8D8 (ROTJ 1983-84)

8D8 reminds you that it is not human. While most droids had a pleasant voice, or a friendly little “gonk” sound, all we saw of 8D8 was him manning a hot smelter to torture a droid. Oooooookay. No voice, no expression, just a blank stare, empty eyes, and an open “mouth.”

8D8 came on an ROTJ card with no accessories. Of course, the only accessory he is seen with is a droid torture device. Lo and behold, when the figure line was started again in the 1990’s, 8D8 actually came with the device! Much later we get the Bespin torture chair for Han. The figure was a little bulkier than in the character in the movie, but getting a figure as skinny as that (a puppet on-screen) may have been a little difficult.

Why should you own this figure? Five reasons:

1. Who doesn’t love a torturer? What – people who have been tortured? Oh, yeah.

2. The favorite figure of many a sadistic dictator.

3. The closest Star Wars came to a Terminator endoskeleton.

4. Art buffs enjoy 8D8’s similarity to Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.”

5. The shortest name in the Star Wars action figure line!

Backstory:

8D8 was built by the Verpine Roche hive for use in ore extraction facilities. This line was not built to be overly sophisticated, but meant for simple tasks, some which required strength. However, when EV-9D9 came to Jabba’s, she reprogrammed 8D8 for torture on both organic beings and droids. 8D8 still didn’t like her though.

Want more? His Wookieepedia article

50th in alphabetical order