Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Watch out, Baby Yoda: there’s a new fan favorite in the Star Wars universe. Okay, so maybe no character has the capability to reach Baby Yoda’s level of cuteness, but viewers are seemingly obsessed with Babu Frik in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The pint-sized creature is just one of a handful of characters to make their debut in the final chapter of the Skywalker Saga, directed by J.J. Abrams.
42 years after the debut of George Lucas’ Star Wars, The Rise of Skywalker serves as the culmination of an epic saga set in a galaxy far, far away. As Rey (Daisy Ridley) teams up with Finn (John Boyega), Poe (Oscar Isaac), and friends to thwart Emperor Palpatine’s (Ian McDiarmid) takeover following the Sith Lord’s mysterious return. During their journey, the group finds themselves in a number of previously unseen locations. As a result, a few new faces make their Star Wars grand entrance and some left more of a lasting impression than others.
To extract the Sith text hidden in C-3PO’s memory, Poe suggests that the group travel to Kijimi to meet up with an old associate. While on the snowy, frigid planet, they encounter Zorri Bliss (Keri Russell), a female scoundrel who reveals Poe’s past as a spice runner. After a brief confrontation, Zorri takes the group to Babu Frik, a tiny Anzellan who works as a droidsmith in Kijimi City. Babu Frik leads them to his workplace where he unveils his talents for reprogramming and hacking droids. The character, voiced by Shirley Henderson (known to Harry Potter fans as Moaning Myrtle), is only featured in a few scenes but he manages to steal the hearts of viewers almost instantly.
Babu Frik Was The Ultimate Scene Stealer In The Rise Of Skywalker
The initial element of cuteness overload stems from Babu Frik’s appearance. The small creature has enormously big hands, which are not proportionate to its body and his equally large eyes give him a sense of childlike innocence. Then there’s his Anzellan native language that he speaks while discussing his plans for C-3PO with Rey, Finn, and Poe. His truncated speech is difficult to decipher but some words can be made out to get the gist of dialogue. When Babu Frik does chime in, he serves as a comedic force, making for the film’s best scene-stealer.
Following the side mission on Kijimi, the fate of Babu Frik and Zorri seems to be in jeopardy. To showcase his power, Palpatine orders General Pryde to use a Star Destroyer to blow up the planet. He obliges and Kijimi is wiped out including those residing on the planet. Thankfully, Zorri and Babu Frik escaped the destruction since the pair arrive at the climactic battle on Exegol at the end of the movie. Zorri pilots a ship, revealing to Poe that allies have arrived before Babu Frik amusingly pops up from under the cockpit, giving the new fan-favorite one more comedic moment.
It’s no surprise that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker includes another small figure that has fans of all ages gushing over. The Force Awakens had BB-8, The Last Jedi introduced porgs, and now, the final chapter of the sequel trilogy gave viewers Babu Frik. Baby Yoda may reign supreme as the best new character from 2019 but Babu Frik is not far behind.
Next: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Every Easter Egg & Reference
