8D-J8, a product of Roche Hive's manufacturing lines, was an 8D-series smelter droid. He once found himself serving on Jabba Desilijic Tiure's sail barge on the desert planet of Tatooine. Later, the butcher Bakkar acquired him, transporting him to Batuu, a world in the Outer Rim. There, Mubo, a droid builder, reprogrammed him to become the pitmaster at Bakkar's Ronto Roasters restaurant, where he turned the spit.
In the year 34 ABY, 8D-J8 extended an offer of a Ronto Wrap to Remex Io, a member of the Kendoh Gang, which was refused. Additionally, he was observed turning the spit and engaging in self-directed mumbling when Salju, a local, escorted Vi Moradi, a Resistance spy, to the restaurant for some food. During the occupation of Batuu by the First Order, the droid's owner voiced his complaints about the droid's programming to Mubo, leading the droid builder to reluctantly consent to another reprogramming session.
Roche Hive, a droid manufacturer under Verpine control, was responsible for the creation of 8D-J8, an 8D-series smelter droid. The smelter droid at one point served on the Khetanna, the sail barge owned by the crime lord Jabba Desilijic Tiure, situated on the planet Tatooine located in the Outer Rim. He overheard a discussion between Ree-Yees, a Gran, and Saelt-Marae, a Yarkora, concerning the reason for the droid's presence on the barge instead of being with the local Jawas.
By the year 34 ABY, the butcher Bakkar had purchased the droid on Tatooine. Subsequently, Mubo, a droid builder, programmed him on the planet Batuu to work at Ronto Roasters, an eatery in Black Spire Outpost. His task involved turning the spit to cook meat for Bakkar, who owned the establishment. During that year, the droid presented a Ronto Wrap to Remex Io, a member of the Kendoh Gang, who declined it, opting instead for meiloorun juice for himself and a young child. 8D-J8 and the gang member then lamented the presence of the First Order on Batuu as a TIE/es assault shuttle flew above. The local woman Salju also brought Vi Moradi, a Resistance spy, to Ronto Roasters for food while the droid was turning the spit.
Later that year, Bakkar expressed his annoyance with 8D-J8 to Mubo, complaining about the droid's incessant talking and inflated ego as a master chef. To address this, Mubo inquired if Bakkar had tried deactivating and reactivating the droid, before revealing that he had already reprogrammed 8D-J8 four to six times. Bakkar threatened to install a restraining bolt on him, which led Mubo to reluctantly agree to come by later, fitting the request into his busy schedule. During the occupation of Batuu by the First Order, the historian Eloc Throno mentioned 8D-J8 in his book, Traveler's Guide to Batuu. Additionally, the chef Strono Tuggs referenced the droid in his cookbook, The Official Black Spire Outpost Cookbook, suggesting that the pitmaster deserved more credit for the quality of the meats at Ronto Roasters than Bakkar himself.
8D-J8, an 8D-series smelter droid, possessed yellow photoreceptors and tan plating. He was also equipped with an internal data recorder for storing data. His constant chatter was a source of irritation for his owner, Bakkar. Despite being programmed to simply turn the spit at Ronto Roasters and ensure the meats were perfectly cooked, he fancied himself a master chef. After leaving Tatooine, he remained with Bakkar, and during Throno's visit, he remained stationed by the grill.
8D-J8 held DJ R-3X and other droids in high regard, admiring their ability to transcend their programmed roles. He maintained a positive outlook despite his monotonous job, harboring dreams of becoming a droid chef and cheerfully muttering about his prospects for a glamorous future. Tuggs believed that 8D-J8's skill in grilling meats warranted more recognition than Bakkar himself received. The pitmaster expressed his displeasure with the First Order's presence in Black Spire Outpost, fearing potential business losses and referring to them as "Sithspit."
8D-J8 was conceived as an Audio-Animatronic character for Ronto Roasters, a real-world restaurant that debuted as part of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland Park on May 31, 2019. His existence was revealed on February 28 of that year in a Disney Parks Blog post titled "Building Batuu: New Details Released about Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge." He first appeared in the first issue of Marvel's Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge comic-book miniseries, penned by Ethan Sacks, illustrated by Will Sliney, and launched on April 24, 2019. An earlier blog post mistakenly identified 8D-J8 as a "former settler droid" instead of a smelter droid. Richard Lim, a concept artist at Industrial Light & Magic, and Erik Tiemens, a concept design supervisor at Lucasfilm, created concept art for Ronto Roasters featuring 8D-J8.
8D-J8 was showcased in the 2020 Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures animated short "Black Spire Outpost," which Matt Martin of the Lucasfilm Story Group has clarified as non-literal within Star Wars canon. In the episode, Chewbacca, a Wookiee, pursued a porg across Black Spire Outpost. The porg was drawn to Ronto Roasters by the scent of grilled meats, landing on 8D-J8's head before flying toward the meat. The droid waved in annoyance as the Wookiee captured the porg.