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64-449: BB-8's design was based on a sketch by The Force Awakens director J. J. Abrams . According to special effects artist Neal Scanlan , "It was a very simple sketch, beautiful in its simplicity of a ball with this little dome on top." His design included asymmetrical panels to make it easier for the viewer to track motion, because, Scanlan says, "If you had parallel patterns that ran around the circumference, they would be less informative as to

128-591: A Disney-run startup accelerator program in July 2014, during which Disney CEO Bob Iger showed Sphero executives on-set photos and imagery of BB-8 before anyone outside of the production team knew of the robot's existence. Sphero acquired the license in November 2014, completing the development and production of the toy in time for its September 2015 release. Wired called the BB-8 toy "the only truly cutting-edge item" in

192-642: A Lucasfilm-designed Topps -style trading card mockup in December 2014. In the film, the robot is the astromech droid of the Resistance X-wing fighter pilot Poe Dameron ( Oscar Isaac ). Poe entrusts it with a map that must be delivered to the Resistance headquarters in order to determine the whereabouts of Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker . While Poe is captured and interrogated by the sinister First Order warlord Kylo Ren , BB-8 flees across

256-644: A Photoreal or Animated Project for BB-8. Neal Scanlan Neal Scanlan (born 1961) is a British special effects artist and make-up artist , best known for his work on the Star Wars sequel trilogy and standalone films . He won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for Babe in 1996 . This biographical article related to film in the United Kingdom is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Stormtrooper (Star Wars) Stormtroopers are fictional soldiers in

320-401: A civilian population too terrified to resist. However, inconsistencies in academy standards led to stormtroopers of varying combat skill and ability compared to the superior clone troopers, which, among other things, can be seen in the stormtroopers' mainly variable, sometimes even weak, ability to hit the target in firefights. After subduing any remaining Separatist holdouts left over from

384-670: A deep understanding of what makes Star Wars fun and mythic. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote that "no one can steal a scene from BB-8". The Hollywood Reporter 's Todd McCarthy explained that the droid "serves as a welcome robot reboot from the sidelined (but hardly vanquished) R2-D2 ", and Emmet Asher-Perrin of Tor.com described BB-8 as "the perfect hybrid of R2-D2 and WALL-E ". Entertainment Weekly 's Chris Nashawaty called BB-8 "that rolling gyroscopic weeble that, if possible, may out-cute R2-D2". Ann Hornaday wrote in The Washington Post that "BB-8,

448-797: A droid named D-O. Later followed them on Kef Bir and Exegol in the last war against Emperor Palpatine and the Sith Eternal . After celebrating the victory of the Resistance on Ajan Kloss, BB-8 followed Rey on Tatooine where she buried Luke and Leia's lightsabers in the Lars homestead and, in the end, the droid watched the binary sunrise along with her. BB-8 makes several appearances in Star Wars Forces of Destiny . In "Sands of Jakku" and "BB-8 Bandits", both of which take place shortly after Rey finds him in The Force Awakens , Rey helps

512-637: A faint area of blue discoloration giving them away. In conjunction with their Force-granted telekinesis, reflexes, and agility, the Shadowtroopers are armed and trained in the use of mass-produced red lightsabers. Their combination of abilities allow them to lie in wait and ambush the enemy, representing formidable opponents even for trained Jedi, most often the game's Jedi protagonist, Kyle Katarn . Shadow stormtroopers appear in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and wear exactly

576-655: A movie character, BB-8 feels destined to become a fan favorite. Some Star Wars fans have already tattooed likenesses of the droid on various parts of their body, and the movie isn't even out until December." Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times noted that "the hype for The Force Awakens has been so insane and the marketing so intense, we knew about BB-8 as a pricey and cool toy well before BB-8 ever made his big-screen debut. According to Tor.com : We haven't even seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens but we (as in: humanity) don't need to in order to know that BB-8

640-527: A planetary garrison, and police areas within the Galactic Empire. They are shown in collective groups of varying organizational sizes ranging from squads to legions and for some, their armour and training are modified for special operations and environments. In early drafts of the original Star Wars film as well as designs by conceptual artist Ralph McQuarrie , stormtroopers wield lightsabers and handheld shields as common weapons, as opposed to

704-401: A roly-poly little Wall-E of a creature, rolls, beeps and blinks with such puppy-ish charisma that R2-D2 and C-3PO might want to call their agents to make sure they're in the next installment. Stephanie Zacharek of Time also praised BB-8: Abrams and his team of designers and technicians introduce a new star ... A roly-poly cueball with a surprisingly expressive half-dome for a head—and

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768-550: A slot in BB-8, thinking he is a slot machine. The droid later subdues several guards, allowing Finn and Rose to escape imprisonment. BB-8 then uses the coins to subdue a fourth guard. Later, he operates a First Order AT-ST in order to rescue Finn and Rose after they are captured by the First Order. BB-8 appeared in The Rise of Skywalker where, in mission with Rey, Finn, Poe, Chewie and C-3PO on Pasaana eventually befriended

832-524: A standard power cell which energizes the gas to produce blaster bolts will last for approximately 100 shots. In addition to the E-11, stormtroopers employ a variety of different weapons as seen in the Star Wars films and other media. Examples include thermal detonators , sniper rifles , crew-served heavy repeating blasters, and mortars. Both firing and non-firing prop models of the E-11 were based on

896-410: A vocabulary of squeaks and squiggles that are more eloquent than mere words—BB-8 is both modernist and old-fashioned at once, a marvelous creation that could have sprung from the imagination of Jules Verne . BB-8 appeared with several other Force Awakens characters on the December 2015 cover of Rolling Stone , and alone on the cover of the December 18, 2015 issue of The Hollywood Reporter . The droid

960-986: Is identified as FN-2199 "Nines" in the anthology book Star Wars: Before the Awakening (2015) by Greg Rucka . The trooper, armed with a "Z6 baton" and dubbed "TR-8R" by fans, quickly inspired multiple memes and fan art . Actor/director Kevin Smith also voiced a stormtrooper in the Takodana sequence. In Star Wars Rebels , different voice actors have provided the voices of the stormtroopers, including David Acord , Dee Bradley Baker , Steven Blum , Clancy Brown , Robin Atkin Downes , Greg Ellis , Dave Fennoy , Dave Filoni , Tom Kane , Andrew Kishino , Phil LaMarr , Liam O'Brien , Freddie Prinze, Jr. , André Sogliuzzo , Stephen Stanton , Greg Weisman , Gary Anthony Williams , and Matthew Wood . In Ralph Breaks

1024-458: Is male or female ... BB-8 was female in our eyes. And then he or she became male. And that's all part of the evolution, not only visually, but in the way they move, how they hold themselves." Calling the robot a " Swiss Army Knife that shouldn't be trusted", he noted that while each of the BB-8's panels has a specific purpose, like a port or tool, not all of them have been absolutely defined to leave options for future films. The voice of BB-8

1088-569: Is set after the fall of the Empire, portrays stormtroopers as freelance mercenaries in the service of Moff Gideon , a former officer of the Imperial Security Bureau. Star Wars Legends media such as games and comics feature a number of specialized stormtrooper units. The Marvel -produced comics of the late 1970s and early 1980s featured Shadow Troopers. Other specialists have included commandos and troopers equipped to work in

1152-407: Is the break-out star. This soccer ball that thinks it is a robot is a masterpiece of evocative design that instantly evokes a galaxy far, far away. You see BB-8, even if only in silhouette, and you immediately think Star Wars . Rey and Finn and Poe's little pal is a hint of the continuing universe that will unfold with The Force Awakens , and a promise to fans that the filmmakers of the new films have

1216-554: Is white and has a utility belt and helmet. The standard firearm for Imperial stormtroopers is the BlasTech E-11 blaster rifle, described in Star Wars sources as combining excellent range and firepower in a compact and rugged design. Features include a telescopic range-finding sight, accessory mounting rail, power setting adjuster, three-point folding stock , magnatomic adhesive pistol grip , and advanced cooling system. Plasma cartridges provide enough gas for 500 shots, though

1280-550: The Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas . The term originates from Germany's First World War Sturmtruppen . Introduced in the original Star Wars film , the stormtroopers are the shock troops / space marines of the autocratic Galactic Empire , under the leadership of Emperor Palpatine and his enforcers, most notably Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin , during the original film trilogy (1977–1983) and Rebels (2014–18). The prequel trilogy (1999–2005) and The Clone Wars (2008–2020) explores their predecessors in

1344-665: The Thrawn trilogy is charged with the defense of the "Empire of the Hand" Imperial Remnant forces. Thrawn's 501st is composed of aliens and humans. The Legion's name is based on a fan organization of the same name ; their inclusion in the official continuity was based on the worldwide organization's dedication to Star Wars fandom. Within the Star Wars franchise, several types of " military occupation specialist " stormtrooper units are seen. These include: Night Troopers are stormtroopers who serve Grand Admiral Thrawn during his exile on

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1408-673: The Battle of Hoth , the 501st is instrumental in the destruction of the Rebel Alliance base, and nearly succeeds in capturing the Millennium Falcon . Most of the background story linked to the 501st comes from Star Wars novels, the games Star Wars: Battlefront II and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed , and the TV show Star Wars: The Clone Wars . The elite 501st designation is resurrected by Grand Admiral Thrawn , who in

1472-750: The Clone Wars , stormtroopers primarily serve as an internal security and peacekeeping force until the Galactic Civil War where they start to engage the Rebel Alliance in large-scale battles. Unable to conscript noventillions of soldiers to fill its stormtrooper ranks, yet unwilling to switch back to using rapidly produced clone troopers , First Order stormtroopers are bred, trained and indoctrinated from birth, raised their entire lives for no other purpose. First Order soldiers and crews have constantly trained for combat in war games and simulations, making them much more effective one-on-one than

1536-677: The First Order employs stormtroopers (including Finn and Jannah ) under the leadership of Supreme Leader Snoke and his enforcers, most notably Kylo Ren , General Hux , and Captain Phasma . The order of battle of the Stormtrooper Corps is unspecified in the Star Wars universe. Accompanying the Imperial Navy, stormtroopers are able to be deployed swiftly and respond to states of civil unrest or insurrection, act as

1600-537: The Force Awakens collection. In 2015, Sphero sold over 1 million of the robots. Other BB-8 merchandising includes household items, luggage and bags, a life-size plush, a Lego Star Wars playset called Poe's X-wing Fighter, Hasbro 's Star Wars: The Force Awakens Takodana Encounter set, and other action figures and other toys. The Lego versions of Poe and BB-8 have also appeared in the 2016 short form animated series Lego Star Wars: The Resistance Rises , and

1664-578: The Galactic Republic 's clone troopers , clones of the bounty hunter Jango Fett , used by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to "win" the Clone Wars and later to take over the government and exterminate the Jedi . After this, in The Bad Batch (2021–2024), stormtroopers are established as human recruits, trained by clone troopers gradually being phased out of active service; at the time of

1728-418: The Star Wars setting, this armor is described as being an improvement over the previous iteration, including better joint design for greater flexibility, stronger betaplast armor plating, and upgraded helmet communication and targeting systems. The 501st Legion Elite Stormtrooper Unit, or "Vader's Fist", is a stormtrooper unit from the Star Wars movies and Star Wars Legends continuity. Commanded by

1792-744: The prequel film Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), the first clone troopers are cloned from bounty hunter Jango Fett , to be the Army of the Republic in the Clone Wars . In Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005), Chancellor Palpatine orders them to slay their Jedi generals in the Great Jedi Purge . After the change in regimes from the Galactic Republic to

1856-641: The 2018 first season of the animated television series Star Wars Resistance . BB-8 is a point of view character in both the 2015 novelization of The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster , and the 2017 novelization of The Last Jedi by Jason Fry . The droid also appears in the comic book series Star Wars: Poe Dameron , published by Marvel Comics in April 2016. The official September 4, 2015 launch of all merchandise for The Force Awakens included an 11.4-centimeter-tall (4.5-inch) mobile app-enabled BB-8 robot toy developed by Sphero . Sphero had participated in

1920-463: The Dark Jedi named Desann aligned with a Remnant of the Empire, the Shadowtroopers themselves had been immersed in a Force nexus on Ruusan, temporarily empowering them with Force sensitivity. This armour has a green synthetic gem set into the breastplate which sustained the otherwise temporary effect of their Force empowerment and combines with their abilities to render them near-invisible, with only

1984-508: The Empire, though the replacement of clones with natural beings lowered the effectiveness of the Empire's soldiers. With the Empire firmly stabilized and an Imperial Army and Navy established, the stormtroopers are integrated into Palpatine's personal army and stationed on Imperial bases and cruisers, as well as on the Death Star. As established in The Force Awakens (2015), after Palpatine's death, stormtroopers continue to serve under

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2048-550: The F-11D blaster rifle, SE-44C blaster pistol, and FWMB-10 repeating blaster cannon. For subduing civilian populations, First Order stormtroopers will also carry ballistic riot shields and riot control batons . As established in the original Star Wars trilogy of films, the troopers' most distinctive equipment is their white battle armor, which completely encases the body and typically has no individually distinguishing markings. According to in-universe reference material, this armor

2112-503: The First Order's stormtroopers. Daniel Craig has a small uncredited role as a stormtrooper whom Rey compels using the Jedi mind trick to let her escape from captivity, and director J. J. Abrams also cast Alias and Lost composer Michael Giacchino as FN-3181, and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich as FN-9330. A riot control stormtrooper who calls Finn a traitor during the battle on Takodana , portrayed by stunt performer Liang Yang and voiced by sound editor David Acord ,

2176-470: The Galactic Empire, the clone troopers who had served the Republic became the first generation of stormtroopers, enforcing the Emperor's will as military units, and law enforcement, policing the Emperor's ever increasingly oppressive laws. The Imperial Stormtrooper Corps swell in size in The Bad Batch (2021–present) after Palpatine almost completely replaces the clones with recruits and conscripts of

2240-624: The Internet , the stormtroopers in the "Oh My Disney" website are voiced by Jesse Averna, Kevin Deters, Jeremy Milton, and Rich Moore . Jason Sudeikis and Adam Pally play scout troopers in " Chapter 8: Redemption ", the 2019 first-season finale episode of The Mandalorian . Introduced in Star Wars (1977), the Imperial stormtroopers serve as the army of the Galactic Empire, establishing Imperial authority and putting down any revolts. In

2304-562: The Mk 4 Sterling submachine gun , with approximately 20 models built for the first Star Wars movie A New Hope . External modifications to the Sterlings to transform them into blaster rifles varied based on the parts available but most were similar in design. This included an American Mk38 azimuth tank scope and a Hengstler industrial counter box affixed to the top and left side of the receiver respectively. The Sterling would continue to serve as

2368-627: The basis for or inspire other blaster rifle designs in the rest of the Star Wars films. Background literature explains how the First Order's stormtroopers were armed in secret by the Sonn-Blas Corporation, a subsidiary of BlasTech Industries and Merr-Sonn Munitions created to circumvent the New Republic 's disarmament treaties. Building on classic design templates, they are meant to possess greater battlefield accuracy, ammunition yields and operational lifespans. Examples include

2432-649: The beach. In Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga , they also wear life jackets. Stormtroopers made their canonical debut in the Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 1 episode "War–Mantle", which was released on July 30, 2021. According to Star Wars lore, Imperial stormtroopers are men and women who have been recruited (or conscripted) at a young age to serve as expendable foot soldiers of the Empire, gradually replacing clone troopers as their accelerated aging forces them to retire. These recruits are trained at Imperial Academies spread out across

2496-479: The clone troopers as young men were played by Bodie Taylor, who was cast for his resemblance to a younger Morrison. In Revenge of the Sith , Morrison also played Commander Cody , the only named clone trooper who is seen unmasked in the prequel trilogy. In The Force Awakens (2015), John Boyega stars as Finn , the former Stormtrooper FN-2187 who defects from the First Order and joins the Resistance, and Gwendoline Christie portrays Captain Phasma , commander of

2560-559: The costume to be industrial design, which is protected there only for 15 years. This puts the armor design in the public domain in the UK, and likely throughout the European Union . To differentiate the First Order stormtroopers from their earlier Imperial counterparts, the helmet and armor were redesigned for the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens by costume designer Michael Kaplan with input from director J. J. Abrams . Within

2624-408: The desert of the planet Jakku and finds sanctuary with the plucky scavenger Rey . Eventually Rey, the renegade stormtrooper Finn , Han Solo , and Chewbacca bring BB-8 to Resistance leader Leia Organa , and ultimately reunite him with Poe. In The Last Jedi , BB-8 fixes Poe's X-wing weapons system by smashing his head into it. In Canto Bight , a drunken gambler repeatedly inserts coins into

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2688-667: The direction BB-8 was traveling". Abrams also named the character, saying, "I named him BB-8 because it was almost onomatopoeia . It was sort of how he looked to me, with the 8, obviously, and then the two B's." The name was conceived early on in the film's production and was one of the few to remain unchanged. Before receiving his final name, the droid was nicknamed "Surly" by the pre-production team. In August 2013, The Force Awakens cinematographer Daniel Mindel and Episode VIII director Rian Johnson each stated that Abrams would use little computer-generated imagery (CGI) and more practical, traditional special effects in order to recreate

2752-551: The droid evade a Nightwatcher worm and several bandits. In "Tracker Trouble", the droid, Rey, Finn, and Han help to get a tracker off the Millennium Falcon shortly after leaving Jakku. In "Shuttle Shock", which takes place during the journey to Canto Bight in The Last Jedi , BB-8 is overloaded by electrical shocks from a jellyfish monster, forcing Finn and Rose to try and fix it. BB-8 is a supporting character in

2816-458: The endless waves of stormtrooper conscripts fielded by the Galactic Empire. First Order stormtroopers are regularly put through mental indoctrination and propaganda programs, to make sure that they remain fanatically loyal and never hesitate or question orders. Being taken from their families at birth, these soldiers are not even given individual names for themselves but merely serial numbers, such as " FN-2187 ". Standard Imperial stormtrooper armor

2880-470: The extragalactic planet Peridea. Their armour is unique, featuring red bandages wrapped around it, as well as a gold alloy filling in cracks. Thrawn's Nightsister allies imbue them with their magick, making them energized and faster, as well as allowing them to resurrect upon death. Stormtroopers have become cultural icons , and a widely recognized element of the Star Wars franchise. In 2015, an Imperial stormtrooper helmet from The Empire Strikes Back that

2944-569: The factions that broke apart from the Empire. With redesigned armor, they eventually serve under the leadership of the First Order. In the First Order, an undisclosed number of stormtroopers are abducted as young children, given serial numbers for names and mentally conditioned for loyal service. Stormtrooper FN-2187, later known as Finn , plans his escape when his resistance to this conditioning puts him in line to be reprogrammed. Additionally, Rey 's goggles were based on scavenged stormtrooper lenses. The streaming series The Mandalorian , which

3008-483: The film series, there have been a few exceptions. In Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005), the clone troopers, which serve as the basis of what would initially become the Empire's stormtrooper force, were computer-generated images and voiced by Temuera Morrison , who played the bounty hunter Jango Fett , the template of the clone army. The child clone troopers were played by Daniel Logan , who also played Jango's clone son Boba Fett , and

3072-519: The former being mainly limited to the Jedi and Sith factions. While outlining his franchise in 1977, George Lucas said there were numerous female stormtroopers in some units, but few were stationed on the Death Star . While stormtrooper performers like Michael Leader ( Episode IV ), Laurie Goode ( Episode IV ), Peter Diamond ( Episode IV-VI ), Stephen Bayley ( Episode IV ), and Bill Weston ( Episode IV ) have generally been uncredited in

3136-517: The galaxy where they undergo intense conditioning that instills fierce loyalty, strict discipline and ruthless efficiency while removing any sense of individualism or empathy. As the backbone of the Imperial Army, stormtroopers are dreaded for their brutality, carrying out atrocities in the name of Emperor Palpatine , and their fanaticism, engaging the enemy with no regard to casualties. Inevitably, some use their position for personal gain against

3200-600: The helmet, while Brian Muir sculpted armor pieces for the stormtrooper costume. Muir, who was also responsible for sculpting the Darth Vader costume, worked out of the Art Department at Elstree Studios. The suit was molded and initially cast in plaster, with Muir sharpening the detail at the plaster stage. The plaster casts were then remolded and cast in fiberglass to use as the "tools" for the vacuum forming process. The suits were produced in house by Tashy Baines,

3264-541: The material used, the two designs can be differentiated by differences in the eyes, the ears, and the mouth area. The copyright status of the armor design has undergone legal challenges. A 2004 lawsuit by Lucasfilm against one of the original prop designers, Andrew Ainsworth, who had been selling helmet replicas, confirmed the design to be under copyright in the US. However, a 2011 UK court decision in Ainsworth's favor deemed

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3328-486: The original trilogy, only a few stormtroopers are clones, with the only known legion to still contain a significant number of clones being the 501st Legion , a.k.a. "Vader's Fist", with many stormtroopers remaining in service to Imperial remnants following the Empire's fall under Moff Gideon and Grand Admiral Thrawn in The Mandalorian (2019–present) and Ahsoka (2023). In the sequel trilogy (2015–2019),

3392-497: The resident vacuum former, but then a problem developed with the machine. As Shepperton Design Studios had already been used to vacuum form the helmets, the fiberglass molds for the armor were then sent to them for vacuum forming the suits. By the end of production, two different helmets were produced; one for the common stunt trooper and a second design for close-ups. Fifty stunt helmets were produced in white-painted HDPE and six hero helmets were produced in white ABS plastic . Besides

3456-415: The robot's personality, "We always imagined BB-8 as being quite manipulative. I think he knows he's cute. He knows that he can win people over. And he uses that, like children do, to get his own way. In this film, he has a very important mission that he has to accomplish and so he uses his personality, his coyness, and all of those things." Of BB-8's gender he said, "I'm still not sure, dare I say, whether BB-8

3520-491: The ruthlessly cunning General Maximilian Veers and composed of the best trained soldiers in the Star Wars galaxy, the legion earned a fierce reputation for completing missions considered unwinnable or suicidal. The 501st serves as Darth Vader 's personal death squadron, whom he notably leads in the Jedi extermination . The 501st spearhead the assault upon the Tantive IV consular ship, and capture Princess Leia . During

3584-421: The same type of Phase III armor as normal stormtroopers but not white in color, but rather a mixture of silver, grey and red detailing. These troopers also possess the invisible feature and use this tactic to ambush their enemies, but only if stormtrooper officers call out for support. In Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy , Speedo -clad and stormtrooper-helmet-wearing "Beach Troopers" appear relaxing at

3648-550: The short Poe Dameron vs the First Order Snowspeeder . Anthony Breznican of Entertainment Weekly wrote of BB-8 in November 2015, "He bowled us over immediately. From the moment Star Wars fans laid eyes on the droid with the roly-poly body and the babyface, it was love." The droid has been called a breakout character of the film, and of 2015. Time 's Alex Fitzpatrick wrote in September 2015, "As

3712-505: The vacuum of outer space, such as the zero gravity Spacetroopers depicted engaging in extra vehicular battle in the 1991 novel Star Wars: Heir to the Empire , and its 1995 Dark Horse Comics adaptation. A distinct variant known as "Shadowtroopers" appear in Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast , wearing black armour that incorporates a lightsaber-resistant mineral called cortosis. As a project of

3776-613: The vacuum of space for a short period of time. Their helmets are fitted with filtration systems for polluted environments, with hookups for incorporating an external atmospheric tank while operating in space or to filter potent toxins. The helmets also include built-in communication system and multi-frequency targeting and acquisition system linked to in-lens displays that provide tactical information, protection from excessive brightness, and vision modes for seeing through smoke, fire and darkness. Based on conceptual drawings by Ralph McQuarrie, Liz Moore and Nick Pemberton sculpted designs for

3840-497: The visual realism and authenticity of the original Star Wars film. To that end, the droid BB-8 was a physical prop developed by Disney Research , created by Neal Scanlan and operated live on set with the actors. Seven BB-8 puppets were constructed for filming. The most prominent was a rod puppet, controlled by puppeteers Dave Chapman and Brian Herring. In addition, there were several radio controlled units and some static prop versions. A fully functioning, self-contained robotic unit

3904-514: Was also featured alone on one of two alternate covers of the December 14, 2015, issue of Time (the other cover featuring R2-D2). This was the first time the magazine has offered two covers for editions worldwide. The Time cover photographer, Marco Grob, said, "The moment you meet BB-8, you almost build some form of weird human connection. It has this really cute way of looking at you." The Force Awakens received seven Visual Effects Society Award nominations, including one for Outstanding Models in

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3968-510: Was developed and manufactured by the Imperial Department of Military Research, and consists of 18 white plastoid armor plates magnatomically attached to a black body glove. These plates are generally impervious to most projectile weapons and blast shrapnel, and will protect against glancing hits by other blaster rifles though a direct hit will penetrate. The armor also provides protection against inhospitable environments, including

4032-458: Was not practical for shooting, so most of the "walking" scenes were achieved by the puppet, with rods removed in post production. Later a self-standing remote controlled unit was constructed and used at promotional events. BB-8 is a spherical robot with a free-moving domed head. It is white, with orange and silver accents and a black optical lens on its headpiece. BB-8 also possesses multiple panels containing various tools or ports. Scanlan said of

4096-433: Was supplied by comedians Bill Hader and Ben Schwartz , both credited as "BB-8 vocal consultants" in the film. The effect was created by Abrams manipulating Hader and Schwartz's voices through a talkbox attached to an iPad running a sound effects app. BB-8 was first seen in the 88-second The Force Awakens teaser trailer released by Lucasfilm on November 28, 2014. Its name was revealed by Entertainment Weekly in

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