some people may care to admit.
2. R2-D2
R2-D2’s memory bank holds countless tales of heroics and tragedy from the Clone Wars, the Rebellion, and the Resistance. Never has a beep or a boop had as much character or meaning as when it comes from the most famous astromech droid in Star Wars. R2-D2 is always there for his masters when they need a holo transmission, a map, or a lightsaber.
3. R5-D4
Speaking of astromech droids, R5-D4 helped bring C-3PO and R2-D2 together on Tatooine in Star Wars: A New Hope when his motivator blew outside the Lars homestead. While he is mostly remembered for this brief bit of screen time and his action figure, Arfive’s story continued in “The Red One” from the anthology From a Certain Point of View, and can be seen in Peli Motto’s hangar in a few episodes of The Mandalorian.
4. AP-5
AP-5, an Imperial inventory droid who defected to the Rebellion in Star Wars Rebels, is memorable for both his grumpiness and his…singing. Fun facts: A fan favorite, AP-5’s voice performance by Stephen Stanton was inspired by fellow actor Alan Rickman. Also, his name comes from Rebels producer Athena Yvette Portillo.
5. BD-1
Arguably the best buddy droid in Star Wars, BD-1 is Cal Ketsis’ helpful companion in the video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. No matter how dire the situation, this BD unit exploration droid is always ready to scan objects, open chests, and offer up a healing stim to help Cal continue his journey.
C1-10P, known as “Chopper” to his friends, is a C1-series astromech droid and member of the Ghost crew. Featured prominently in Star Wars Rebels, Chopper is always loyal to his crew and his missions, but that doesn’t stop him from brashly communicating his thoughts and feelings with his peers, with a variety of sounds (performed by series creator Dave Filoni) and by waving around his numerous instruments.
7. Mouse Droid
If you ask most Star Wars fans if they remember the scene in A New Hope with the MSE-6 series repair droid, you’ll probably get a lot of blank faces. But if you use the droid’s more common name, “mouse droid,” images of a tiny tank-like roving droid running away from Chewbacca’s growl on the Death Star will likely start to form. Mouse droids are repair units that have shown up in multiple books, comics, and TV series from The Clone Wars to The Mandalorian.
8. Mister Bones
Mister Bones has never appeared in a Star Wars film, but his type of droid, the B-series battle droid, played a large role in The Phantom Menace. Mister Bones’ story occurs much later in the Star Wars timeline -- after the second Death Star has been destroyed by the Rebellion – as depicted in the Afertmath trilogy of books. Modified by Temmin “Snap” Wexley, Mister Bones is loyal to Snap and his mother Norra, but still has a taste for violence...
9. 4-LOM
4-LOM is a protocol droid, like C-3PO, but with a head shaped like an insect – and unlike the fussy golden droid, 4-LOM is a no-nonsense bounty hunter. Commonly found together with his buddy and fellow bounty hunter Zuckuss, 4-LOM’s brief screen time in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back -- he was one of the few gathered by Darth Vader to find the Millennium Falcon --has been followed by more in-depth stories in the comic series Star Wars Adventures and Bounty Hunters.
10. IG-11
Bounty hunter. "Nurse" droid. Somehow, IG-11 was both in Season 1 of The Mandalorian. Originally programmed as an assassin droid, IG-11 worked with the Bounty Hunter’s Guild and attempted to capture and kill Grogu, then known as the Child. After the Mandalorian, Din Djarin, blew IG-11 to pieces to protect the tiny being, an Ugnaught named Kuiil re-programmed IG-11. He became more human than most, and honored his programming until the end.
11. EV-9D9
EV-9D9 serves as a reminder that some droids can long outlive their masters. First seen as a cruel torture droid in Jabba’s palace in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, EV-9D9 later turns up behind the bar in the Mos Eisley cantina in two episodes of The Mandalorian.
12. R1-J5 (Bucket)
R1-J5, more commonly known as “Bucket,” is further proof that the best droids stand the test of time. Jarek Yeager claims he purchased his then racing co-pilot droid when he was already 100 years old. In Star Wars Resistance, Bucket works as a mechanic droid helping Yeager and the rest of Team Fireball repair ships on the Colossus. Bucket regularly wears a helmet, perhaps to remind himself of his racing days.
13. BB-8
He’s round, cute, tough, trustworthy, and loyal. No wonder Poe Dameron is so excited every time he reunites with his favorite BB-unit. Introduced in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, BB-8 plays an important role in the Resistance’s struggle to defeat the First Order. Whether he’s keeping a map to Luke Skywalker’s whereabouts safe or helping Finn and Rose blast their way out of danger on a First Order ship, BB-8 can always be counted on to come through for his friends.
14. 2-1B
2-1B isn’t a droid name known by the masses, but fans of The Empire Strikes Back will know him well. A B-series medical droid, 2-1B was part of the Rebellion and in the middle of the action at Echo Base on Hoth, where he monitored Luke in the bacta tank after his wampa attack. He also helped Luke with his new mechanical hand after his lightsaber duel with Darth Vader on Bespin.
15. L3-37
The most independent of droids, L3-37 was a droid’s rights advocate and Lando’s co-pilot on the Millennium Falcon in Solo: A Star Wars Story. There were no other droids quite like Elthree as she was a custom pilot droid that made enhancements to herself throughout her lifetime. When she fell during a firefight on Kessel, Elthree was uploaded to the Falcon’s navigation system; the short story “Faith in an Old Friend” continues her story as part of the workings of the Falcon in the anthology From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back.
16. 0-0-0 and BT-1
Doctor Aphra frequently travels with two droid companions -- who are bad news all around. 0-0-0, also known as Triple-Zero, is a protocol droid with a penchant for torture, and BT-1 is an equally unsavory assassin droid, created via the Tarkin Initiative, a secret Imperial think tank. Together they make for quite a terrifying duo.
17. K-2SO
K-2SO wasn’t destined to win any awards in charm school, but he was a vital part of Cassian Andor’s team of rebels in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Originally designed as an Imperial security droid, Kaytoo could cut any human down to size with a biting remark, or a blaster if necessary. He gave his life to save Cassian and Jyn as they attempted to steal the Death Star plans, a sacrifice that would change the course of the galaxy.
18. D-O
A poorly treated (unclassified) droid who slowly built a bond with BB-8, Finn, and Rey during The Rise of Skywalker, D-O was quick to help the Resistance when they needed intel about his former master, Ochi of Bestoon. But D-O also wasn’t shy to say “no thank you” and roll away to let you know when his boundaries were crossed. In a galaxy of cute droids, he ranks high.
19. CB-23
BB-8 isn’t the only memorable ball droid in a Star Wars, as CB-23 proved a vital partner to Kazuda Xiono in Star Wars Rebels. (Carrie Beck, the vice president of animation and live-action development at Lucasfilm, was the inspiration for her name.)
20. R-3X
Probably no droid has traveled to more places than R-3X, also known RX-24 or simply Rex. R-3X piloted a Star Commuter and then worked at Star Tours for several years before crash landing on Batuu. After arriving on Batuu, the owner of Droid Depot, Mubo, reprogrammed Rex as a DJ. Visitors to Oga’s Cantina can now rock out to tunes from DJ Rex when they visit Black Spire Outpost!
