It”s been almost a year since BB-8 rolled its way into our hearts. On November 28th, 2014 Lucasfilm released the first trailer for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” that featured the then nameless robot. He quickly became known affectionately as the “soccer ball droid” or “balldroid” and people could not get enough of his adorable, oddly hovering face.
Once “The Force Awakens” toys started to hit shelves, BB-8 was in hot demand. The Sphero robot-controlled version of the droid sold out within an hour of launch, making it one of the most popular Star Wars toys ever. But that was only the beginning. Ahead of New York Comic-Con, Hasbro held their annual party to show off their most anticipated toys of the coming year. Blastr was on hand with a camera and they caught a side of BB-8 no one has seen yet (along with a ton of other Star Wars goodies you should check out!)
This droid is fully armed and operational.
That”s right. BB-8 is more than ready to blast you with lightning or slice open First Order troops with a saw blade. How this will play into the film – if at all – remains to be seen. After all, toys are notorious for adding functionality not seen in canon.