Star Wars: 10 Amazing Pieces of Droid Concept Art

Obviously, the stars of the Star Wars franchise are, for the most part, the humans: the Reys, the Han Solos, the Skywalkers. However, as strange as it might seem to some, there are other, less obvious stars, and these are of course, the droids (as well as many of the creatures that also appear). These little (and sometimes not so little) robots have become a key part of the franchise, and it’s unsurprising that they also have their own fandoms. What’s particularly fascinating about droids is that they seem to occupy a strange position between human and machine, and audiences undoubtedly empathize and anthropomorphize them.

There are also quite a few pieces of concept art out there that show just how complicated these beings really are and how much work goes into their design and creation.

10 Machine Precision

In all the numerous battles that take place during the course of the films and the television series, droids play a pretty essential part. In many cases, they make up the bulk of a given army. As a result, battle droids are a key part of the iconography of the franchise.

This particular piece of concept art shows just how much goes into the creation of one of these beings, and one can’t help but admire the loving detail with which the battle droid has been recreated.

9 Pretty In Pink

There’s a tendency among many people to view droids as male (though why that should be, when machines can’t really be gendered, is something of a mystery).

However, this little piece of concept art shows that such assumptions might be more than a little flawed. Though it’s probably making an assumption to think that just because a droid is pink means it’s female, that does seem to be the intent of the person who created this particular piece of concept art (and it gives a lot of appreciation for the many types of droids there are.

8 Details Matter

From the very first film, C-3PO has been a part of all of the adventures in the galaxy far, far away. With his posh British accent and his ability to get worked up over almost anything, he manages to be both endearing and frustrating in equal measure.

This brilliant piece of concept art gives the viewer a detailed view of what makes C-3PO work, showing that he is far more than just a hunk of golden metal that happens to be able to talk.

7 A Rough Edge

One of the most notable aspects of so many of the stories set in this universe is how aged things can seem, i.e. there’s a sense that many droids and other pieces of machinery have seen quite a lot. This piece of concept art, which shows an agricultural droid, really leans into this idea.

Looking at this droid, it’s hard to shake the feeling that this droid has seen a lot of hard use and it might just be time to retire it and look for another one.

6 Variety Is The Spice Of Life

Part of what makes Star Wars such an endlessly popular franchise is the sheer variety of its fictional creations. This includes the droids, and anyone who has seen even a few of the films or television series knows that this rule extends to droids as well.

This lovely piece of concept art really helps the viewer to understand the many different shapes, sizes, and colors that droids can come in, and one can’t help but admire the sheer complexity of such creations.

5 Security!

Among the many functions that droids perform in the Galaxy, security is obviously one of the most important. It’s easy to see why. After all, one can usually count on a droid not being taken in by human lies (though that isn’t always the case).

What’s more, many of them can be quite intimidating. That is certainly true of the droid depicted in this piece of concept art, which looks fierce enough to deflect all but the most determined intruder.

4 Rather Ominous Looking

The most famous droids aren’t necessarily the ones that always look like humans. After all, neither R2-D2 or BB8 look anything like a human being, and yet they have cast a spell over many fans of the films. There are other kinds of droids, however, that look very disturbing indeed, particularly since it’s hard to see anything remotely human about them.

Just looking at this one, for example, one is reminded of a spider, which is hardly the most appealing thing for a droid to look like.

3 Back To Basics

While some droids are marvelously complex, with designs that truly stagger the mind, others are a bit more simplistic in the way that they are presented. While there’s a lot to admire about complexity, sometimes it’s rather nice to simply take in a more simplified design.

Looking at this piece of concept art, it’s hard to admire the simple elegance of its design, which eschews ornate frills and other extras

2 Simple Virtues

Similarly, the set of droids displayed in this piece of concept art also show a certain simplicity of design. With droids, it seems, sometimes it’s better to go with a more scaled-down sense of design, particularly when the functions that it will be performing do not necessitate it having anything too complicated.

At the same time, one can’t help but admire the level of detail the artist has included, even with such a simple design.

1 Everyone’s Favorite Droid

Of all the droids that appear during the course of the main narrative, there’s no doubt that R2-D2 is something special. From the very beginning, he showed that he was a droid with a very particular personality (and that he was incredibly useful), and that has stayed true right up until the sequel trilogy.

This piece of concept art gives the viewer a renewed appreciation for just how complicated this little droid is, both on the inside and on the outside.

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