Disney and Lucasfilm Animation are hard at work on Star Wars Rebels, a new animated series that will debut on TV later this year. Today they sent us some information about one of the new characters they’ve created for Rebels, a cranky little astromech droid called C1-10P, or Chopper for short. The Disney Channel describes Chopper with:
Introducing Chopper, a lazy, cranky (if ultimately goodhearted) astromech droid, and the latest character revealed from the highly anticipated Star Wars Rebels animated series. “If Artoo is the family dog,” said Dave Filoni, executive producer of the show, “Chopper is the cat.” Chopper is an essential crew member of the Ghost, tasked with keeping the starship running and operable for its band of heroes. In reality, thanks to his many “unique” upgrades and customizations, no other alien, human, or droid could handle the job.
The design of Chopper, a.k.a. C1-10P, takes cues from early Ralph McQuarrie concept art for R2-D2, especially the expressive arms that fold out of his head. As Star Wars Rebels takes place four years prior to the events of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, Chopper’s retro look creates an aesthetic continuity with droids of the original trilogy.
Star Wars Rebels will be premiering on the Disney Channel with a one hour special in the fall, followed up by an ongoing series on Disney XD channels.
