The following contains spoilers for season 1 of Star Wars: Andor.

While the Disney Plus series Star Wars: Andor set itself apart from previous franchise entries in several satisfying and creative ways, one aspect that remained intact was its use of a cute robot companion. The droid in question, B2EMO, continued the classic trend of adding an adorable little friend for a touch of levity. But in Andor's case, it also served as a shot straight to the hearts of audiences.

B2EMO was the faithful friend of Fiona Shaw's Maarva, and it served that role well enough for viewers to almost immediately fall in love. As the adoptive mother of Diego Luna's planet-hopping protagonist Cassian Andor, she spent a lot of time alone on her home planet of Ferrix. While the whole outdoor city set was impressive for the Star Wars show, it was a bleak in-universe. So having a companion like B2EMO was likely a big help.

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Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy specifically wanted the droid to be like a faithful canine, which further helped endear it to fans. "The idea was that it was a dog," Gilroy explained in an interview with StarWars.com. "An older dog." While not everyone is a dog lover, it's difficult to deny how such a pet can lift one's spirits, especially one who's been around for a while. It even did so for the show's crew right from the start. "We were all smiling," Gilroy continued, describing the first time he and his team saw B2EMO's prototype.

Star Wars Andor Maarva Fiona Shaw B2EMO

Of course, the design is only one part of the equation. It's well-known that voice actors are a big part of many such characters, and B2EMO is no different. But the droid's heartbreakingly excellent voice was a bit of an accident. While veteran Star Wars puppeteer Dave Chapman operated the droid on set and provided a placeholder voice, it was understood at the time that another voice actor would take over in the final product. However, that's not how it happened.

"I remember having a list of audition pieces and watching a bunch of them," Gilroy said. "My brother John was over there one day, and he goes, 'I'm not hearing anything here I like as much as [Chapman].' He goes, 'This guy's really good.' And we went back and were like, 'Man, let's just keep him.' So that's his voice, and that was a great phone call to make — to call him up and go, 'It's yours. You're gonna be the voice of this thing.'" Gilroy described Chapman's response, saying the grateful master of puppets was "overwhelmed."

B2EMO was only a small part of what makes Andor a truly great series, not even just a great Star Wars series. There's a clear effort and passion put into the entire project that goes beyond the franchise, and it shows in the final product. Here's hoping the sad little droid gets to at least feel a little happier next season.

Star Wars: Andor season 1 is available on Disney Plus.

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Source: StarWars.com