The dossier
A mission carried on a rolling frame
Puppeteers Brian Herring and Dave Chapman give BB-8 readable intention through tilts, turns and bursts of movement. The performance makes a largely non-verbal machine feel alert, wary and unexpectedly funny.
BB-8 forms an immediate bond with Rey and Finn while remaining devoted to Poe Dameron. That loyalty drives the plot of The Force Awakens and places the droid within Star Wars’ long tradition of overlooked machines carrying history-changing information.