Droids may be second-class citizens in the Star Wars universe, but they’re also some of the most important characters in the entire franchise. There’s hardly a hero in the lore of Star Wars who isn’t accompanied by a droid best friend. That trend continues even in recent video games like Star Wars Outlaws and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. The irony is that many droids are treated like slaves, and there’s yet to be a droid uprising where they fight for equal rights as sentient beings. L3-37 tried to change that in Solo: A Star Wars Story, and it really didn’t work out for her.
Nevertheless, droids are vital to the galaxy’s way of life, and it just wouldn’t be Star Wars without them. For now, we’re paying homage to the 7 best Star Wars droids and pulling from all of the ancillary media, movies, and TV shows to put this list together. Only our pick for No. 7 on this list originated in a comic book.
7. Triple-Zero
To casual Star Wars fans, 0-0-0 looks like a repaint of C-3PO. And since Triple-Zero has yet to appear in live-action or animation, he’s an obscure character unless you’ve been reading Marvel’s adventures of Doctor Aphra. Triple-Zero became the dark horse pick on this list because he’s hilariously evil. Somehow, this protocol droid has been given a taste for murder and torture, and he’ll happily put his skills to use in those areas.
Triple-Zero and his sidekick assassin droid, BT-1, are clearly meant to be the dark reflection of C-3PO and R2-D2. The fact that these two murder bots now have their own action figures is a testament to the impact they’ve made. There aren’t a lot of comics-only characters who have had the same honor.
6. BB-8
BB-8 is the greatest new addition to the lineup of droids to come out of the Star Wars sequel era. He never quite hit the heights of R2-D2 or C-3PO, but this little droid is loyal to the Resistance cause and to the core trio of Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), and Poe (Oscar Isaac). BB-8 also got an extended spotlight in the animated series Star Wars Resistance, where he proved to be more than just a sidekick to the klutzy Resistance spy Kazuda “Kaz” Xiono (Christopher Sean).
Without BB-8, Kaz’s mission would have been a complete failure. BB-8’s spherical design was also a welcome change of pace from the robots designed in the 1970s and 1980s.
5. IG-11
The bounty hunter droid IG-88 made his debut in The Empire Strikes Back during a brief cameo scene, but his claim to fame is largely from a cool action figure he received from Kenner. IG-11 powered his way onto this list thanks to his memorable appearances in The Mandalorian season 1. For the first time, fans finally got to see what a bounty hunter droid could really do in action. Additionally, IG-11’s funny persona can be attributed to the voice of Taika Waititi.
Because IG-11 was so unyielding about killing Grogu to complete his mission, The Mandalorian‘s title character, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), shot him through the head at the end of the first episode. That started an unexpected redemption arc for IG-11, who was reprogrammed as a protector. IG-11 was so dedicated to fulfilling his new purpose in life that he even won over the droid-hating Mandalorian, as demonstrated when Din pleaded with him not to sacrifice his life. Yet IG-11 had no regrets as he blew himself to pieces for the greater good. IG-11’s return at the end of The Mandalorian season 3 cheapens that sacrifice a little, but his death scene was a fantastic piece of storytelling in the moment.
4. Chopper
Imagine if R2-D2 was a little selfish and had a foul mouth for a droid, and you’ll get something similar to C1-10P. This astromech droid was given the nickname Chopper, and he was one of the primary characters in the Star Wars Rebels animated series. Most of Chopper’s lines were unintelligible to human ears, but his crewmates on the Ghost reacted almost every time he said something rude to them.
Chopper was also beloved by his friends on the Ghost because he almost always came through for them in the end. In the history of the Rebel Alliance, it was actually Chopper who first convinced the disparate cells to come together to rescue the crew of the Ghost at the end of the first season of Rebels. Chopper also had a brief cameo in Rogue One before making regular appearances in the Ahsoka live-action series, so we haven’t seen the last of C1-10P.
3. K-2SO
Speaking of Rogue One, the best droid from the Disney era of Star Wars originated in that film. K-2SO is simultaneously the most physically imposing droid on this list and one of the most hilarious. Alan Tydyk’s voice gave K-2SO a lot of personality, and he was a loyal friend to Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), the man who reprogrammed him.
More importantly, K-2SO was willing to give his life to ensure that Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and Cassian could finish their mission and steal the Death Star plans. That’s true dedication, especially for a droid. K-2SO will pop up again in Andor season 2 in 2025. Now, the audience will learn about the definitive origin story of how he became Cassian’s Chewie.
2. C-3PO
There’s no Star Wars without the two droids at the center of the franchise: C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2. This protocol droid speaks millions of languages, and he was featured in all nine of the Skywalker Saga films. Amusingly, few of the major characters like spending much time with Threepio, because he tends to get on their nerves. But there’s no question about where his loyalties lie.
The prequel trilogy really pushed credibility by retroactively revealing that Darth Vader’s alter ego, Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), created Threepio when he was just a child. Regardless, C-3PO lived and functioned for decades in the Star Wars universe, and for all we know, he’s still online and annoying the heck out of whoever he happens to be with.
1. R2-D2
Our No. 1 pick is R2-D2 because it has to be. When any of the other droids do something that compares to singlehandedly saving the queen’s shuttle during the escape from Naboo or surviving the destruction of the first Death Star run alongside Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), then we can talk about moving them up on the list. But R2-D2 has really done it all.
By the time of the sequel trilogy, R2-D2 was a clearly outdated droid model compared to BB-8. However, R2-D2 functioned well enough to be Poe’s X-Wing sidekick in the final battle against the New Order in The Rise of Skywalker. R2-D2 just keeps saving the day in the Star Wars universe, and we wouldn’t bet against him returning again down the line when Daisy Ridley reprises her role as Rey in a future Star Wars movie.
