Every Star Wars: Visions Droid Explained
Contains spoilers for "Star Wars: Visions."
It simply wouldn't be "Star Wars" without the droids, no matter what Din Djarin thinks. C-3PO and R2-D2 are just as much a part of the galaxy's DNA as any Skywalker or lightsaber, but it goes beyond those two. There's an expectation now for new "Star Wars" stories to introduce colorful new droids, whether it's an adorable rolling orange ball for the kids (and merch) or a sarcastic, self-sacrificial ex-security droid to liven up "Rogue One."
The new anthology "Star Wars: Visions" takes that responsibility seriously with its cast of robotic pals. Each episode is an anime short film drawn in a different art style and corner of the galaxy. The stories play with the lore of the canon series, bending it as they see fit, dabbling in alternate universes, but the classic charm and personality of droids are a constant.
Here's a breakdown of all the new droid characters, from an ambitious musician to an aspiring Jedi.
K-344, the guitarist
While many of the "Star Wars: Visions" shorts feature a young person coming into their own as a Jedi, "Tatooine Rhapsody" is about a wayward padawan who's going in an opposite direction: Jay (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) joins a band.
Among his bandmates is the humanoid droid K-344 (Shelby Young), who plays a dual neck guitar and can speak human language. She's gold colored, with a pair of eyes that resemble glasses and appendages that stick out on either side of her head like little elf ears. Her one gray leg suggests she lost the original limb some time before we meet her.
Unlike most other droids, who work for people according to their programming, K-344 is an equal among her bandmates. Producer Kanako Shirasaki said to StarWars.com, "She was once abandoned but found her purpose in rock and roll." Other than that, we know little about her backstory, but that she's committed to this band, The Star Waver. Plus, she makes for a capable pilot of their ship.
B-2ON and R-DUO, the iconic pair
The short titled "The Twins" calls back to Luke and Leia with a new set of twins, Am (Alison Brie) and Karre (Neil Patrick Harris), who were born of the Dark Side. On their twin Star Destroyers, they're accompanied by a pair of droids that seem all too familiar despite their novelty.
Am is joined by the black protocol droid B-2ON (Jonathan Lipow), who has gleaming Sith-red eyes and an unwavering loyalty to his master. He acts as advisor to Am and plays a crucial part in the episode, saving her from the Star Destroyer wreck. If B-2ON's physical appearance doesn't give it away, his subservience and nervousness certainly reveal that he's a reference to one of the galaxy's most famous droids: C-3PO. Producer Kanako Shirasaki teased to StarWars.com that his name is a secret reference. Here's our best guess at the hidden meaning: If you take each character of B-2ON's name and move it forward one in the alphabet or numerical order, it becomes C-3PO.
Karre, meanwhile, has the trusty astromech droid R-DUO at his side. Though he doesn't perfectly match any R-series droid, with his funky little head handles, he moves and talks — well, beeps — a lot like R2-D2. In fact, he's just as much of a helpful scamp as R2, operating the X-Wing and giving Karre the idea (and a nudge) to combine a hyperspace jump with his lightsaber to stop Am. Of course, the reference is right in his name, as R-DUO clearly is meant to replicate R2.
Steward Droid, the mysterious giant
"The Ninth Jedi" begins with a mysterious meeting between a group of supposed Jedi. The masked character Margrave Juro (Andrew Kishino) called them together to give them lightsabers and rebuild the Jedi Order, but he sends in a droid to talk to them in his stead. The steward droid is awfully tall, enigmatic, and a little bit creepy, with his one red eye. He's not friend shaped, like BB-8.
However, once Kara (Kimiko Glenn), the saber smith's daughter, arrives with the lightsabers, the true nature of the meeting is revealed. Juro is hiding within the steward droid's body, speaking for it. It's a protective measure, so he can catch the Jedi by surprise — because most of them are not actually Jedi, but Sith posers. By pretending to be the droid, he was able to learn their true nature.
The episode has a couple other very entertaining droids. Like any good "Star Wars" protagonist, Kara has her own droid companion: A little yellow guy who floats around and helps her practice her lightsaber skills. Plus, there's an old ferry droid, who sips tea — or, oil? — and is completely unconcerned with the goings on, but who brings a lot of character to the short.
TD-4, the blogger
In the episode "Lop and Ochō," we meet a young rabbit girl, Lop (Anna Cathcart), who's escaped from the Empire and is living on the streets of Planet Tao with a small floating droid called TD-4. It's colored in orange, yellow, and white, with one large lens that acts like an eye and a head that vaguely resembles a boombox. TD-4 hides arms, legs, and an array of other tools, like a cutting torch, within its body.
TD-4 is always by Lop's side, even before she meets up with her adoptive family, and acts as her constant companion. Beyond just being a useful tool, though, TD-4 records memorable moments, acting like both a diary and a camera-happy mother. It's a function similar to R2-D2's iconic Leia recording, but becomes important in a different way, when TD-4 records the moment that Lop is welcomed into her adoptive family.
In the climax of the story, when Lop is still trying to convince Ochō that they can work together as a family, TD-4 backs her up by showing the image of their first family photo. The little droid raises the emotional stakes with its attempt to reconcile the sisters and then consequent demise at the hand of Ochō. She dispels the notion of a reunion by slashing TD-4 in two, spurning Lop to fight back. Still, though, Lop doesn't give up on the idea of them all being a family.
The last shot is of TD-4's grainy recording of the family, with Lop speaking the young Ochō's words in sync with her: "With a little time, we're gonna become a proper family." TD-4 serves as a reminder of what they had and what they could have again, and Lop won't give up on either.
T0-B1, the aspiring Jedi
The episode "T0-B1" is unique amongst the "Star Wars: Visions" series for having a droid protagonist, the titular T0-B1 (Jaden Waldman). And T0-B1 himself is also completely unique among droids. For one, he has a mouth that moves like an organic person's, and very rounded body parts. Plus, while we have seen many sentient droids, T0-B1 is actually meant to grow and change, as Professor Mitaka (Kyle Chandler) continually updates him. He dreams of becoming a Jedi and he's childlike, but has the capacity to mature like a person.
Mitaka shelters T0-B1 on their barren planet home, where their only other companions are smaller, less advanced droids. This comes back to hurt Mitaka, when T0-B1's playfulness leads him to accidentally invite a Sith to their home. In the aftermath, T0-B1 grows from the loss of Mitaka: It's only after T0-B1 devotes himself to Mitaka's cause, one that bored him before, that he discovers the kyber crystal inside him and becomes a Jedi. He's got a few tricks that most Jedi can't do, though, as he combines with his droid friend CO3 for a powerful glow up.
T0-B1's story is very much a twist on the Pinocchio tale. When he imagines himself as a Jedi, he looks like a human boy, aka the "real boy" that Pinocchio so badly wanted to be. On top of that, T0-B1's character design is also reminiscent of Astro Boy, the android Japanese manga character. He's certainly an intriguing character in the realm of "Star Wars," breaking the mold for who can be a Jedi.