Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker introduced a slew of new characters to the galaxy far, far away, ranging from the armor-clad Zorii Bliss to the cruel Allegiant General Pryde. However, none arguably made a greater impression than the diminutive Babu Frik. Although the character’s presence was limited, his cute ramblings quickly grabbed fans’ attention. Now, it appears this was also the case on the set.
Neal Scanlan, who served as the lead effects artists on the Star Wars sequel trilogy, recently spoke with FanSided about his most recent work on The Rise of Skywalker. Of course, talk eventually turned to Babu Frik, and Scanlan revealed that Babu Frik actress Shirley Henderson kept the crew in stitches while working on the set:
We really enjoyed that shoot very much. And she would make us giggle, and you’d sort of have to almost tell yourself sometimes, ‘Hold, hold, hold! Still yourself!’ through the shoot.
It’s easy to see why the crew would have had trouble keeping their composure during Henderson’s performance. The mere sight of Babu Frik immediately draws one of two responses. You’ll either burst with glee at how cute-looking he is, or you’ll break out in laughter due to his high-pitched and unclear way of speaking.
For those who haven’t seen The Rise of Skywalker yet, Babu Frik comes into play when Rey, Finn, Poe and C-3PO head to the planet Kijimi. It’s there that Zorii Bliss links the group with Frik, and he extracts the Sith text from Threepio’s memory banks. He also makes a brief return during the film’s final battle.
Babu Frik is the latest in a long line of cute characters to be added to the Star Wars mythos, and all have been received differently. While Return of the Jedi’s Ewoks gradually became fan favorites, the Porgs from 2017’s The Last Jedi garnered mixed reviews from fans and critics.
Still, Babu Frik has a little competition when it comes to being the most adorable Star Wars character to be introduced in 2019. The Mandalorian’s Baby Yoda had an immediate effect on the public and has since become a staple of the Disney+ series. He’s even inspired a range of toys that the public is still trying to grab.
There may not appear to be much to the character, but there may be a few things Lucasfilm can still do with Babu Frik. The character is prime fodder for comics or animated series, and one could even imagine that he could make a return in a live-action TV series.
Whatever happens, it’s safe to assume that Lucasfilm and Disney aren’t done with Babu Frik after the public’s response to him. Because if there’s anything we know about Disney, it’s that they love capitalizing on cuddly characters. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is now available on Digital HD and will be released on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD on March 31.
