B5-56

This article is non-canon within the canon continuity.

This article covers a subject from a Star Wars: Visions story that Lucasfilm declared is set in an alternate history within a reimagined galaxy.

Teahouse shopkeep: "How did you come to be traveling the countryside on foot, sir?"

The Ronin: "A certain someone is always after me about exercise."

B5-56: [whistles hotly]

Teahouse shopkeep.: "Of course you're right, he should listen to your sage advice."

B5-56: [smug silence]

―A teahouse shopkeep discusses with the Ronin and B5-56 why they are wandering on Genbara^[1]

B5-56, often referred to as B5 or Bee, was an astromech droid that was the faithful companion of the former Sith known as the Ronin. He traveled with the Ronin through the edge of the Outer Rim Territories in the time following the Sith rebellion against the Jedi. During their travels, the droid was initially the only who knew Ronin's true identity and history, which B5-56 did not disclose to anyone.

Biography[]

"Shopkeep, do you think you can repair him? Make sure my partner is fully operational by the time this water boils."

―The Ronin, to the teahouse shopkeep on Genbara^[1]

B5-56, also referred to as B5 or Bee, was an astromech droid who was the faithful companion of the individual known only as the Ronin, with whom he had traveled for at least twenty years in the time following the Sith rebellion. As the Dark Lord of the Sith, the Ronin had led the rebellion against the Jedi and the lords of the Empire; after turning on the Sith, the Ronin hunted down those who had once been his own followers. The droid knew the Ronin's true identity and history, and he would deflect the questions of other beings who attempted to learn more.^[1]

As the pair traveled the Outer Rim, B5-56 was frequently concerned that the Ronin did not take care of himself or attempt to earn credits. Instead, the Ronin tended to sleep outdoors and barter his skills for meals.^[1]

Equipment[]

B5-56 was armed with a missile launcher, which he used to help the Ronin defeat the bandits led by Kouru.^[2] When he and the Ronin were at a distance from each other, they would communicate utilizing a wrist cuff that the Ronin wore; B5-56 also carried an additional cuff.^[1]

The droid liked to wear thatched hats and disliked getting them wet. While on the pleasure barge operated by Eternity Enterprises, he adopted a more intricately woven hat than he had previously worn, leading the Ronin to call B5-56 a hypocrite for criticizing the average fashion sense of the barge's other guests.^[1]

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Behind the scenes[]

"Very early on we saw Takashi Okazaki's design for Ronin and his droid and were utterly blown away — black and white, with a flourish of red for his lightsaber. We knew we were onto something with Visions."

―Josh Rimes^[3]

The droid was created for "The Duel," a short film in the Star Wars: Visions series^[3] produced by Kamikaze Douga and directed by Takanobu Mizuno.^[4] The design for Ronin and his droid, made by Takashi Okazaki, were some of the first created for Visions.^[3]

Name[]

"Then there is B5-56, also known as Hat Droid or Bee. Good friend, excellent caregiver. Doing his best to keep his human alive; his human is doing his best to NOT do his best and consequently makes B5's job as hard as possible. Bee deserves retirement and a thousand more very nice hats."

―Emma Mieko Candon^[5]

B5-56 was not identified by name in either the content or credits of "The Duel," in which he first appeared.^[2] A blog post on StarWars.com identified the droid as B5-56,^[6] but was later updated to give his name as R5-D56, which it claimed was a correction.^[7] "R5-D56" was also later used in the official episode guide.^[8] However, the published e-book of Ronin: A Visions Novel^[1] and its audiobook^[9] both used the name B5-56.^[1]

Emma Mieko Candon, who wrote Ronin: A Visions Novel, wrote on their personal Tumblr blog that B5-56 was nicknamed "Hat Droid." When asked about the apparent change of B5's name to R5-D56, she replied that she had been told to use the name B5-56, but perhaps the studio had been playing a game of "telephone."^[5]