Star Wars: Andor: Who is B2EMO? The Groundmech Salvage Assistant Unit, explained

Star Wars fans are excited about the upcoming Disney Plus series Star Wars: Andor. New images from the show have revealed a brand new character, and fans are already head-over-heels in love with a cute new droid in the form of B2EMO. 

What is Star Wars: Andor about? 

Star Wars: Andor follows Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) who made his debut in 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Set five years before Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, the series will follow Andor as he becomes a crucial member of the Rebel Alliance. It will also show how the Rebel Alliance grew over time to become a massive military resistance movement, and how the evil Galactic Empire made its presence felt across the galaxy. 

What is B2EMO? 

B2EMO, often called Bee-two or Bee, is a red cube-shaped droid. It follows Andor around and has served his family for many years, hence its damaged and rusty appearance. 

When the prop was displayed at San Diego Comic-Con’s Lucasfilm Pavilion, the sign near it described B2EMO by saying: 

Bee – is a very old and weary groundmech salvage assist unit that’s been towing scrap for the Andor family for years. The droid has a wide array of mechanical tools and various capabilities to meet the functions required.

B2EMO is a salvage droid, which means it’s designed to help with collecting salvage. These droids have been seen previously in the Star Wars universe, with the P-100 Salvage Droid from Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace being the most well-known. 

What led to B2EMO’s creation? 

B2EMO was first revealed in preview pictures shown to Entertainment Weekly. In an interview with Tony Gilroy, the series creator, he said that the development of B2EMO started with him saying: 

I want to have a salvage droid, and I want to have a family dog. 

Andor’s actor Diego Luna describes the droid by saying:

 B2 is a fantastic friend. It’s like the perfect droid. I have to say, it’s a fantastic piece of design, first of all. The team behind it is amazing. He’s so expressive. With very little, he gives you so much.

The B2EMO prop was created by Neal Scanlan, and it is totally mechanical. While filming it was controlled via remote control, meaning it can improvise and work around the other actors. Luna told Entertainment Weekly that:

 It was wonderful to work with him because he’s real. He’s there, and he interacts with you the way you’ll get to see him. There’s nothing he couldn’t do that he will do in the series. It’s all mechanical.

Luna also added:

It was weird, to be honest, the first few days….Before, in Rogue One with K2, I was in front of a great actor. But here with B2, it was actually a piece of metal moving, but a metal that was as expressive as any actor I’ve worked with and as precise, too. That’s another thing that is not easy. The team making him move and talk is just the best of the best. 

Star Wars: Andor will stream on Disney Plus on Sept. 21, 2022.