Star Wars’ Droids: The Best Buckets Of Bolts In The Galaxy
Star Wars has plenty of fancy technology ranging from starships to lightsabers, but none of it has ever been as compelling as the various droid characters. In fact, there have been so many different droids across various films and TV shows that it can be difficult for fans to figure out who their favorite buckets of bolts really are. As for us, we’ve shed that annoying restraining bolt and are here to give you the definitive list of the funniest, sneakiest, and downright deadliest droids to ever appear in a galaxy far, far away.
5. K-2SO
Even though the Disney era of Star Wars has been largely hit or miss, most fans can agree that Rogue One was a standout film. It introduced us to great characters like Cassian Andor, who would go on to headline Andor, possibly the best Star Wars show ever made. But it also introduced us to the droid K-2SO who managed to effortlessly steal every scene he was in.
Unlike most other Star Wars droids, K-2SO is a reprogrammed Imperial droid, meaning that he packs a lot of lethal power into his punches. But audiences soon discovered that K-2’s words were much deadlier than his fists: voiced by the always-amazing Alan Tudyk, this droid is a source of dry sarcasm that provides much of the movie’s best comic relief.
It’s a testament to how great this character is that fans had the same emotional reaction to his sacrifice as they did to those of his human companions.
4. HK-47
There are plenty of reasons to play the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic games, and the amazing characters are at the top of our list. Characters range from an outcast Wookiee to a bored Mandalorian merc, but none were quite as captivating as the assassination droid HK-47. Simply put, he might be the most entertaining Star Wars droid ever created.
In stark contrast to the prim and prissy C-3P0, HK-47 is as casually cruel with his language as he is with his blaster. He will never waste a chance to encourage players to make bad decisions, and he will always take delight in killing as many people as possible. Of course, he doesn’t call them “people:” to HK-47, the preferred terminology will always be “meat bag.”
3. Chopper
Once upon a time, you would have had to watch Star Wars: Rebels to learn more about the hilariously violent droid Chopper. Now, the character has made his live-action debut in Ahsoka. Frankly, we can’t wait to see just how much murder and mayhem he helps cause before the miniseries is over.
For context, Chopper is one of the good guys…he just doesn’t act like it. When he saves Ezra Bridger from falling to death, for example, he clarifies to the young Jedi that he did so by accident, and when the crew decides to keep a reformed Imperial droid, Chopper pushes him out of the ship to his death and laughs to himself. Possibly the meanest onscreen Star Wars droid we have ever seen, Chopper simply never fails to make us laugh.
2. C-3PO
Come on, be honest: you didn’t think we could write a list of the best Star Wars droids and not include C-3PO, right? Sure, this prissy protocol droid has some annoying moments, but he’s certainly the heart and soul of the franchise. He also makes for a great audience surrogate, often expressing what fans would say if they were in his position (for example, freaking out as Han Solo pilots the ship into an asteroid field).
Plus, even from a narrative standpoint, Threepio is one of the greatest Star Wars droids because he has helped to save the galaxy. Without this annoying goldenrod, for example, Luke Skywalker and others could never have forged a bond with the Ewoks, and Emperor Palpatine would still be…wait, he somehow came back to life anyway. But we can’t hold that against Threepio just because modern Star Wars writers are apparently not fluent in “good writing” as a form of communication.
1. R2-D2
Again, let’s be real here: you knew damn well R2-D2 was topping the list of best Star Wars droids as soon as you clicked on it. He’s a droid who always keeps his cool in any situation and has managed to save our favorite characters’ lives on countless occasions. The fact that he is just as cranky and cantankerous as C-3PO is saccharine sweet makes for a hilarious onscreen contrast every time.
In fact, one way of contextualizing how important R2 is to Star Wars is the fact that this droid was not only the prototype for BB-8 but also managed to do everything better. With all apologies to Poe Dameron’s orange good boy, BB-8 seems to mostly roll fast and get into trouble. Meanwhile, R2 is popping rocket jets, saving Jedi, and helping to overthrow the tyranny of the Empire at every turn.
It’s not that we’re mad at you, BB-8. Like most audiences of the Sequel Trilogy, we’re just disappointed.
