【Kali Hansa】

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is giving fans plenty to be Kali Hansaexcited about this weekend — but nothing has us jumping up and down, scanning our environments, and crawling aboard Jedi shoulders quite like the introduction of BD-1.

The breakout star of Fallen Order's newly released trailer and 15-minute gameplaypreview, both debuted as part of EA Play 2019, "Buddy Droid 1" is the cutest robot walking around this, or any, galaxy. (Note: BB-8 rolls and R2-D2 traverses. Critical distinctions.)

"There are a lot of cute droids in Star Wars," Kasumi Shishido, a senior producer for Respawn working on Fallen Order, tells Mashable. "We took inspiration from BB-8, R2-D2, and this droid called Chopper from the animated series, who has a little bit of attitude, [to make BD-1]."

With two big eyes, a set of antennae, and a pair of gangly legs fit for the silliest of chickens, BD-1 is a companion to Cal Kestis, Fallen Order's protagonist. He's designed to help the young Padawan and players fight against the Empire by exploring areas, hacking security systems, distracting enemies, and more.

Shishido describes working with Doug Chiang, Lucas Films' resident mechanical design guru, to create BD-1, combining inspiration from past characters with modern everyday objects to develop something "visually brand-new," gameplay effective, and with maximum "Awww!" factor.

Of course, BD-1 wasn't an overnight success. Shishido recounts numerous iterations that didn't feel right for the game — including a single-eyed droid that almost made the cut, but fit one of Disney's other properties better than theStar Wars universe.

"It almost looked like a Pixar lamp," says Shishido, laughing as she recalls the BD-wannabe. "We had that in-game for a little while, but we ended up with BD-1's [current] design."

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Ultimately, the two-eyed wonder was the result of a pair of binoculars, and practicality.

"We looked at a pair of binoculars, and that's where the inspiration came from for the head design," explains Shishido.

"For the bottom part, we looked at AT-ST [All Terrain Scout Transport] design, but wanted BD-1 to be very flexible. Since he's a companion droid, he needs to be able to traverse across levels and not get stuck. We wanted him to be able to run around, and jump on Cal's shoulders."

From his red-haired perch, BD-1 grows with Cal, gaining skills and upgrades as players tour new areas. Fallen Order, told in a somewhat non-linear, multi-world structure, encourages exploration — and with work benches aplenty, that means ample opportunity to keep improving on your darling sidekick.

"As the player progresses through the game, there are a lot of things that you can unlock with BD-1," says Shishido. "You get to upgrade him, and help BD-1 do some things he can't do by himself. [Cal] is very crafty in that way."

While Shishido wouldn't reveal much more about BD-1's various abilities, game director Stig Asmussen has revealed that BD-1 will also be able to replenish Cal's health, up to a point.

Per an interview with GamesRadar, Asmussen says that BD-1 will be able to carry stimpacks for his Jedi friend. However, players will have to hunt them down in-game regularly, as BD-1 can only carry so many. (I mean, look at him! He's so little!)

Whatever his final abilities, BD-1 couldn't arrive at a better point in the Star Wars timeline. The events of Fallen Order begin shortly after the institution of Order 66,an ominous decree that led to the near-annihilation of the Jedi inRevenge of the Sith.

With Cal running for his life and the fate of the galaxy on the line, players will need all the help they can get. Luckily, Shishido promises: "BD-1 will always be with you."

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderwill be available on PS4, Xbox, and PC Nov. 15.