If there’s one given in the Star Wars cinematic universe, it’s that droids are the real unsung heroes keeping everything intact. From the moment C-3PO prattled on and R2-D2 beep-booped on screen in the beginning of Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope (1977), these mechanical marvels have been the nuts and bolts of the saga — translating, curing, fighting, fixing, and providing emotional support (or just rolling around looking adorable).
As the franchise has expanded, so too has the number of droids — and we felt compelled by the Force to tackle the extremely serious and extremely scientific task of ranking all of them. (A quick disclaimer: We’re sticking to movies here, so our apologies to Chopper from Star Wars Rebels, IG-11 from The Mandalorian, and B2EMO from Andor.)
25. Battle droids (The Phantom Menace)
Long before clones and stormtroopers roamed the galaxy, OOM command battle droids were a staple of galactic warfare. These droids took various forms and had various abilities throughout the prequel trilogy, but their most recognizable rendition is the clunky B1 series first introduced in Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace. They’re not known for being particularly sturdy. Or accurate. Or bright. Roger roger, indeed.
24. GH-7 analysis droid (Revenge of the Sith)
The droid best known for helping to deliver the Skywalker twins — and declaring that Padmé (Natalie Portman) was dying because she “lost the will to live.” Great diagnosis, GH-7. Very insightful. Do you even have a medical license?
23. Droideka (The Phantom Menace)
First spotted in The Phantom Menace, these weaponized machines are basically battle droids, but better. They’re faster, nimbler, more destructive… Why did anyone even bother making battle droids when you could have these things rolling around?
22. R5-D4 (A New Hope)
Poor R5 — notable for being completely useless. It’s not his fault he had a bad motivator! Justice for R5!!! This clunky red and white droid was Uncle Owen’s (Phil Brown) first choice for an astromech, but he burst into flame before he could get from the Jawa sandcrawler to the Lars family farm, forever altering the fate of the galaxy.
21. RA-7 droid (A New Hope)
A protocol droid, but make it fashion. And vaguely insect-like.
20. 4-LOM (The Empire Strikes Back)
A protocol droid–turned–bounty hunter, one of several whom Darth Vader (David Prowse; voice of James Earl Jones) recruits to try and track down the Millennium Falcon. Tragically, he was never as popular as his droid bounty hunter counterpart, IG-88 (who ranks much higher on the list).
19. 8D8 (Return of the Jedi)
This skeletal smelter droid only gets a few seconds of screen time in Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi (1983), but he makes a nasty impression by torturing a poor GNK droid in Jabba’s palace.
18. EV-9D9 (Return of the Jedi)
Another resident of Jabba’s palace with a taste for droid sadism. It’s EV-9D9 who puts C-3PO and R2 to work when they arrive on Tatooine in Return of the Jedi.
17. Interrogation droid (A New Hope)
The scariest moment in A New Hope isn’t Vader or the trash compactor or the gratuitous close-up of Owen and Beru’s (Shelagh Fraser) burning bodies. (Although that last one did very much traumatize this EW writer when she first watched it as a 5-year-old.)
No, it’s the looming interrogation droid used to torture Leia (Carrie Fisher) aboard the Death Star. Needles, blades, and ominous flashing lights? No, thank you.
16. WA-7 waitress droid (Attack of the Clones)
Who knew Coruscant had such a thriving ’50s diner culture? This sassy droid nicknamed “FLO” slings Jawa juice and waits tables at Dex’s Diner.
15. R4-P17 (Attack of the Clones)
Every good pilot needs an astromech, and R4 assists Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) on many of his flights — until her tragic death during the Battle of Coruscant.
14. TT-8L/Y7 (Return of the Jedi)
The original Ring smart doorbell.
13. 2-1B medical droid (The Empire Strikes Back)
These handy surgical droids pop up throughout the Star Wars saga, usually patching up some Skywalker who did something reckless and got themselves hurt. (A frequent occurrence.)
12. D-O (The Rise of Skywalker)
The final entry in the Skywalker film saga introduced this anxious wheeled droid, voiced by director J.J. Abrams. He’s not as memorable as his rotund orange friend BB-8 (see No. 2), but we love how good he is about setting boundaries.
11. Pit droids (The Phantom Menace)
The prequels’ smallest and most adorable addition to the droid canon. Useful for repairing busted podracers.
10. Imperial probe droid (The Empire Strikes Back)
Need to explore an inhospitable frozen wasteland of a planet and search for some hidden rebels? Have we got the droid for you!
9. BB-9E (The Last Jedi)
An elite First Order astromech droid — basically what would happen if BB-8 had a goth phase and started exclusively listening to My Chemical Romance.
8. IG-88 (The Empire Strikes Back)
Another droid bounty hunter who’s inexplicably become a fan favorite over the years, despite doing absolutely nothing on screen. To his credit, he does look extremely cool — kinda like the Terminator mixed with a Q-tip?
7. GNK power droid (A New Hope)
Good ol’ gonk droids are essentially portable batteries on legs — and they’re everywhere — making them the unsung heroes of the Star Wars galaxy. They’re also adorable: Look at their stubby little feet! Their trashcan bodies! The strange noises they make! We stan.
6. C-3PO (A New Hope)
Mary Evans/Lucasfilm/Ronald Grant/Everett Collection
C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) in ‘Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back’
An anxious icon. Anthony Daniels’ curmudgeonly protocol droid is one of the saga’s most iconic. He frequently gets into trouble (and frets loudly about it), but he just as frequently is there to help save his friends.
5. Mouse droid (A New Hope)
Look, small things are cute. We don’t make the rules. The Death Star is a cold, inhospitable place, and having tiny little mouse droids zipping around the corridors makes it feel more homey.
4. K-2SO (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Andor)
Alan Tudyk voices (and did motion caption for) 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story‘s reprogrammed Imperial security droid, a snarky cynic who hates everyone and everything, except for Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor, his only friend (we finally got to see how the two met in Season 2 of Andor, the Emmy-nominated prequel series). Yes, he’ll help you on your mission to steal the Death Star plans, but he’s going to complain the whole time.
3. L3-37 (Solo: A Star Wars Story)
Most of Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) is shackled to nostalgia — here’s how Han got his name! Here’s how Han got his blaster! — but Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s L3-37 is something the Star Wars universe has never seen before. A droid obsessed with droid rights, L3 is a fast-talking radical who disobeys orders and thrives on chaos. She’s also self-assembled and self-modified, making her truly one of a kind.
2. BB-8 (The Force Awakens)
The sequel trilogy introduced dozens of memorable new characters — Rey (Daisy Ridley), Poe (Oscar Isaac), Finn (John Boyega), all those porgs — but hands down, the best addition has been BB-8.
This sassy, spherical astromech droid is the unexpected heart of the new films, injecting the series with both comedy and some surprisingly poignant moments. Also, he’s just adorable, with his roly-poly body and big bug eye.
1. R2-D2 (A New Hope)
C’mon, like anyone else could take the No. 1 spot. Good ol’ R2-D2 has borne witness to some of the most dramatic events in the galaxy, from helping protect Queen Amidala to delivering Princess Leia’s message to Obi-Wan Kenobi.
This clunky blue and white astromech is one of only two Star Wars characters to appear in every single one of the main Skywalker films (plus a cameo in Rogue One), with the other being his pal C-3PO. He’s smart, he’s resourceful, and he’s got a little bit of a temper. Congratulations, Artoo: You are the galaxy’s Next Top Droid.
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