10 Things Fans Of Star Wars Probably Didn’t Know About Astromech Droids

With their never-ending supply of gadgetry, spunky personalities, and “happy beeps” throughout the Star Wars franchise, it’s no wonder that astromech droids have become some of the most interesting inhabitants of that galaxy far, far away. Whether fans prefer their astros to look like bins on three legs or spherical units rolling along, they have come to view the sturdy little mechanics as integral parts of some of the galaxy’s biggest stories.

Even though some astros like R2-D2 have been in every episode of the Skywalker saga, there are still plenty of things that casual fans might not know about them. From how organic life forms can understand them, to all of their various capabilities, there’s a lot more to these droids than looking cute.

10 They Have Their Own Language

What at first seems like just a series of boops and beeps are actually an astromech droid speaking in its own language, the droid language known as “binary”, the written language of which is compromised of a series of 1’s and 0’s, not dissimilar to the binary code used by computers that represents data using a two-symbol system of “0” and “1”.

When a BB-8 unit “speaks” in its beeps and whistles, it’s using a Morse code that can be easily understood by other droids (like C-3PO) and even humans who spend a lot of time with him (like Rey or Poe). While not all droids speak binary (D-O speaks Galactic Basic), all droids understand it, and it’s become an important universal language found throughout the galaxy.

9 They Weren’t Designed To Interact With People

According to Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need To Know, astromech droids are designed to interact with other droids and machines, not sentient beings. Their primary purpose is to speak to ships, computer databanks, and other technology to determine how best to repair them, retrieve data from them, or assess their functionality through complex diagnostics.

Though beings throughout the galaxy have come to see their astromech droids as companions, they have to devise specific ways to understand what they’re saying, either by learning to interpret their specific sounds, or by seeing their binary displayed on a view screen in a language they can understand.

8 They Have Many Uses Besides Being Paired With Starfighters

From the binary brain units of moisture vaporators to load lifters, astros can interact with all sorts of interfaces thanks to their binary language. In this capacity, they’re basically mobile computers that can be used as helpful tools, and not designed solely to be used in a starfighter cockpit.

They’re useful as co-pilots when considering the unavailability of organic personnel, the dangers of space travel, and the fact that astro droids can do risky repairs mid-flight that pilots can’t do. When Queen Amidala was fleeing Naboo in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, astromech droids repairing the damaged parts of her cruiser were vital in securing her safe passage through the Trade Federation’s blockade.

7 Starfighter Pilots Often Didn’t Need Translators To Understand Them

Since astromech droids spend so much time as the co-pilots of starfighters, they develop a close bond with their pilots, who are often their owners as well. The astro’s Binary language will be translated by the onboard fighter’s computer system, letting the organic pilots know what they’re saying in a language they can understand (often printed in Aurabesh).

Over time, as happened with frequent pairings like Luke Skywalker and R2 or Poe Dameron and BB-8, they didn’t need to use the translator anymore and could understand what their droids meant.

6 Their Quality Varies

While droids of distinction like R2 and Threepio are fine ambassadors of their Makers, many units only live up to poor reputations. Just look at R5-D4 from A New Hope, whose bad motivator almost became Luke’s problem. And as fans found out in Star Wars Rebels, not all astromech droids are created equal.

According to the Star Wars Rebels: The Visual Guide, the astromech droid from Lothal was a specific model manufactured by the company Lothal Logistics Limited. Whereas astromech models like R2 from Industrial Automation were considered some of the best in the galaxy, astros from Lothal were merely tolerable. Lacking any distinctive markings on their bodies, and built with transparent domes that exposed their inner mechanisms, they mimicked Industrial Automation’s R3 series.

5 They’re Highly Effective When Paired With Protocol Droids

Due to not being able to communicate with most organic life forms, astromech droids work very well with protocol droids because they can speak millions of the galaxy’s languages and help the little astro communicate most effectively.

The most famous pairing of an astromech droid and a protocol droid is of course R2-D2 and C-3PO, who have been able to save the galaxy time after time thanks to their cooperative teamwork, problem-solving, and efficient communication.

4 They Can Communicate Through Emotions

As it turns out, there’s a reason that astromech droids like R2 and BB-8 have such big personalities; the beeps, whirs, and whistles emitted by an astromech droid can reflect its emotions. This is very helpful when interacting with a variety of different species, most of whom can understand an emotional response in place of a vocal one.

R2’s somber whirs indicate his dismay when the doors to Echo Bass have to be closed in The Empire Strikes Back, leaving his master Luke out in the frozen wasteland, and when he is later disgruntled with Luke going to Dagobah to find Yoda, his beeps indicate his master’s decision is a “bad idea”. And finally, when he’s introduced to a smaller version of Yoda’s species in The Mandalorian, he conveys excitement, something everyone can understand without difficulty.

3 Force Users Can Develop Close Bonds With Them

Gifted Force users like Luke, Rey, and Anakin have developed close bonds with the astromech droids in their lives, suggesting that perhaps their affinity with the energy field that binds the galaxy together also helps them break through any technological barriers.

Even though a Jedi has exceptional reflexes when it comes to piloting starfighters (or the Millennium Falcon), they can still rely on astromech droids to take over piloting duties, quickly calculate hyperspace jumps, and perform repairs (such as when Obi-Wan Kenobi and R4 got stranded on Geonosis). Luke even uses R2-D2 as a power inverter to power his camp on Dagobah!

2 They Come In A Variety Of Models

Eagle-eyed fans will be able to spot astromech droids in many background scenes throughout the Star Wars movies (especially at the Rebel base on Yavin 4), and The Mandalorian showcases some rarely seen units from the R2 line, including the R5 and R6 models. Astromech droids are built in a variety of shapes and sizes depending on how they’ll be used and their owners’ preferences.

Looking at both the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary and the Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary, as well as reference materials like the Star Wars Technical Journal #1, fans will find many more astros than just the R line from Industrial Automation, including the BB series, and the C series, like Chopper from Star Wars Rebels.

1 They’re Heavily Customizable

R5’s bad motivator aside, the R series is known to contain some of the best astromech droids in the galaxy. These repair droids are excellent not just for being mechanics and co-pilots, but because of their tooled appendages. R2 for instance has jets, a holographic projector, a periscope, flame throwers, and even tools that can approximate Imperial rank cylinders hidden within the recesses of his “rusty innards”.

The R series is also heavily customizable, which accounts for its popularity. Luke Skywalker was able to use R2’s pneumatic ejection tube, ordinarily used to launch emergency flares, to fire his second lightsaber in Return of the Jedi. Some owners even construct their C series models from the ground up like Chopper, the cantankerous little astromech from Star Wars Rebels, whose spare part build has given him a personality to match his unique appearance.

About The Author

Kayleena Pierce-Bohen
(1343 Articles Published)

Kayleena has been raised on Star Wars and Indiana Jones from the crib. A film buff, she has a Western collection of 250+ titles and counting that she’s particularly proud of. When she isn’t writing for ScreenRant, CBR, or The Gamer, she’s working on her fiction novel, lifting weights, going to synthwave concerts, or cosplaying. With degrees in anthropology and archaeology, she plans to continue pretending to be Lara Croft as long as she can.

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