ST New Droid - BB-8

Yes, or his body or rollers (or whatever) might contain or be made from a material allows him to stick to to hull or such when necessary. For all we know BB-8 may be able run up walls or across ceilings.

I'm looking forward to a book or posters with blueprints or cutaways of ships and other tech of the ST, especially BB-8.

 

That did occur to me as well (although having sticky stuff on his ball seems a bit...). One of the drawbacks of having Threepio and Artoo tag along with the heroes in the PT and OT was their lack of mobility which was obviously a headache for the writers. It seems to me that BB-8 has been introduced with that in mind, it can go where our heroes can go and will always be by their side.

 

CrazyOldJedi

They always found ways around the droids lack of mobility though

As to BB-8's "ball", his body rolls but his head stays on top, so I thought that he mustn't be a solid "ball", rather two halves connected and that but those halves have some like caterpillar tracks on the inside edges. I went Googling for a image to better explain and found this post by The Revanchist (I've spoiler tag it because of the size off the image ) :-

Spoiler: SPOILS!

Of course, we've only seen BB-8 from the side, and it is just as likely that the body is a solid ball and that the head is attached in some other hi-tech way.

I found this photo too - again spoiler tagged because of it's size - of the work of a droid builder :-

Spoiler: SPOILS!

Being an expert in the area of droids, the man obviously has a a basis for the size of BB-8. Would others here agree the size? How might he have worked it out?

 

What if BB had a female engineer so Rey decides it's a SHE?

 

I thought so too, but according to that earlier interview both Simon Pegg and his daughter referred to BB-8 as a a "he and him".

Of course, that isn't definitive and Pegg could simply be assuming it is a "male" because Artoo is and they are similar. He could also be calling the the droid a
"he" simply to help keep up the secrecy.

 

Yeah, that was a cute interview from Simon. And it shows the amount of artistry put into little thing.

 

What I think is the best is that BB-8 has shown that the whole "practical VFX vs. CGI" debate as completely pointless.

No one could tell whether he was real or computer generated until Mark Hamill said so - proving that neither side has a leg to stand on.

If course, people still bang on about it, but it going nowhere - not that it ever was.

 

Indeed. We've come so far in terms of CGI effects that lots of people actually thought it's a computer graphics (myself included)... and when Mark said BB is actually practical, wow... mind blown. Creative, different... most importantly fun!

 

Is BB-8 an astromech?

Will he fit in an X-wing?

 

the new kind, yes.

 

We don't yet know.

He could be a unique. custom built robot Rey or another character. He may not be a mechanic but from a range of droids intended to be a child's companion.

A few people have estimated that BB-8 is much smaller Artoo, and that suggests to me that he is too small for use in an X-Wing, although the technology could simply have advanced an a more compact droid is suitable.

What makes you say that?

 

msw said they are newer ship droids.

Informed Speculation: Poe Dameron's X-wing in Star Wars: The Force Awakens! - MakingStarWars.net

 

Yeah, and the sockets could be universal. They can take different types of astromechs. I mean R2 is seen in a variety of ships of various sizes and eras.

 

That's because the debate is not about whether or not CGI can be used well. Nearly everyone believes that CGI can be used to excellent effect. The debate is simply about the overuse of CGI, especially the advent of purely digital shots.

I'm not sure how people don't have a leg to stand on in that discussion, since it's all subjective. Some people, especially a younger generation that grew up on all-CGI films and shows, enjoy it. Others don't. There's no need to prove anyone "wrong." It's a matter of taste.

 

Well I am part of the younger gen used to CGI so its not purely over it. I have to agree its about not overusing though. I dont think an Action film going full tilt in either direction is good gotta strike the balance.

 

I have no problems with CGI unless, like the story and weak characterization, it takes me clean out of a movie. I've seen plenty of practical FX films do the same thing too.

I want to believe in the characters and the world, and if a film does that, great. If not, oh well.

This is why I wish del Toro never bailed from the Hobbit films, but I'll leave that alone since it's a done deal.

 

Amen. I was devastated when PJ made the decision to step in and direct the Hobbit.

 

Agreed. I hope del Toro prints the character designs eventually. I'd like to see his Thorin with the literal thorn helm.

 

Something tells me we'll never see his designs, but one can hope.

 

I wonder if some of the great fans who build R2-D2s will eventually build BB-8s? The 3-D print models have been spectacular.

 

You're late! It has already begun...

 

^ Cool.

 

UGH...to this entire post

Doesn't fit Star Wars? Give me a break.

 

For what it's worth, I wrote that comment before we saw the trailer even and I have since come around to the droid. I don't feel like digging through this thread to find the date of the original post...

The little blue alien I still stand firm that I don't like the design. To each their own, I guess.