Ranking My Favorite Star Wars Droids (Yes, R2 Is on Top, Calm Down)

John Summers • Contributor

May 4, 2025 11:00 PM EDT

Let's skip the preamble and get straight into it. Some people rank Jedi, others rank lightsabers. Me? I rank droids. From background beep-boopers to full-on franchise icons, these are my personal favorite droids across the Star Wars galaxy—based on vibes, impact, weird design choices, and how many emotional scars they've left behind.

I'm not saying this list is definitive. I'm just saying it's right.

20. Mouse Droid (A New Hope)

via Lucasfilm

These little guys make no sense. Like, what do they even do? But I love them. They scurry around like the Death Star is some giant haunted castle and they're the rats keeping it running. Total tripping hazards. Perfect.
19. Pit Droids (The Phantom Menace)

via Lucasfilm

I actually hate them. They're pure comic relief chaos. But I also absolutely love how they fold into their own little helmets like embarrassed crash-test dummies. Top-tier design. Zero-tier usefulness.
18. GNK "Gonk" Droid (A New Hope)

via Lucasfilm

A literal walking trash can. It waddles. It honks. It does... something with power? Who knows. But listen—this thing moves at the speed of a sad Roomba and somehow became a legend. Why would anyone build a droid this clunky? Because it was 1977, they had about $5 in the budget, and it works!
17. 2-1B Medical Droid (The Empire Strikes Back)

via Lucasfilm

This droid looks sick!. He's got a literal microphone for a mouth, but it works. Plus, he gave Luke his mechanical hand, so he's earned a spot on the list forever.
16. TT-8L/Y7 (Return of the Jedi)

via Lucasfilm

The little eyeball doorbell at Jabba's Palace. A rude, ineffective, permanently annoyed security guard. Basically the galaxy's most irritable Ring cam. Love the energy. Hate to be him.
15. 8D8 (Return of the Jedi)

via Lucasfilm

This guy's job is to torture a GNK droid. A GNK droid! What did a walking trash can do to deserve hot branding irons to the feet? But the thing is, 8D8 looks like he absolutely hates his job. And honestly, I relate.
14. RA-7 (A New Hope)

via Lucasfilm

I saw this droid for about three seconds when I was a kid and it haunted me for years. It's creepy, it's stiff, it looks like an insect accountant with bad intentions. A+ nightmare fuel.
13. Q9-0 "Zero" (The Mandalorian)

via Lucasfilm

Feels like the spiritual cousin of RA-7, but voiced by Richard Ayoade, which is enough to get him on this list no questions asked. Properly unsettling with a hint of charm.
12. R5-D4 (A New Hope)

via Lucasfilm

This droid had a bad motivator and still changed the entire course of the galaxy. If he hadn't malfunctioned, Luke wouldn't have gotten R2, Leia's message never gets delivered, and we all go home early. What a hero.
11. Battle Droids (The Phantom Menace)

via Lucasfilm

Dumb as a box of parts and would probably lose a fight to a Roomba, but their voice? So satisfying. I could listen to them Roger Roger all day.
10. Droideka (The Phantom Menace)

via Lucasfilm

These things roll, unfold, deploy shields, and fire with two blasters. They look cool, sound amazing, and should have been used way more often. Peak prequel droid.
9. Interrogation Droid (A New Hope)

via Lucasfilm

Basically a Beholder with a syringe. It's terrifying, iconic, and has major boss battle vibes. If I saw it floating toward me, I'd simply give up and accept my fate. It's like the death star had a tiny evil baby.
8. Imperial Probe Droid (The Empire Strikes Back)

via Lucasfilm

Makes the creepiest, most menacing sounds in all of Star Wars. Floats around like a nosy spider from a sci-fi horror movie. Utterly brilliant. The Matrix wishes it invented this.
7. BB-9E (The Last Jedi)

via Lucasfilm

Evil BB-8. Flat top. Literally does nothing but be menacing and kind of bureaucratic. His nickname is "Benign," and honestly, that's hilarious.
6. IG-88 & IG-11 (The Empire Strikes Back and The Mandalorian)

via Lucasfilm

IG-88 looked like a walking pipe bomb and didn't do much. IG-11, on the other hand, stole the show. Voiced by Taika Waititi, learned compassion, self-destructed like a legend. 10/10 Babysitter
5. K-2SO (Rogue One)

via Lucasfilm

Alan Tudyk in full snark mode. Tall, sarcastic, and brutally honest. Like if C-3PO had a bad attitude and military training. An icon. And did I mention Alan Tudyk?
4. C-3PO (A New Hope)

via Lucasfilm

Yes, he's annoying. Yes, he talks too much. But he's carried more exposition than any Jedi and was literally worshipped as a god. You have to respect it. I do.
3. BB-8 (The Force Awakens)

via Lucasfilm

The best droid design in all of Star Wars. I said what I said. A rolling head with personality, charm, and surprising utility. He's adorable and effective and I will fight for him.
2. BD-1 (Jedi: Fallen Order)

via Respawn Entertainment

I would die for this droid. I would kill for this droid. I would leap off a cliff, wall-run across an ancient temple, and fight ten Purge Troopers just to unlock a new color scheme for this droid. I love you, BD-1. Never leave me.
1. R2-D2 (A New Hope)

via Lucasfilm

The absolute GOAT. Brave, foul-mouthed (probably), clever, and always saving the day. He is basically the Samwise Gamgee of Star Wars, R2 is the true main character of the entire franchise and I will not be taking further questions at this time.