Star Wars Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker unveils first official look at brand new character

Note: The following article has Rise of Skywalker visual spoilers.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is sharing a cuddly new alien with galaxies both near and far, far away.

As the final instalment of the Skywalker Saga gears up for release in just over two months, Lucasfilm is sharing a bit more about the exciting new worlds and characters that director JJ Abrams will introduce.

One of those new faces is Babu Frik, who is a master droid builder in spite of his diminutive stature. With his furry exterior, we can imagine he'll join the Porgs as a cuddly fan favourite once Rise of Skywalker hits cinemas.

Have a look at the first live-action photo of Babu Frik below:

Babu Frik was actually unveiled in toy form during the Triple Force Friday preview event in September, where C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels shared his enthusiasm for the character.

"Babu Frik is one of my truly favourite characters out of the whole movie," Daniels beamed. "I'm not sure I can go further than that."

Perhaps our pint-sized droid builder is behind C-3PO's red-eyes? We'll have to wait a few more months to find out for sure…

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There was other intriguing information revealed during the Triple Force Friday preview event, including the first look at Keri Russell's mysterious character Zorri Bliss.

Fans also got a sneak peek at Pasaana, a desert planet that will factor heavily in the plot of the movie.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has a release date of Thursday, December 19 in the UK and Friday, December 20 in the US.

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Justin Harp

Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.