As we get closer to the fall broadcast of the hour long special for Star Wars Rebels, the official YouTube channel has put out a new two and a half minute promotional piece talking about the droid character for the series, Chopper. The animation team behind the show gets in on talking about the character and its personality as well as showing off a few good images of it in motion in completed form. We also got in a couple of good conceptual images as well.
“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. ”
