While the stubborn and often irritable Chopper doesn’t seem as reliable as R2-D2 at first glance, the droid’s mischievous streak gives Chop the edge, especially in combat. It’s hard not to when the droid has been such a formative part of the Star Wars franchise, as well as a core member of the Rebel Alliance. Whenever C-3PO calls R2 an “old friend,” the audience feels the same swell of emotion. And in the sequels, Artoo is the literal key to locating an exiled Luke again. Later, the astromech helps reunite the Skywalker siblings by carrying a message from Leia Organa to Obi-Wan (by way of Luke), and aids in Leia’s rescue from the Death Star.Īfter R2-D2 served as Anakin’s trusty copilot in the Battle of Naboo, the astromech remains with Luke through thick and thin, from the destruction of the first Death Star to Luke’s training session on Dagobah. Without Artoo, Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, and Obi-Wan Kenobi would have likely ended up in even more compromising situations during the Clone Wars. When Artoo is introduced in The Phantom Menace, the droid is the only one on Queen Padmé Amidala’s ship capable of completing repairs mid-flight - and while taking fire. There’s no denying that R2-D2 is a special droid. “If Artoo is the family dog, Chopper is the cat.” The Case For R2-D2 According to Dave Filoni, executive producer of Star Wars Rebels: Given that both Chopper and R2-D2 are astromech droids, fans are bound to draw comparisons between the two. Still, all of those droids are second-rate compared to Chopper. Even Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) - a decidedly less popular entry - debuted the memorable revolutionary 元-37, a singular droid composed of astromech and protocol parts. The Mandalorian (2019–) introduced viewers to IG-11, a reprogrammed assassin droid who becomes Grogu’s protector of sorts. Later on, Rogue One (2016) featured K-2SO, a former Imperial security droid who became part of the Rebel Alliance. After all, the sequel trilogy gave Star Wars fans BB-8. Throughout the prequel trilogy, which began with 1999’s The Phantom Menace, viewers learn more about the droids’ origin stories, and budding companionship.īut just because a character has been around since the beginning doesn't make them the best of the best. Both Artoo and Threepio made their debut in 1977’s A New Hope like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, they’ve been around since the franchise’s inception. Fans who err on the side of picking a tried-and-true classic will likely settle on the dependable R2-D2, or the anxiety-riddled human protocol droid C-3PO. When it comes to the most-loved droid in Star Wars, there are a lot of great picks.

Chopper star wars droid