With Force Friday II fast approaching, Disney and Lucasfilm have already revealed what's bound to become one of the biggest breakout characters of STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI, BB-9E, an evil twin to the happy-go-lucky BB-8.
Rolling up like a BB-8 who's listened to one too many albums by The Cure, and takes fashion tips from THE CROW's Eric Draven, BB-9E is a First Order astromech droid that sports a raven-black paint job and Frankenstein-flat head design. The new character was revealed courtesy of Sphero, the same company that every parent cursed when having to search for the toy maker's app-controlled BB-8 toy. While some might view the BB-9E character as a effortless yin to BB-8's yang, others may rejoice in the idea of there being a "darker" version of a beloved character without the need for all of that "defected-to-the-dark-side" nonsense.
At a glance, the design for BB-9E is remarkably similar to that of BB-8, with only a few exceptions to set them apart from one another. For example, the body markings of both droids are identical, though BB-9E sports a silver frame finish as opposed to BB-8's now-iconic orange motif. There's also the matter of BB-9E's flattened, rotating dome. Some Star Wars fans would say that BB-8's adorable mechanized gumball-shaped head gives them a sense of serenity. The reason for this is that circular shapes send a subconscious message of calming to your brain.
When compared to BB-9E's over-sized and over-turned Reese's Peanut Butter Cup head, it's no wonder that the flat design brings about a feeling of rigid opposition. It's a suble trick that designers use, but it's effective nonetheless. Including BB-9E in STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI should provide fans with a unique view of the saga's droid population, particularly since, in the past, we've spent so little time with the automatons that serve The Dark Side.
In addition to the BB-9E reveal, Sphero also unveiled a new toy based on the iconic R2-D2 droid that was introduced in the original 1977 STAR WARS The new R2-D2 toy is priced at $179.99, while BB-9E goes for $149.99. You can see those toys in the image below:
Earlier today, STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI Rian Johnson tweeted the following in regard to the new, evil droid:
Brace yourselves, Star Wars fans, because I've got a feeling that the community is going to fall head-over-heels for this goth-like droid. With that in mind, expect to see lots of toys, comics, and fan fiction featuring The Dark Side's newest astromech.
STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI will arrive in theaters on December 15th.