8D8

An 8D-series smelter droid manufactured by Roche Hive and Verpine species, 8D8 was originally programmed to perform simple tasks in ore-extraction facilities. However, he was lobotomized and reprogrammed to serve in the droid torture chamber in Hutt crime lord Jabba Desilijic Tiure's palace on the planet Tatooine. He became devoted to EV-9D9, a feminine EV-series supervisor droid that served as chief of Cyborg Operations, and assisted her in terrorizing the palace's droid pool to ensure they knew their place. Ultimately, many droids suffered because of his actions.

In the year 0 BBY, 8D8 was torturing a power droid while EV-9D9 spoke to the Trandoshan bounty hunter Bossk regarding the whereabouts of 261, a rogue Imperial astromech droid that had briefly been part of the palace's droid pool before escaping. After Jabba acquired R2-D2 and C-3PO in 4 ABY, shortly before the Battle of Endor, 8D8 was torturing a GNK-series power droid by pressing a hot iron to his victim's feet while EV-9D9 assigned the new acquisitions positions in the droid pool. Shortly after, Jabba was killed; subsequently, the Hutt's droid pool, including 8D8, were all deactivated.

With Jabba dead, his majordomo, Bib Fortuna, laid claim to the Hutt's throne and assumed control of Jabba's criminal empire. Around 9 ABY, however, Boba Fett, a retired bounty hunter who had worked for Jabba in his former career, murdered Fortuna and took the ex-majordomo's throne with the help of the assassin Fennec Shand. Forming his own gotra with Fortuna's resources and territories as the new Daimyo, Fett used a reactivated 8D8 as a diplomatic and strategic assistant.

When officials from the city of Mos Espa went to pay tribute to Fett as the new Daimyo, 8D8 introduced the guests as they entered and took their gifts on behalf of Fett. After taking a gift from the Aqualish Garfalaquox, the leader of Mos Espa's Aqualish crime family, 8D8 presented the Trandoshan Dokk Strassi, the head of the Trandoshan family, and took the don's gift to Fett. The next guest was supposed to be Mok Shaiz, the mayor of Mos Espa, whom 8D8 introduced as the next arrival entered the throne room. However, the Twi'lek who entered corrected the droid, specifying that he was Shaiz's majordomo. 8D8 watched as the Twi'lek majordomo gave no physical tribute to Fett and instead demanded one for the mayor, ultimately being refused and leaving.

After the majordomo came the droid UK2-B, who escorted two captured Gamorrean guards who had formerly served Jabba and Fortuna. 8D8 introduced the two prisoners and suggested that their audible torture would send a message to any potential challenger to Fett. The Daimyo insisted that he would not torture, but 8D8 claimed that to be accepted as Daimyo, Fett must project strength. Instead, Fett, citing the guards' loyalty to their former masters as 8D8 had initially introduced, offered to spare the pair in exchange for their loyalty, which the Gamorreans agreed to.

Shortly after, Fett and Shand were ambushed in Mos Espa by six assassins of the Order of the Night Wind. The Gamorreans that Fett had spared helped him to overcome their attackers, and Shand captured one of the attackers alive and brought him to the palace. After the assassin refused to give up any information to Fett, the Daimyo asked what they knew of the captive, to which 8D8 explained that he was of the Order of the Night Wind and was very expensive.

Shand claimed that the Night Wind assassins were overpriced, but 8D8 insisted that their reputation was legendary, and that there was no way that the prisoner would reveal information. He added that they feared no man, and in response, Shand dropped the prisoner to the rancor pit. The assassin, believing a rancor was in the pit, succumbed to his fear and claimed that Mayor Mok Shaiz hired him. Subsequently, Fett and Shand went to visit Shaiz with their prisoner to address the matter to the mayor.

Later, 8D8 gave Fett a presentation on the history of the territories of Jabba the Hutt and Bib Fortuna. When first showing the businesses protected by Jabba on a holographic display, he refused to say the Hutt's name in fear that he would offend Fett or make him feel threatened. Fett, though, was offended by 8D8's caution, so the droid apologized to him before carrying on. 8D8 explained the uneasy alliances Fortuna relied on to remain in power and that Fett's new subjects were waiting to see what kind of leader he would be. As Fett and Shand discussed the assassin attack before, one of the Gamorrean guards came with news that one of Fett's vassals wanted to speak with the Daimyo.

8D8 translated the guard's words and confirmed that there was no existing appointment. Fett admitted the visitor regardless. The new arrival came in with the other Gamorrean guard and, per 8D8's request, introduced himself as a water-monger named Lortha Peel and claimed that no one respected the new Daimyo. The droid angrily stopped the vendor, but Fett told his assistant to let Peel speak. Peel and the Daimyo discussed the disorder amongst the residents of Mos Espa, and the water-monger asked for Fett to help get rid of the Mods, a group of cybernetically enhanced individuals that were stealing from him. Fett visited the mods, but after hearing their situation, he hired the gang members instead.

Not long after, "the Twins," a pair of Hutts and cousins to the late Jabba the Hutt who wished to claim their relative's former territories, learned that Mayor Shaiz had promised Fett's territories to the Pyke Syndicate. Thus the Twins, abandoning their claim on Tatooine, traveled to Fett's palace with a peace offering. 8D8 interrupted Fett's dinner with Shand to inform him of the Hutts' arrival and their gift. Fett and Shand spoke with the Twins, who informed Fett of why they were leaving, not mentioning the Pykes by name, and gave him a rancor.

While Fett trained with the rancor, a request was made for another meeting between him and Shaiz. However, word came from the city hall that the mayor was unavailable for at least twenty days. 8D8 interrupted Fett's time with his new rancor, informing the Daimyo of the news. Thus Fett told the smelter droid to have Shand "suit up" for an immediate visit to the city hall. Fett and Shand traveled there and learned that Shaiz was working with the Pykes.

Fett later held a banquet with the Mos Espa crime family leaders, hoping to gain their support against the Pyke Syndicate. As 8D8 stood to the side between two Aqualish guards, the Daimyo made his opening remarks. When Garfalaquox asked what Fett was proposing, 8D8 translated the Aqualish leader.

Fett's initial proposal garnering little support, he instead asked that the dons remain neutral in his feud with the syndicate. When Garfalaquox agreed with the terms, 8D8 translated the Aqualish's words, .

Fett and Shand mustered allies to help them against the Pyke Syndicate. Upon realizing that the Pykes were striking, Fett and his assets positioned themselves in Mos Espa, 8D8 joining the Daimyo with Shand, the Twi'lek majordomo, and the Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin at the ruins of the Sanctuary cantina. The syndicate sent the Duros bounty hunter Cad Bane and some Pyke back shooters past Fett's sentries to their position, where 8D8 stood watch outside. The droid subsequently went in to inform Fett that there was a visitor.

While Fett faced Bane, 8D8 remained inside, but was soon joined by the others again when they received word that the crime families of Mos Espa had turned on the Daimyo's forces. While Shand left to counterattack, 8D8 stayed with the rest as they awaited the arrival of Pyke forces. When Pyke troops arrived outside, the majordomo rose from beside 8D8 and convinced the Daimyo to let him negotiate with the enemy, the droid observing the exchange.

A lanky Roch Hive 8D-series smelter droid, 8D8 was a long-faced humanoid droid with a blank white pair of photoreceptors and body that stood 1.83 meters tall and was designed with extreme durability. He was once a heavy-labor droid designed for industrial work. The droid also contained a on his chest. 8D8, like most 8D-series droids, resented the more sophisticated protocol and astromech droids.

A cruel industrial droid who was lobotomized and reprogrammed for sadism and to work in Jabba's droid torture chamber, he sometimes tortured other droids for his own amusement. 8D8 also loved to listen to the singer Sy Snootles' albums at sensor-shattering levels. In the service of Boba Fett, the smelter droid believed in the traditions of projecting strength in order to affirm leadership on Tatooine, suggesting the torture of two captured Gamorreans to the new Daimyo. 8D8 recognized a Night Wind assassin by his affiliation and reputation, cynically claiming to Fett that the assassin would never cooperate.

8D8 was initially cautious of uttering Jabba the Hutt's name to Fett, believing that it might insult the Daimyo. When Fett questioned such sentiment, the smelter droid regurgitated the excuse that the Daimyo had felt threatened and then apologized when his master was insulted by the claim. 8D8 was assertive with Lortha Peel, cutting the vendor off in a scorning manner when the man claimed no one respected Fett. While interrupting Fett's first training with his new rancor, the droid ignored the Daimyo's insistence that he was busy and continued with the news he had.

8D8 was created for the 1983 film Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, the final installment of the Star Wars original trilogy. In the film the droid was realized as a puppet that shared its body structure with BG-J38, another droid used in Jabba's palace in the film.

8D8 was reintroduced into live action in the Disney+ series The Book of Boba Fett, starting with the debut episode, "Chapter 1: Stranger in a Strange Land," which was directed by Robert Rodriguez and released on December 29, 2021. In the series, he was voiced by Matt Berry. Chris Bartlett was credited in the episode as the performance artist of UK2-B in Chapter 1, though it was not immediately clear which character in the episode this credit referred to. Since the episode also featured a droid voiced by Berry, some fans and online publications assumed that Berry's character was in fact UK2-B, prompting Lucasfilm Story Group member Pablo Hidalgo to Tweet that UK2-B was a different character from 8D8.

The Databank on StarWars.com used an image of 8D8 for the "Astromech (in Jabba's Palace)" entry despite 8D8's canonical droid model not being an astromech droid. The entry was later changed to cover an astromech droid featured first in "Chapter 3: The Streets of Mos Espa" of The Book of Boba Fett, which was directed by Rodriguez and released on January 12, 2022.

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