Star Wars: 17 Strongest Droids, Ranked From Weakest To Most Powerful

Star Warshas a handful of defining features– the Jedi, lightsabers, the Force and, last but not least, the droids. Star Wars is hardly the first science-fiction epic to include intelligent robots with personality and specific traits.

However, there’s something unique and special about the droids. Though they might have different functions and personalities, there’s something quintessentially Star Wars about the droids. After all, audiences were introduced to the story taking place a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away by a pair of two droids.

Despite the commonality of droids, they’re certainly not all the same. Just as there are different breeds and levels of Jedi and Sith, the same classification can be made for droids.

There’s a wide difference between the power of R2-D2 and C-3PO. So it’s time to put those two in their place, along with every other droid that can be imagined.

This isn’t a ranking of the “best” droids. This even isn’t about which droids are most popular, likable, well-developed or even entertaining. This is list is all about ranking where the various droids of the Star Wars universe fall in terms of their worth.

It’s not necessarily who among them would win in a battle royale to death, but more about what is their function, how do they compete it, and what is their impact on the overall Star Wars universe.

So here are the 17 Strongest Droids In Star Wars, Ranked From Weakest To Most Powerful!

17 C-3PO

C-3PO is one of the most recognizable Star Wars characters in existence, if not by name, then certainly by look. Liking or appreciating C-3P0 as a character or screen presence is purely subjective. However, in a objective sense, the golden droid is all but useless.

He might be able to speak million of languages, but he’s totally terrible at his central function.

C-3PO is meant to be a protocol droid and to help with interpersonal relationships, but he’s rude, socially awkward, and always clueless.

The one time he does genuinely help is on Endor, when he’s worshipped as a god by the Ewoks, but even that’s by mistake. Otherwise, Threepio spends his time getting in trouble or trying to stop R2-D2 from doing his important tasks.

C-3PO is a part of the very start of the franchise, but the saga happens in spite of him, not because of him.

16 R5-D4

The name of R5-D4 is known only to the most hard-core Star Wars fans. In fact, despite being a part of a relatively important scene in A New Hope, most viewers might not remember him at all. However, R5-D4 is integral to plot of Star Wars and arguably vital to every event after Episode IV.

R5-D4 isn’t just the uglier and redder version of R2-D2. In fact, R5 is the droid that Uncle Owen and Luke nearly buy instead of R2 from the Jawas. Thereby nearing stopping the entire story before it begins. Luckily, R5 overheats and a furious Owen buys Artoo instead, which allows Luke to find Princess Leia’s message to Obi-Wan Kenobi.

However, this isn’t mere chance. In the novel From a Certain Point of View, it’s revealed that R5 purposely overheated, specifically so R2 could set events into motion to save the galaxy. The smallest act (or droid) can have the biggest consequences.

15 2-1B

Droid 2-1B is another very minor Star Wars character that ends up having a huge impact on the outcome of the larger story. Even by the relatively lower standards of the original trilogy, 2-1B is one of the jankier looking droids.

This medical droid, first seen in Empire Strikes Back, looks like a strong wind could take it out. However, like Master Yoda teaches in that same movie, appearances are far from everything.

Droid 2-1B doesn’t look very healthy itself but it manages to nurse Luke back from the brink of death, not once, but twice in Empire. 21-B first administrates to Luke after he’s attacked by the Wampa and 21-B monitors him in the bafta tank.

At the end Empire, the droid returns to give Luke a new hand after his duel with Darth Vader.

The little droid probably wouldn’t win in a fight but Luke might’ve been dead without its existence.

14 BB-9E

Viewers of The Last Jedi probably recognize BB-9E as the evil BB-8. While that does seem to be the extent of the droid’s design, it’s not all that he can do.

Droid BB-9E is built with some of the most advanced technology in the Star Wars universe. He, along with other droids of his kind, are responsible for keeping the First Order afloat.

Fueled by hate, literally, BB-9E is the gear that keeps The First Order functioning, specifically upon his home vessel of Snoke’s flagship.

This isn’t just hyberbole either. In The Last Jedi, BB-9E is the one who single-handedly discovers Finn’s undercover mission on Snoke’s ship. Considering how often Star Wars heroes go undercover and don’t get caught, a lot of credit must be given to this little black ball of wickedness.

13 Battle Droids

The Battle Droids make up the bulk of the Separatist Army in the prequel trilogy. Yet unlike their opponents, the Clone Troopers, almost none of the Battle Droids have defined personalities. They’re all the same “roger, roger” bumbling weirdos, existing in that nebulous place of cute and annoying.

The Battle Droids are far from impressive and existed mostly as canon fodder. There’s a reason why Palpatine went with the clones as the basis of his Imperial army and not droids.

Still, the Battle Droids aren’t completely useless.

They did wage war on the Republic for years and although they never killed a Jedi, they could take out the accomplished clone trooper.

The real strength of Battle Droids is in their numbers. Isolated, they’re rather flimsy and useless. In a teeming horde and armed with blasters, they’re deadly.

12 EV-9D9

EV-9D9 doesn’t have the biggest role in the Star Wars saga. She’s, in fact, just barely glimpsed in the opening Return of the Jedi. However, this rickety droid has a truly horrifying backstory.

EV-9D9 began life as a supervisor droid. EV-9D9 lived a peaceful life as moisture vaporizer mechanic. However, due to a programming glitch, that all changed. The glitch corrupted EV-9D9 and gave her a intense desire and pleasure in torturing people. EV-9D9 grew sadistic and obsessed with causing as much pain as possible.

This led her down a journey into Jabba the Hutt’s inner circle. EV-9D9 became one of Jabba’s chief interrogators and spent most of her life torturing information out of other droids. When Jabba was defeated, EV-9D9 was deactivated but she did cut out her own painful corner of the galaxy for a time.

11 PROXY

PROXY, along with his master Galen Marek, is apart of the now defunct Expanded Universe. Even though he might not technically exist anymore, PROXY is still worth talking about as one of the more impressive droids in Star Wars.

He made his first appearance in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, which told the story of Darth Vader’s secret apprentice Galen Marek (or Starkiller).

He was created by Darth Vader to help tutor Galen and that came with a lot of impressive features.

PROXY was accomplished fighter as he was programmed with the fighting styles of several famous Jedi and Sith. PROXY could even assume their appearances. All of which helped Galen become a better killing machine.

Still, for all his combative prowess, PROXY never actually came that close to seriously harming his master. This is, probably, due to the fact that he had a large amount of affection for Starkiller.

10 4-LOM

Droid 4-LOM is still apart of Star Wars canon. It’s kind of hard to ignore him, as he is apart of the cabal of bounty hunters Darth Vader assembles in Empire Strikes Back to take down Han Solo.

Sadly, some of the most impressive parts of 4-LOM’s history have been wiped away with the dissolution of the Expanded Universe. All these things could still be true of 4-LOM, they’re just not confirmed. The one thing that cannot be denied of 4-LOM is he was an accomplished enough bounty hunter to get Vader’s attention.

He is a modified protocol droid. “Modified” being a fancy word for a protocol who went nuts and started killing everyone. After shedding the shackles of his programming, 4-LOM waged a campaign of terror across the galaxy. Earning a reputation of a deadly bounty hunter and master thief.

Droid 4-LOM’s bug-like head houses a devious mechanical mind.

9 IG-88

IG-88 is also one of the bounty hunters who were gathered by Vader. Like 4-LOM, the exact specifics of his life are in the middle ground between canon and non-canon. Yet for whatever reason, probably because he looks more ridiculous, IG-88 is the more notable of the two.

IG-88 didn’t have to fight his programming to become a bounty hunter. He was brought to life as an assassin droid and went about that work surprisingly well for such a spindly frame. IG-88 quickly became one of the most feared bounty hunters in the galaxy following the Clone Wars.

He hunted and nearly captured, among others, a young Leia Organa.

The story of IG-88 does come to a rather explosive end. Rather than tracking down Han Solo in Empire, IG-88 followed Boba Fett hunting the same quarry. Yet Fett got the upper-hand on IG-88 and blew him to smithereens.

8 Chopper

As the main droid of Star Wars: Rebels, Chopper clearly has some inspiration from R2-D2. Yet that’s hardly surprising considering because, like Artoo, Chopper is another astromech droid. An astromech droid who is vitally important to the Rebellion.

Chopper is the smallest and most cantankerous member of the Spectres, the heroes of Star Wars: Rebels and huge players in the formation of the Rebellion. Chopper is a bit of a swiss army knife of a droid. He’s able to do nearly whatever the crew of The Ghost need at any given time, even if he’s a reluctant participant.

Yet Chopper’s greatest feats might be as a combatant and spy. Chopper’s small frame hides a variety of weapons, including a blaster and a buzzsaw. Throughout the course of Rebels, he’s been forced to hide in plain sight going on many missions in disguise and learning vital information.

7 BB-8

BB-8’s greatest weapon is melting the hearts of any who see him because he’s just so darn cute. The droid who looked utterly ridiculous in the build-up to Force Awakens has become a favorite of nearly every fan. BB-8 is truly adorable but he’s not just a pretty face.

For a droid that speaks in nothing but beeps and boops, BB-8 is tremendously intelligent. Tasked with finding Luke Skywalker, BB-8 nearly did that all alone. It’s due to BB-8 that Finn and Rey found each other, which eventually led to them running into Han Solo.

During The Last Jedi, BB-8 continues to be a vital part of the Resistance.

BB-8’s shockingly durable, surviving a massive explosive with just a little soot to show for it. Most impressively though he commandeered an AT-ST, saving the lives of Finn and Rose, while abroad Snoke’s flagship.

6 0-0-0

Droid 0-0-0, or Triple-Zero, obviously doesn’t have the most creative name in all of Star Wars. Yet that unassuming name is rather fitting for the droid, as he doesn’t appear as deadly or dangerous as he is in reality.

Triple-Zero is apart of the new Star Wars canon established with Marvel’s comic series. He is “loyal” to his mistress Doctor Aphra, the Star Wars version of a female Indiana Jones with a very askew moral compass. Aphra has programmed Triple-Zero to obey her but it’s an order that he desperately wants to break. Death is his real master.

Though he may look like a silver C-3PO, 0-0-0 is obsessed with mayhem. He can send a devastating amount of electricity through someone’s system, has fingers made of needles perfect for infecting hosts and is “fluent” in many forms of torture. Triple-Zero isn’t much in a firefight but he’s no pushover, either.

5 K-2SO

The most memorable thing about K-2SO for Rogue One fans might be his sarcastic nature. The former Imperial droid has a lot more to offer than witty clapbacks. The crew of Rogue One would be nothing without Kaytoo. In fact, without him, it’s very likely the Rebellion itself would’ve ended prematurely.

K-2 did come to serve the Rebellion unwillingly.

He was reprogrammed, forcefully, by his eventual friend Cassian Andor, being originally programmed to serve the Empire. However, once Andor rewrote Kaytoo’s defaults, he was a valuable ally. As a former Imperial droid, Kaytoo had a lot of knowledge of the Empire which served the Rebellion.

Of course, the most important thing about Kaytoo is his role in Rogue One mission. K-2 was vital assistance in Jyn Erso’s recovery of the Death Star plans, hacking into the system on Scarif and surviving a very long time before eventually being sacrificed.

4 BT-1

If Triple-Zero can be viewed as the evil C-3PO, BT-1 is the maniacal R2-D2. BT-1 is another droid in the service of Doctor Aphra and he’s rarely seen outside the company of Triple-Zero. The one way the pair manage to separate themselves from Artoo and Threepio, is that they’re both incredibly deadly.

Triple-Zero is the brains of the duo but Beetee is very much the brawn. Though he’s no bigger than the average astromech droid, Beetee has an almost comical amount of firepower in his chassis. Rocket launchers, blasters, missiles, and flamethrowers– nearly every explosive object is packed into Beetee’s small frame.

Of course, there’s a pretty big downside to all that firepower. Beetee’s not particularly smart, being more of blunt instrument than anything else. Also, like most astromechs. he’s not particularly nimble. Beetee can destroy an entire city block but he’ll likely get caught in the crossfire.

3 Droideka

The Droideka don’t have a defined personality. They do make up for that fact in being literal wheels of death and destruction. While the frontline troops of the Separatist army, the Battle Droids, are rather laughable there’s nothing funny about the Droideka.

These droids not only pack some very impressive firepower, they are also able to shield themselves from nearly all angles.

It’s almost impossible to face a Droideka head-on.

They’re made all the deadlier by the fact that they’re so mobile. They were not only the deadliest droids in the Separatist army but also one of the fastest. Even accomplished Jedi couldn’t handle them up close and personal.

Luckily, for their enemies, they do suffer a fatal flaw. Attacking a Droideka from behind or with an EMP device of some sort, was simple and effective way to take them out. It just required a lot of effort.

2 HK-47

The Star Wars universe is obviously filled with numerous killer droids. HK-47 is the first one that probably stole most fans’ hearts. HK-47 made his first appearance in the beloved Knights of the Old Republic game and he quickly became the breakout character. As a playable companion, every gamer wanted HK-47 to follow them.

Created by the Sith Lord Revan, HK-47 was one of the deadliest droids in the galaxy. Referring to all organics as “meatbags,” HK was a valuable tool in Revan’s arsenal, wiping out the Dark Lord’s enemies with reckless abandon.

Although Revan was HK-47’s first master, he served many others after them. HK is wildly durable being deactivated and reactivated many times, across literal centuries. Yet every time HK-47 springs back to life it’s with a willingness to serve and murder as meatbags as he can manage.

1 R2-D2

While R2’s ability to be in big battles and survive shouldn’t be discounted, it’s not why he tops this list.

Artoo’s power is his vast knowledge and usefulness to the Star Wars universe.

Having been present for nearly part of the Skywalker story (and not having his memory wiped), Artoo is one of the most knowledgeable droids in existence. Artoo launched the events that brought down the Empire, helped find Luke Skywalker in exile, suffered Threepio’s company and much, much more.

For nearly every big event of the Star Wars universe, Artoo has been there. He’s the linchpin of the galaxy.

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Which Star Wars droid do you think is the most powerful? Which is the weakest? Were any big ones missed? Sound off in the comments!

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