As you might expect, this new character, Babu Frik, is being given a bit of notice because he’s new, he’s an alien, and even more important than anything, he’s the reason why we’re seeing C-3PO sporting red eyes and Chewbacca’s bowcaster. Such a switch from the golden droid is obviously something that, as Kevin Burwick of MovieWeb says, we’re not used to seeing. But finding out just how and why Frik is responsible for this is going to be a revelation we might have to wait until December for. The Anzellan droidsmith is one of the few beings in the universe that can modify any droid and can get past any security that might be installed in said droid due to his expertise. You can imagine just how important this would be since C-3PO has been deeply rooted as a protocol droid for a long time now and seeing him as anything else seems to indicate that he’s not only on his way out, possibly, but that he’s about to be used in a manner that he would have gladly run from in the past.
What little we’re hearing of Frik at this point has been mentioned with the sponsors that are getting firmly behind Rise of Skywalker, though the diminutive alien is still gaining some attention as James Whitbrook of Gizmodo has written. A lot of fans should be able to recognize by now that Frik is one of the many names that is likely to be mentioned and then almost forgotten once the movie arrives or has already been in the theaters for a month or so. This is pretty typical since the bigger names tend to get the most attention as a matter of course, while those that have a presence but seem to exist beneath the notice of those that take the bigger portion of the stage. Frik is no doubt going to be pushed as yet another new character that has a good deal to do with matters that are far and away things that he might never be involved in, but a droidsmith is actually a rather important job in the Star Wars universe if you think about it since they’re the engineers, the problem solvers, the designers, and the reason why there are so many differently functioning droids throughout the universe. There are likely many different specialties among droidsmiths, but one of the most important has to be the ability to do more than affect the surface and appearance of said droids. Frik is obviously one of those that can get inside, adjust their programming, and give them entirely new identities if he so wishes. Looking at him at this angle it would seem that he’s a bit aged, worn down, and possibly more interested in doing what it takes to get by. But since the First Order doesn’t seem to employ a lot of aliens, much like the Empire before it, you can almost imagine that he works with the Resistance, especially since he’s working on C-3PO, or that he’s an independent contractor wanting to do some good or just get paid.
Right now it really seems as though he might be a part of the Resistance or at least have something to do with them since working on the golden droid isn’t something that seems like it would happen on a lark. Plus, the modifications being made to insure that C-3PO will actually seem intimidating and won’t chicken out and run off are the type that would take a skilled individual that knows how to reprogram and slice through protocols that might be set in place and wouldn’t be easy to modify. Stefan Kyriazis of Express has a few things to say on this as well that are kind of insightful. Just think, if Frik can create a massive change in one of the core characters it’d be absolutely amazing and even a bit impressive to see. It’s still a wonder however just whether or not he’s really going to be that big of a deal when the movie is finally released, or if he’s going to be like Maz Kanata from The Force Awakens, who made a splash because she had something to do with the main characters, but was easily set aside once the story no longer focused on her. It’s a hope that this won’t be so, but it’s a habit that Star Wars has adapted throughout its movies since there are simply too many at times to really focus on without turning it into a very long movie or a TV show that may or may not capture and keep the interest of the fans. If there was a detailed back story on every character when they hit the big screen it seems as though Star Wars would lost the interest of a lot of fans by now. Some might say that The Last Jedi did that, but hopefully there’s enough to be revealed for Frik that he’ll be seen as a pleasant addition and not a here and gone individual.
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