BB-8’s evil twin, BB-9E, is creating a new disturbance in the force

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

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:

Just be thankful we didn't stick with his obscenely adorable on set nickname, BB-H8

— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) August 31, 2017

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.