Meet BB-9E: BB8's evil cousin in the next 'Star Wars' movie
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In the upcoming "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," a new robot named BB-9E will be part of the show.
As part of a kick-off event in Australia for tomorrow's Force Friday event, Disney and robotics comapny Sphero unveiled BB-9E, which looks and acts very similar to BB-8, one of the hit characters of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
Described as a "rolling menace," BB-9E will be part of Astromech unit of the First Order in the upcoming movie.
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THE FORCE IS STRONG WITH STAR WARS BB-8 DROID
Although Similar to BB-8 in size and appearance, BB-9E has two distinct differences: it is black and has a red eye.
“Since Star Wars became a cultural phenomenon 40 years ago, consumer products have been a critical part of the fan experience, helping to introduce new audiences to the franchise’s rich stories and characters,” said Disney executive Jimmy Pitaro in comments obtained by Variety. “Technology-powered storytelling is at the core of the ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ product line, and will immerse fans in the Star Wars universe like never before.”
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The robot toy acts similar to BB8, according to TechCrunch, which has played with the toy. It has pre-programmed moves and can be driven using a smatphone app.
Fox News reviewed BB-8 in 2015, calling it a "cool little robot."
The two companies also showed off a new toy version of the R2-D2 droid as well. R2-D2 will retail for $179, while BB-9E will sell for $149.