Star Wars is known for its rich and varied cast of characters, a cast that continues to grow with each new story Lucasfilm puts out. As if the characters themselves weren’t enough, what makes Star Wars truly fun is the way certain characters gravitate toward one another.
By themselves, they’re compelling characters. Teamed up, they become something else altogether, and it’s truly engaging to watch. There’s R2-D2, and there’s C-3PO, and then there’s R2-D2 and C-3PO together. Put them together, and the whole story dynamic changes. Here are 25 of the best duos in Star Wars history.
25 best team-ups in Star Wars
25. Poe Dameron and BB-8
Poe Dameron and his faithful astromech droid BB-8 entered the Star Wars universe for the first time in 2017’s The Force Awakens. The opening scene of the film found the two of them at the end of a mission to acquire a missing map to find Luke Skywalker, a mission that brought them to Jakku to meet with a man named Lor San Tekka, who was in possession of the map. Immediately, it’s clear that Poe is a young hotshot pilot and BB-8, whose endearingly round design made him an instant hit with fans, is not only Poe’s droid but a trusted friend. In fact, as more and more Star Wars stories have been created, the role of droids has continued to be elevated, and the close relationship between Poe and BB-8 is a perfect example of this.
The interplay between the two provides fun comic relief through all three sequel trilogy films, as well as throughout Marvel’s Poe Dameron comic run, which told the full story of Poe’s mission to find Lor San Tekka. Even though the audience can’t understand BB-8’s language, the playful interchange between Poe and the droid makes it clear that they have a special relationship. In the opening scene of The Last Jedi, Poe and BB-8’s commitment to each other is exemplified in their combined efforts to take out the cannons of the First Order’s massive dreadnought ship, a challenging endeavor given the trouble BB-8 has to go through to keep the systems of Poe’s X-Wing operational.
The most obvious indicator of Poe and BB-8’s close relationship comes near the beginning of The Rise of Skywalker when Poe, Finn, and Chewbacca return to the rebel base on Ajan Kloss. Upon seeing BB-8, Poe runs to him, and it’s clear the two are ecstatic to see each other. Poe and BB-8’s relationship is a bright spot in many of the darker moments of the sequel trilogy.