Oliver Steeples

Oliver Steeples is a participant in the R2 Builders Club, which is a group of enthusiasts devoted to the construction of fully operational and screen-accurate droid replicas originating from the Star Wars saga. During the summer of 2013 at Celebration Europe II, Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy recruited Steeples, along with fellow droid creator Lee Towersey, to contribute to the production of Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. Functioning as members of the movie's creature effects department, their exclusive responsibility involved the construction of astromech droids located at Pinewood Studios. Before his involvement with Star Wars, Oliver designed, built, and controlled a number of robots featured on the British television program Robot Wars between the years of 1997 and 1999. His robot, weighing 12 kilograms and named "Cunning Plan," successfully advanced to the final rounds of the show's inaugural season, but was later defeated. It is worth noting that during his introduction in the show's initial season, he identified himself as a Star Wars admirer, and considered George Lucas to be his personal role model.