That rolling droid from the new Star Wars trailer is real, and Luke Skywalker got to play with it

by Ben Reilly Sat Dec 13, 2014 5:00 am

The first trailer for the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been picked apart almost literally frame-by-frame, but there are still a few surprises for fans. Mark Hamill, who is reprising the role of Luke Skywalker in the upcoming film, has revealed the rolling ball droid named BB-8 wasn't CGI, but a practical effect.

"They never cease to amaze me with what they’re able to come up with, you know? I said, 'How are you ever gonna top R2-D2, the most adorable droid in movie history?' And then they have this new one. I can’t even tell you his name, but you saw it in the trailer," Hamill told Yahoo Movies.

"And when they were demonstrating how they did this thing, live on set — because it’s not CGI, that’s a live prop — I was just amazed. They let me play around with it. [Laughs] I was running it all around at the creature shop up in Pinewood. I’m telling you, it’s an absolute delight. And not having thought that I’d ever go back there, to go back into that world, is just – I get the chills. It’s just so much fun."

http://www.polygon.com/2014/12/12/7385691/star-wars-droid-force-awakens

by eddie Sat Dec 13, 2014 7:45 am

Boys!

by Ben Reilly Sat Dec 13, 2014 8:31 am

eddie wrote:Boys!

Yep, he'll always be the boy who whined about going to Toshi station to get some power converters to me Smile

by eddie Sat Dec 13, 2014 8:42 am

Ben_Reilly wrote:
eddie wrote:Boys!

Yep, he'll always be the boy who whined about going to Toshi station to get some power converters to me

See I just heard blah blah toshi moshi converters bollocks..... That rolling droid from the new Star Wars trailer is real, and Luke Skywalker got to play with it 2190311264

That rolling droid from the new Star Wars trailer is real, and Luke Skywalker got to play with it 2190311264

by Ben Reilly Sat Dec 13, 2014 9:57 am

eddie wrote:
Ben_Reilly wrote:
eddie wrote:Boys!

Yep, he'll always be the boy who whined about going to Toshi station to get some power converters to me

See I just heard blah blah toshi moshi converters bollocks.....

It's actually one of my better points when I argue that the prequels were indeed awful, but that the venerated "Original Trilogy" wasn't really that much better. See also -- "Who's scruffy looking?" Just one line of the often corny dialogue from the so-called best entry in the series.

I still love them all Smile

by Lone Wolf Sat Dec 13, 2014 11:06 am

I CAN imagine a few practical uses for that 'android' outside of the movies, once it's developers have gained sufficient reliability, range and autonomy = For example :

Emergency and Disaster work ~ sending one [w. cameras, microphone and air quality meters] into collapsed buildings, down mines, and other risky sites and situations;

Military Uses ~ those remote-controlled and pre-programmed robotic vehicles currently used for forward scouts, bomb disposal and demolition usually have either 'caterpillar tracks', hard wheels, or 'balloon' tyres - all of which are usually restricted to certain types of terrain. This kind of "android" would "add another arrow to their quiver", with more speed, greater range and a broader and varied range of terrains..

Scientific, Industrial and Exploratory fields ~ The same kind of advantageous features that could make such a robotic device useful in military and emergency/disaster situations would also naturally make it equally handy in many research and commercial endeavours... That rolling droid from the new Star Wars trailer is real, and Luke Skywalker got to play with it 1763903427

That rolling droid from the new Star Wars trailer is real, and Luke Skywalker got to play with it 1763903427

by eddie Sat Dec 13, 2014 8:03 pm

by veya_victaous Wed Feb 04, 2015 4:56 am

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That rolling droid from the new Star Wars trailer is real, and Luke Skywalker got to play with it

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Re: That rolling droid from the new Star Wars trailer is real, and Luke Skywalker got to play with it

Re: That rolling droid from the new Star Wars trailer is real, and Luke Skywalker got to play with it

Re: That rolling droid from the new Star Wars trailer is real, and Luke Skywalker got to play with it

Re: That rolling droid from the new Star Wars trailer is real, and Luke Skywalker got to play with it

Re: That rolling droid from the new Star Wars trailer is real, and Luke Skywalker got to play with it

Re: That rolling droid from the new Star Wars trailer is real, and Luke Skywalker got to play with it