That Rolling Ball Droid From The Force Awakens Trailer Wasn't CGI

[Li Mu]

I don't think C3P0 is supposed to be built on scrap parts, there's clearly a silver version of him featured in A New Hope, meaning he's probably supposed to be manufactured? Unless somebody built an identical copy from different scrap parts^^.

In Phantom Menace we learn that Darth Vader actually made C3PO out of junk. Yeah, thanks for that dumb plot twist, Lucas.

http://youtu.be/gJ2Fd1iqKyA <<<It's all here.

 

[MrBaskerville]

I don't think C3P0 is supposed to be built on scrap parts, there's clearly a silver version of him featured in A New Hope, meaning he's probably supposed to be manufactured? Unless somebody built an identical copy from different scrap parts^^.

In Phantom Menace we learn that Darth Vader actually made C3PO out of junk. Yeah, thanks for that dumb plot twist, Lucas.

http://youtu.be/gJ2Fd1iqKyA <<<It's all here.

Oh, i'd completely forgotten about that, that doesn't make much sense. So they actually did make a silver replica from scrap, or did they just like Anakins design so much that they decided to put it into mass production? Maybe i'm overthinking things... Just remembered that there's yet another Silver 3p0 at Cloud city, Darth Vader has been productive^^. (Actually they seem to appear everytine Vader shows up, can't be a coincidence).

With that said, i don't have any strong feelings about the new droid, but i do applaud the use of practical effects. I didn't really like the teaser, since it didn't show anything, but i'm still positive that this new movie will be better than the prequels. I just hope that they stay away from stupid nostalgic references, if anyone is going to say "I got a bad feeling about this" please let it be Han Solo and not everyone else.

 

[Chairman Miaow]

Doesn't change the fact that it's just R2's head on a football. I really don't like it but whatever.

And R2 D2 was just a garbage can with legs. What's your point?

My point is that R2-D2 wasn't a rip-off of a popular established character.

If you think about it logically, most droids will be modifications of previous droids. In the same way that most cellphones are similar in design to previous cell phones. Most cars are slight variations on previous cars.
You wont suddenly get a car with 7 wheels, shaped like a banana. It will keep a fairly similar design with modifications. They take the old design and make slight improvements on it. Airbag, SAT NAV, sun roof, more slimline...etc

In this same sense, droid designers probably felt that a peddle bin with legs wasn't dynamic enough and that a wheel should be fitted. This would act as an improvement on an older design.
It makes perfect design sense.

So actually, in this fictional world, this makes perfect sense. It would make less sense to have a totally different looking droid.

There are already countless vastly different droid designs in the star wars universe, why can't there be one more? I get that you are excited for the films but why does that mean i'm not allowed an opinion? all I said was I didn't like it and you have been rude and sarcastic.

 

[Magmarock]

*Soccer ball. Football is a sport where the players don't fake injuries, hue hue hue.

Only because there's so many real ones. <.<

I'm glad that it seems they're sticking to non-CGI whenever possible. It gives the actors a closer connection to the scenes they're in. It won't make a good movie by itself, of course, but it can certainly help.

That is a miss quote, I didn't say that.

 

[Li Mu]

There are already countless vastly different droid designs in the star wars universe, why can't there be one more? I get that you are excited for the films but why does that mean i'm not allowed an opinion? all I said was I didn't like it and you have been rude and sarcastic.

There isn't even the smallest amount of sarcasm in my post. I'm also curious as to what you thought was rude. I had no intention of either being sarcastic or rude.
Of course you are entitled to your own opinion. I was just proposing a counter opinion. I thought that's what these forums were for. It would be wonderful for the ego, but rather boring if we all thought the exact same thing.

 

[Chairman Miaow]

There are already countless vastly different droid designs in the star wars universe, why can't there be one more? I get that you are excited for the films but why does that mean i'm not allowed an opinion? all I said was I didn't like it and you have been rude and sarcastic.

There isn't even the smallest amount of sarcasm in my post. I'm also curious as to what you thought was rude. I had no intention of either being sarcastic or rude.
Of course you are entitled to your own opinion. I was just proposing a counter opinion. I thought that's what these forums were for. It would be wonderful for the ego, but rather boring if we all thought the exact same thing.

The way you said "what's your point?". I'm sorry if it wasn't intended as rude but that's how it came across to me.

 

[JarinArenos]

*Soccer ball. Football is a sport where the players don't fake injuries, hue hue hue.

Only because there's so many real ones. <.<

I'm glad that it seems they're sticking to non-CGI whenever possible. It gives the actors a closer connection to the scenes they're in. It won't make a good movie by itself, of course, but it can certainly help.

That is a miss quote, I didn't say that.

So it is! But whatever, the quote was only for a bad joke anyway.

 

[Li Mu]

The way you said "what's your point?". I'm sorry if it wasn't intended as rude but that's how it came across to me.

Ahhh yes, my bad. Sorry.

 

[blackrave]

Not really. Let me go through your list.
World: Most were single-biome, so yeah, not very practical as habitable places, but then again Mercury, Venus, Mars, etc. are essentially all single-biome planets, so [i/]scientifically speaking[/i] the single-biome planets of Star Wars are much more logical than every planet being an Earth clone.

Actually no, when it comes to uninhabitable planets, they usually have different biomes (simply non-professionals couldn't tell the difference)
When it comes to planets that can sustain complex life, I would bet on anything I have that there would be distinct biomes.
BUT, who said that there were not other biomes? We simply were shown one location. Maybe 1k km away weather would look totally different.

Characters: I'm not sure what you're suggesting here. The characters (on the good guy side) are a farm boy, a smuggler who works for the criminal element operating under a oppressive regime, and a princess. How are these character types "impractical"? Farmers are needed to supply consumables, smugglers are needed to get goods the oppressive regime restricts, and a princess isn't that far out: see Britain.

While you are right about princess and smuggler, small-scale farming (like presented in first/fourth movie) in world where robots are common is bullshit. And if Luke would be involved into large-scale farming he would be quite wealthy (at least to the point where he wouldn't be living in some shitty shack)

Droid: C3-PO is programmed as a translator. Most species in Star Wars are humanoid (2 arms, 2 legs) and humans talk through speaking and body language. So it makes sense that he'd be made in the same image so he could do the same. R2-D2 is essentially a mechanic swiss-army knife; every tool needed to complete a quick tech repair job he's got and they're positioned in his dome and his front: the best places to get the most effective use out of them (thus, practical). Now look at the design of the soccer ball droid. What do you think it's function is and how is it supposed to accomplish it? All I've got is "it's a robot head on a ball."

1.I disagree with anyone who advocates for bipedal robots (including my favorite author Asimov).
Bipedal robots are needed ONLY when there is necessity for androids
When robots are just robots using wheeled/tracked/quadrupedal/hexapedal chassis is the best choice (depending on conditions)
Bipedal movement is so complicated I'm actually surprised our species came to it.
2.R2D2 (and other robots like it) are too high and too narrow, to maintain stability. I would make them lower and wider.
3.We don't know what that roller was. Maybe it's a toy, who knows?

In short, if you really think about the stuff, most of it makes a degree of sense, but you seem to operate under "realistic", so chill, it's a space opera series. That means it's a mish-mash of sci-fi and fantasy, so it's never gonna be perfectly practical, but that doesn't mean the elements that make it up shouldn't be designed practically in regards to the series' logic.

As far as I can see this roller droid pretty much fits Star Wars universe, remember that people (and not) in this universe can craft their own droids.