These ‘SNL’ and ‘Parks and Rec’ alums are the geniuses behind BB-8’s voice

There are a lot of new characters in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but one we’ve been pretty psyched to finally meet is BB-8. The delightful droid joins the likes of R2-D2 and C3PO in the Star Wars galaxy, and like R2, he communicates by beeps and whistles. Until now we didn’t think too much about how the beeps came about, but as it turns out, we’re huge fans of the men behind the sound effects: Ben Schwartz and Bill Hader!

Yes, Jean Ralphio had a hand in the new Star Wars. He and Hader worked with J.J. Abrams to get the perfect sound for BB-8, a process that was about as glam as we’d imagine.

“J.J. [Abrams] f****** around with this sound effects app on his iPad that was attached to a talk box operated by me,” Hader told Hitfix. “It looked ridiculous but it made BB-8’s voice. At first I tried doing a voice, but we all agreed it sounded too human.”

We can’t think of anyone better to help give voice to BB-8! And we’re all the more excited to see the movie!

(Image via Lucasfilm)