One of the strongest duos in the Star Wars universe is C-3PO and R2-D2. They’re the only two characters who appear in all nine movies in the Skywalker saga, and with the former being proficient in hundreds of languages and the latter speaking only in beeps and whirs, they have a fun dynamic. However, there are also a lot of fun pairings of humans and droids.
Droids are essentially the Alexas of the Star Wars universe: artificial intelligence that exists solely to make people’s lives easier. But since droids also have personalities, they’re a little like pets. So, here are 10 Best Human-Droid Pairings In The Star Wars Saga.
Anakin Skywalker & C-3PO
It was pretty clear in The Phantom Menace that George Lucas hadn’t quite nailed the balance between fan service and plot coherence. It didn’t really make a lot of sense to reveal that Anakin Skywalker built C-3PO. There are already enough links between the original and prequel trilogies, so this one just felt forced and unnecessary.
Still, as long as that was the direction that Lucas was going in, the dynamic between the two was pretty fun. It was unnerving to see C-3PO stripped of his gold plating, with all his circuits on display, but Jake Lloyd’s earnest performance made the “boy and his droid” narrative work.
Cassian Andor & K-2SO
In Disney’s first “anthology” film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, we were introduced to a whole host of exciting new characters. Among them was Cassian Andor, a Rebel spy who’s been fighting the Empire since he was six years old, and K-2SO, a reprogrammed Imperial droid with a dry sense of humor.
Due to the ensemble setup of Rogue One, we didn’t get to see Cassian and K-2 spend a lot of time together. However, Alan Tudyk has been confirmed to be reprising his voice role as K-2 in the upcoming Disney+ series centered around Cassian Andor, starring Diego Luna.
Princess Leia & R2-D2
In the very first scene of the very first Star Wars movie (in release order), we were introduced to R2-D2 as a Rebel droid. Princess Leia recorded a message onto his memory drive and then loaded him into an escape pod, so they didn’t spend a ton of time together, but it was long enough to establish Artoo’s loyalty to Leia and her ability to count on him.
In later movies (and even in later scenes), we would find that Artoo usually has quite a snarky attitude when dealing with his owners, making his dedication to Leia even more heartwarming.
Luke Skywalker & C-3PO
C-3PO has had an unwavering loyalty to Luke Skywalker ever since he convinced his uncle to buy him from the Jawas on Tatooine. Despite the fact that they left the moisture farm and joined the Rebel Alliance, a movement much bigger than themselves, Threepio continued to call Luke “Master Luke.”
Luke was one of the few people to actually be nice to Threepio and not roll their eyes at him. There was a lot wrong with The Last Jedi, but the final moment shared by Luke and Threepio on Crait, before Luke went out to confront Kylo Ren and the First Order, was really sweet.
Obi-Wan Kenobi & R4-P17
Some Star Wars fans have wondered why Obi-Wan didn’t recognize R2-D2 in the original trilogy, having spent so much time with him in the prequels. The real answer is that George Lucas hadn’t quite ironed out all the details, but it can be explained away. Obi-Wan says he didn’t own a droid, and technically, he didn’t since Anakin owned Artoo. Obi-Wan had an R4 unit called R4-P17.
Ewan McGregor’s irresistibly charming younger Obi-Wan had great chemistry with all of his co-stars in the prequel trilogy – including his Astro droid. They went on all kinds of adventures together. Sadly, R4-P17 was destroyed during the Battle over Coruscant.
Rey & BB-8
Ever since Rey stumbled across BB-8 in the Jakku desert and he refused to stop following her, they’ve been an endearing pair. Rey took care of BB-8 until he was reunited with Poe Dameron, so BB-8 has a soft spot for her.
They have a fun banter, played brilliantly by Daisy Ridley (who, to her credit, was a first-time movie star when she shot The Force Awakens) against the sound effects that make up BB-8’s communication. As controversial as Disney’s sequel trilogy has proven to be among Star Wars fans, few would deny that BB-8 is one of the most lovable new characters.
Han Solo & C-3PO
Han Solo never enjoyed C-3PO’s company, but that just made for a brilliant dynamic. Han’s ethos in life is at odds with Threepio’s prime directives. Han is a suave pirate who likes to live on the edge and let the universe decide his fate, despite being a sentient organic lifeform, whereas Threepio constantly fears for his life, despite being artificial intelligence.
A perfect example of Han and Threepio’s relationship is when the Empire is pursuing them in the Falcon and Han heads into an asteroid field. Threepio panics and explains that the odds of successfully navigating an asteroid field are 3,720 to one and Han quips, “Never tell me the odds!”
Anakin Skywalker & R2-D2
Throughout the prequel trilogy, Anakin Skywalker and R2-D2 developed a special bond. Artoo went along with Anakin on all of his adventures, including a chase through a droid factory. He also held onto all of Anakin’s secrets, like the fact that he broke the rules of the Jedi Order to marry Padmé on Naboo.
In some cases, Artoo even got in on the action. When Anakin and Obi-Wan infiltrated a Separatist ship to rescue a kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine (which turned out to be a very elaborate ruse), Artoo used his weaponized gadgets to help the Jedi fight off the battle droids.
Poe Dameron & BB-8
Poe Dameron’s undying love for his droid BB-8 is adorable. After being thrown from the wreckage of his TIE fighter on Jakku in The Force Awakens, he feared he’d lost his rolling pal, so he was ecstatic to see him again later in the movie. Poe is nice to everyone – he’s possibly the most charming man in the galaxy – but he has a special place in his heart for his droid.
When they were reunited in The Last Jedi, Poe literally rubbed BB-8’s belly like a dog, which raised all kinds of questions about the touch sensitivity programmed into droids, but also emerged as one of the movie’s sweetest moments.
Luke Skywalker & R2-D2
The bond shared by Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 is the closest bond of any human-droid duo in the Star Wars saga. Artoo may have made fun of Luke a lot of the time, but throughout the original trilogy, whenever Han, Leia, Chewie, and C-3PO went off on their own adventures, Artoo stuck by Luke.
While the other heroes were fleeing the Empire, Artoo went with Luke to Dagobah for his Jedi training at the hands of Master Yoda. After the showdown at Jabba’s palace, when everyone else returned to the Rebel base, Artoo went with Luke to get some closure with Yoda and Obi-Wan.
