Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Actress Claims Babu Frik Has a “Lost Love”

The tales in that galaxy far, far away are vast and endless, and even though the Skywalker Saga came to an end with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the ninth episode of the series has no doubt planted seeds for future Star Wars stories. One of those we’re no doubt likely to see at some point, the untold tales of everyone’s favorite droidsmith, Babu Frik. The tiny tinkerer was introduced to fans in the new film as a means for unlocking a hidden message in C-3PO and became a fan-favorite due to his adorable little face and hilarious voice as provided by actress Shirley Henderson (perhaps best known for the part of Moaning Myrtle from the Harry Potter franchise). So what is the history of Babu Frik? Henderson has ideas.

Speaking with Vanity Fair, Henderson was asked about Babu’s personality outside of the movie, with the actress replying: “Beyond the film, Babu has lived a life. Somewhere out there is a lost love. He thinks about her sometimes when he sits down in his workshop and lets his thoughts drift away. That’s what I think, anyway.”

This raises some interesting questions. Who was Babu Frik’s lost love and why were they separated? How did a tiny alien that can fit in your pocket Zorii Bliss’s crew of smugglers on Kijimi? Lucasfilm has wasted no opportunities in the past to explore the lives of ancillary characters from Star Wars, with figures that appear only on screen for a few seconds being given extensive backstories in publishing later on. Perhaps Babu will be one of them in the future.

Though not an anecdote about the character’s history or past, Henderson also shared the story of how she got the part and “met” Babu Frik for the first time, saying:

“One evening I was sitting in a hotel room, about to get into my pajamas and head off to dreamland, when Nina Gold, the casting director, phoned me and asked if I would like to meet J.J. Abrams and audition for him….Then the day arrived. I was taken into J.J.’s office and we said hello. Still, there were no real clues—so I just hunched down on the ground and made myself as small as I could and started talking as I thought the character might. Minutes later, J.J. brought in a tiny model of an old man, set it down on the coffee table and said: ‘This is Babu Frik.’”

One thing is certain about Babu though, his on-screen death was prevented by none other than Oscar winner Steven Spielberg. Creature effects creative supervisor Neal Scanlan previously revealed to Empire: “It could be a rumor, but I believe J.J. screened the movie for Steven Spielberg, and at the end Spielberg said, ‘What happened to Babu?’ Everybody thought, ‘Oh God, what did happen to Babu?’”

Concept artist Ivan Manzella confirmed this, adding: “I think he was going to die originally – I think the AD shot that. When the planet [Kijimi] was blown up, he was on it.”

Lucky for us Babu lives, and his life in that galaxy far, far away will no doubt be explored at some point in the future.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is now streaming on Disney+, which you can try out here.

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