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The new Star Wars trilogy has a cast of fantastic characters, like Poe, Rey and Finn, but there’s no question that BB-8 is the most loved.
Just look at these videos as proof. Actress Laura Dern (who makes her Star Wars debut with the newest installment, Star Wars: The Last Jedi), Radiohead front man Thom Yorke and even the future king of England himself, Prince William, have all been caught getting down to BB-8’s level to have a conversation.
Dern, who was getting ready for an appearance on Good Morning America, can be seen in the video below giving the cute, soccer ball-like droid some advice for his upcoming appearance on ABC’s morning show. See how gentle she is with him? Dern genuinely cares about BB-8.
.@LauraDern gives a great morning pep talk to BB-8 in the @GMA studio! #TheLastJedi
— Good Morning America (@GMA) December 14, 2017
cc: @starwars @rianjohnson pic.twitter.com/T9XYNfXAtu
This wasn’t even the first time that Dern got in some quality hang time with BB-8. The actress posted a video on Twitter earlier this month where she can be seen kneeling on the floor beside BB-8, overjoyed just to be around him.
This cutie! pic.twitter.com/ub9GuO7iC3
— Laura Dern (@LauraDern) December 3, 2017
Considering Dern is in The Last Jedi, it makes sense that she’d want to hang out with BB-8 even when the cameras aren’t rolling. Thom Yorke, on the other hand, has a history of warning listeners about the dangers of robots and artificial intelligence. He’s not really a fan of what the cybernetic future holds, but maybe that’s why he’s trying to find peace with the droid while sitting on the carpet at The Last Jedi’s world premiere.
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Yorke isn’t the only Brit who wants to get in on the BB-8 action. On Dec. 12, during the London premiere of The Last Jedi, BB-8 caught up with a few members of the Royal Family, bowing down before them.
The Force is strong on this red carpet! #thelastjedi pic.twitter.com/j6NYKzY3lw
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) December 12, 2017
It’s nice of the droid to return the gesture, considering that when Prince William went to visit Pinewood Studios in London, where the Star Wars movies are filmed, he got down to BB-8’s level, grinning like a madman. Princes don’t bow for just about anyone — or even any droid.
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We know there are plenty of cool new droids in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, including an evil version of BB-8, referred to simply as BB-9E, but BB-8 will always have a special place in our hearts.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be released on Dec. 15.