10 Best Star Wars Droids Of All Time, Ranked

Forgive the all-too-easy reference, but these are the droids you're looking for. Where would the organic beings of the "Star Wars" galaxy be without their robotic counterparts? They fix the ships, navigate through hyperspace, scout alien landscapes, and, more often than not, look adorable while doing it. Though "Star Wars" still has a big droid rights problem, it has never stopped giving us great ones over the years. Obi-Wan Kenobi said that flying is for droids, and these particular droids have flown especially high — becoming not just fan favorites, but icons of the franchise.

Before we get to our highly scientific top 10, it's only right to give some honorable mentions. The Cuteness Award for Best Little Guy goes to BD-1 of the "Star Wars: Jedi" video games, while new addition Spybot from "Maul — Shadow Lord" gets whatever the opposite accolade would be. To the Imperial probe droids, the droidekas, and the super battle droids, we award the Swag Award for Looking Like a Tough Dude. To the Bettie-Bots, you deserved better — the "...That's in 'Star Wars?'" Award. And to Todo 360, we all love you; Cad Bane never deserved your loyalty or your polished manners.

With the consolation prizes handed out, let's get right to it! These are the 10 best "Star Wars" droids of all time, ranked.

The best-laid plans of mouse droids and men often go awry, and the best-laid lists of the best "Star Wars" droids all begin with this one. Iconic in 1970s movie theaters and "LEGO Star Wars" video games alike, the Mouse Droid is a true OG, appearing for the first time all the way back in the very first "Star Wars" movie in 1977. Its role, like its stature, is admittedly small, and there has never been much in the way of sophisticated emotional development for the Mouse Droid. However, real "Star Wars" fans know it simply must contain multitudes.

Canonically, the Mouse Droid is basically a Roomba with a mailbox — a multi-purpose cleaning, repair, and communications droid, employed extensively across the galaxy, especially during the Imperial era. This includes the most recognizable version of the model, the black Imperial ones seen on the original Death Star, which show demonstrable fear at the sight of a surly Chewbacca.

No, the Mouse Droid is not secretly Sheev Palpatine's granddaughter, nor is it special because of how good the Naboo droidsmiths are. It doesn't kill Space Nazis, or make quippy remarks, and that's okay. It is still, undeniably, one of the 10 best droids in "Star Wars," because what is a "Star Wars" droid if not just a little guy?

Let's be frank: The "Star Wars" Sequel Trilogy doesn't feature the iconic character designs that the two George Lucas trilogies have. Kylo Ren is great; but for the most part, the Disney trilogy is more interested in paying homage to the Original Trilogy than it is in creating its own distinct iconography.

BB-8 is no exception, despite being extremely cute. While the ball design is novel, he is clearly meant to be the "new" R2-D2 for the next generation of toy buyers. But he's also the best new droid in the sequels. That alone wouldn't earn him a spot on this list, but there's a second factor that's a much stronger argument — the behind-the-scenes creation of BB-8 himself.

The practical prop work that went into making not just one, but numerous different versions of BB-8 for different shots and types of scenes, is the exact kind of thing that has always made "Star Wars" so fun. The challenge of turning the design into an expressive character capable of "acting" alongside the stars of "The Force Awakens" was one of the most compelling production stories leading up to the film's release, and it's hard to argue against the look of the finished product. "BB-8 can [tilt] his head over and look away, he can double take, he can look scared, he can look angry," puppeteer Brian Herring told StarWars.com in 2015. "We managed to find a whole vocabulary of movement for him, if you will."

Some droids are adorable. Others are terrifying. The torture droid that visits Princess Leia on the Death Star in "A New Hope" comes to mind; but for the eighth spot on this list, we're going with an Imperial droid design from the next film in the franchise, "The Empire Strikes Back."

The probe droid that Han Solo and Chewbacca destroy on Hoth is an all-timer — bulbous, gunmetal black, with an array of evil eyes and spider-like appendages that only add to its sinister profile. The way it hovers about like a ghost is a nice touch, too.

Plenty of other types of probe droids, Imperial spy droids, and scary jellyfish designs have come in the decades since, but you can't compete with the king. And GameCube kids know, the way they popped in that Hoth level in "Rogue Leader" was just so, so good.

The gonk droid holds the power — not the Force, but, you know, electrical power. It's a generator. It's a generator with legs that makes an incredible noise, that waddles to and fro. What's not to love?

Officially the GNK-series power droid, this absolute icon is another 1977 original. It's essentially a walking battery pack, often seen on starships or space stations, where it can provide auxiliary power as needed. And while you'd think the colloquial name comes from that series designation, it's more closely associated with the "gonk" sound the droid makes as it lumbers about.

Unlike the mouse droid or the Imperial probe droid, there have actually been some more "main character" gonks like Gonky, who provides his expert power-sharing skills to the clones of "The Bad Batch" through their various adventures. A power brick on legs, the gonk droid has swag for days, and it's also one of the most prolific "Star Wars" droid models across the entire franchise. For all their years of service, the droids of the gonk clan have earned a spot in our ranking.

Dave Filoni's animated "Star Wars" universe has brought us a ton of new droids over the years, from the proud soldiers of D-Squad to the Kaminoan service droid AZI-345211896246498721347, who helped clone trooper Fives uncover the truth of Order 66 in "The Clone Wars," and later aided members of the Bad Batch during the destruction of Kamino by Imperial forces. But there's a clear king among these more recent additions to the franchise, and it's Chopper.

Voiced by Filoni himself, C1-10P is best described as a cantankerous war veteran with a glint of psychopathy. After being rescued by a young Hera Syndulla from a crashed Republic ship during the Clone War's Ryloth campaign, Chopper developed a strong loyalty to her, eventually coming to serve the Rebel Alliance when Hera and her crew took up arms against the Empire. Throughout "Star Wars Rebels," he is frequently depicted as vindictive, crotchety, and begrudging in any actual affection. Chopper also has a kill count that borders on war criminal.

In "Ahsoka" Season 1, Chopper formally joined the live-action "Star Wars" universe, and we surely haven't seen the last of him. A fan favorite and a clear standout of the animated "Star Wars" ensemble, Chopper just barely misses our top five.

The "family droid as old dog" metaphor is so spot-on that it's shocking it took so long for "Star Wars" to fully embrace it. "Andor" is basically the best that "Star Wars" has ever been, so it's only right that it would also introduce one of the top five droids the franchise has ever seen. B2EMO is a B2 groundmech, a droid model designed for storing and pulling salvage, which is exactly how we see him working with Maarva and Clem in the "Andor" Season 1 flashbacks. But it's not utility that makes B2EMO such a shoo-in for the top five.

First, let's talk design. The rolling fire hydrant look of the B2 groundmech is an all-timer, blending the blocky mechanical look of Original Trilogy droids with a staggering level of expressiveness. Then, there's the personality. If B2EMO doesn't make you cry on multiple occasions over the course of the show, you've got some damage. Want to break an "Andor" fan? Hit them with a "I n-n-never got to see you," "you c-c-could stay," or the heartrending "I d-d-don't want to be alone. I want M-M-Maarva."

Huge credit goes to the designers, as well as to puppeteer Dave Chapman, who voices B2EMO. A "Star Wars" veteran, Chapman helped work on characters like BB-8, Yoda, and Lady Proxima throughout the Disney films — but this is easily his crowning performance in the franchise. Saying that B2EMO doesn't deserve this spot would be a lie, and we all know he'd have to recharge at home for that.

"Andor" fans could argue all day over which of B2EMO and K-2SO deserves the higher placement here. They have a similar amount of screen time, with K-2 co-starring in "Rogue One" and getting a major role at the end of "Andor," while B2EMO pops up constantly across both seasons of the show. But we're giving the edge to K-2 for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, while both do their part, Kay makes the ultimate sacrifice in one of the most important battles of the Galactic Civil War, ensuring that the Death Star plans arrived safely with the Alliance. And second, he kills Nazis. He kills a lot of Nazis.

In "Rogue One," K-2 is more of a comic relief character, albeit one with a ton of combat prowess. Played masterfully by Alan Tudyk, he quickly became one of the most popular characters of the Disney era. But "Andor" adds a layer of brutality to the character, showing the violence for which the Empire designed him and the other KX droids. These additions make the look of K-2SO far more frightening.

Because of "Andor," K-2 became a more layered character than he appeared at first. He is both a symbol of Imperial cruelty, a tool of rebellion, and a funny guy. And if that weren't enough, few "Star Wars" characters have accrued so many one-liners in so little screen time. It's hard to find a moment with more aura being farmed than "I've cleared a path."

Onto the podium! You all knew from the start who'd hold the top two spots, so let's give some flowers first to a true droid of the people — the B1 battle droid.

The Confederacy of Independent Systems has enough swaggy droid designs to fill its own list, from the rolling, scorpion-like droideka and the bulky B2 "super" battle droid to the more wiry designs of the MagnaGuards and the commando droids of "The Clone Wars." If you've spent any amount of time playing the "Star Wars: Battlefront" or "LEGO Star Wars" video games, you're likely trying to find a way to comment on this article to declare they all should have made the cut — and fair enough. But one thing we can all agree on is that the B1 is the best of the bunch.

Is there a more iconic "Star Wars" line at this point than "Roger, Roger?" Prequel haters, put your hands down. The B1 is the proletariat of combat droids — a timeless, brilliant design treated with a level of intensity in "The Phantom Menace," before pivoting into arguably the greatest comic relief character the series has ever had. Lucasfilm sound editor and voice actor Matthew Wood took over the role in "The Clone Wars" and has defined the sound of the characters ever since, turning what could have been a forgettable bit of lightsaber fodder into a true icon. Roger, roger, Matthew. Roger, roger.

There are a million droids in "Star Wars," but at the same time, there are only two. And yes, in a move that would surely spite him to no end, C-3PO is just barely missing out on the gold. It feels wrong to split the duo up at all. Perhaps the better list would have them sharing the top spot, as the story of R2-D2 and C-3PO is a story of their relationship, defined by shared affection and constant bickering. R2 just has a little more pushing him to the top, but we'll get there in a minute.

First, C-3PO. Built by Anakin Skywalker himself, always the pinnacle of etiquette and protocol, and fluent in over 6 million forms of communication, he's the model for every humanoid droid who followed in his wake. This is one of those instances where the wrong actor in the metal suit — a performance feat, by the way, worthy of its own gold medal — might have doomed the character from the start. But Anthony Daniels was so outstanding from the very beginning that C-3PO could only become a legend.

He's the reason that B1 is "arguably" the greatest comic relief character in all of "Star Wars." This man will read you for filth and mog you on posture. And while he doesn't get nearly as much material as R2 in the prequels, he does get a shocking amount of spotlight in "The Rise of Skywalker" — one of the few good things about that disaster of a film.

The legend, the icon, the savage. The greatest droid pilot in the galaxy. Vanquisher of B2 battle droids, Battle of Yavin Purple Heart recipient, and the one reason Qui-Gon Jinn lived long enough to meet Anakin Skywalker in the first place. As captain Ric Olié says in "The Phantom Menace" after a show of R2's heroics, "That little droid did it." And did he ever.

Brought to life by Kenny Baker and a slew of other prop artists, animators, and puppeteers over the years, R2-D2 is the droid you think of when you think of droids. He set the standard early for just how much charisma and character you can pull out of a character who never speaks — though, in fairness, R2 also says plenty. One of the genius strokes of the Original Trilogy is that you can instantly feel his sardonic, mischievous demeanor simply from the way Baker operates him and how C-3PO responds. Where are all of the dirty sailor swears in "Star Wars?" They hid them beneath all those beeps and chirps.

Beyond all that personality, it's the design that solidifies R2 as a hall-of-famer — not just in "Star Wars," but in the history of cinema and science fiction. The astromech design is perfect, from the dome and the way he scoots out that third little foot to roll around on, to the way he wobbles back and forth with glee when things actually work out for once. The "Star Wars" fandom may disagree on nearly everything, but few could take issue with R2-D2 being named the greatest droid of all time.