Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker originally killed Babu Frik (Shirley Henderson). The fan-favorite droidsmith was one of the few universally praised elements of the film, instantly winning viewers over with his cute appearance.
While Babu did not have a lot of screen time, he stole just about every scene he was in and left a lasting impression on the audience. He even got his own crowd-pleasing moment during the Battle of Exegol in the film’s third act, popping up in Zorii Bliss’s fighter.
Prior to that part in The Rise of Skywalker, everyone thought Babu and Zorii (Keri Russell) were among the many who died when the Final Order destroyed Kijimi. So, it came as a relief to see the two had actually survived.
However, this bit wasn’t initially planned. At one point, Babu did perish, and Star Wars fans apparently have one of Hollywood’s most legendary directors to thank for keeping him around.
Steven Spielberg Saved Babu Frik
In an interview with Empire, Rise of Skywalker creature effects creative supervisor Neal Scanlon and concept artist Ivan Manzella discussed how the character’s role evolved during the movie’s development. Scanlon implied none other than Steven Spielberg saved Babu from a terrible fate.
Scanlon: “It could be a rumor, but I believe J.J. screened the movie for Steven Spielberg, and at the end Spielberg said, ‘What happened to Babu?’ Everybody thought, ‘Oh God, what did happen to Babu?’”
Manzella: “I think he was going to die originally – I think the AD shot that. When the planet [Kijimi] was blown up, he was on it.”
Thank God Babu Got Saved
Well thank GOD Babu got saved. I mean yeah technically he (or she?) wiped out C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) memory which caused quite shocking moment among the fanboy. But hey at least, Babu did it for the greater purpose right?
But all & all, Babu’s a quite useful adversary. He’s quite handy. But that’s my take though. What’s yours? Do you rather Babu dies or is it indeed a DAMN great decision to keep him / her alive?