Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker originally killed Babu Frik. The fan-favorite droidsmith was one of the few universally praised elements of the film, instantly winning viewers over with his cute appearance. While Babu did not have a lot of screen time, he stole just about every scene he was in and left a lasting impression on the audience. He even got his own crowd-pleasing moment during the Battle of Exegol in the film’s third act, popping up in Zorii Bliss’ fighter.
Prior to that part in The Rise of Skywalker, everyone thought Babu and Zorii were among the many who died when the Final Order destroyed Kijimi. So, it came as a relief to see the two had actually survived. However, this bit wasn’t initially planned. At one point, Babu did perish, and Star Wars fans apparently have one of Hollywood’s most legendary directors to thank for keeping him around.
In an interview with Empire, Rise of Skywalker creature effects creative supervisor Neal Scanlon and concept artist Ivan Manzella discussed how the character’s role evolved during the movie’s development. Scanlon implied none other than Steven Spielberg saved Babu from a terrible fate:
Scanlon: “It could be a rumor, but I believe J.J. screened the movie for Steven Spielberg, and at the end Spielberg said, ‘What happened to Babu?’ Everybody thought, ‘Oh God, what did happen to Babu?’”
Manzella: “I think he was going to die originally – I think the AD shot that. When the planet [Kijimi] was blown up, he was on it.”
Based on these comments, it would appear Babu’s death scene wasn’t in the version of Rise of Skywalker Spielberg saw, leading to some confusion. It’s no secret the film went through numerous changes on its path to the big screen, meaning this could have been an oversight on the creative team’s part. The Rise of Skywalker had a lot on its plate, and tying up the story for a minor supporting character (however cute he might be) probably got lost in the shuffle as Abrams worked on putting the final cut together. It sounds like Zorii was never intended to die alongside her tiny companion; when the filmmakers went back to give Babu some resolution, ILM was able to pluck a shot of him from a deleted sequence and inserted him in Zorii’s ship. Since that was the case, it’s likely Zorii’s reveal on Exegol was always there.
Babu had a small, but memorable, part in the now-concluded Skywalker saga, so it’ll be interesting to see if the character shows up anywhere else in Star Wars canon. At one point in Rise of Skywalker development, Babu’s species was going to be behind a device that sabotaged all First Order tech, so there’s the potential there for some interesting backstory if Lucasfilm wishes to pursue it. Of course, a case can also be made fans got the perfect amount of Babu Frik; there can be too much of a good thing, and nobody wants Babu Frik to wear out his welcome. Perhaps it’s best to leave him be and create the next fan-favorite alien.
Source: Empire
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