That cool new ‘Star Wars’ droid might be a girl

Here’s a Star Wars twist we didn’t see coming. And here’s a spoiler warning just in case you want to know absolutely nothing about Force Awakens.

Know BB-8? Of course you know BB-8. It’s the cool new droid that has completely swept the nation and stolen everyone’s heart. You might already own your own version of BB-8, and the movie hasn’t even come out yet. Clearly, this little one is destined for stardom, and according to sources BB-8 is actually a girl droid.

The Mirror talked to a source close to Force Awakens, and it was explained that, “There’s never been a strong female robot in any Star Wars film.” Director, J.J. Abrams wanted to change that. Pretty much every single droid we’ve seen in the Star Wars universe – namely C3P0 and R2d2 – have been male, even though being a “male droid” means nothing more than calling R2 “he.” Now for this movie, “[Abrams] was determined to make BB-8 cute and strong — and female.”

From what we’ve seen of BB-8, she appears to be sticking close to brand new character Rey (Daisy Ridley) at all times, as they travel around on the planet Jakku. It’s now suggested that during this adventure, Rey’s going to use the female pronouns for “she” and “her” when referring to BB-8, which would be awesome. As Cinema Blend pointed out, BB-8 has so far only been called “BB-8” or “it,” and that means her strong female personality was supposed to be kept as a big surprise.

Well, if it’s true, it’s not a surprise anymore. It’s also singing a tune we like to hear. Judging from the Star Wars trailers, Rey is going to play a huge role in Force Awakens, and we’re all about more girl power in that galaxy far far away. Even better when it’s girl-droid power, too.

(Image via Lucasfilm.)