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How Skippy Made Star Wars Happen. Never Forget Him

How Skippy Made Star Wars Happen. Never Forget Him

You know that red astromech droid from A New Hope — the one Uncle Owen almost bought before R2-D2? The one that blew his motivator and made the galaxy’s biggest last-minute swap possible?

Yeah. His name was Skippy. And according to non-canon, he wasn’t just any droid… he was a Jedi droid.

The Most Unexpected Jedi in the Galaxy

The story comes from Star Wars Tales #1 (1999), a collection of non-canon stories where writers got to go wild with “what-if” ideas. Peter David wrote one that instantly became a fan favorite — “Skippy the Jedi Droid.

It starts with Obi-Wan Kenobi walking out of a cantina on Tatooine. He pauses, sensing something — a presence in the Force, close by, strong, but strange. He focuses, trying to find it, but it’s gone as quickly as it came. Even for a Jedi Master, the source feels… confusing.

What Obi-Wan doesn’t realize is that the presence he felt wasn’t another person — it was a droid.

Somewhere across the desert, inside Jabba the Hutt’s palace, an old red astromech unit is rolling around with a drink tray. He’s just another servant droid, ignored by everyone, until he bumps into Boba Fett, and one of the cups flies off his tray.

But before it hits the ground, something incredible happens — the droid reaches out with the Force and steadies it. No one notices.

A Droid With a Destiny

Star Wars Skippy the Jedi Droid Motion Comic (short)

Tired of his life in Jabba’s Palace, Skippy eventually uses the Force to remove his restraining bolt and even mind trick a pair of Gamorrean guards into letting him walk out. No alarms, no blasters, just a quiet escape from the palace where he’d been trapped for years.

Once outside, the desert stretches endlessly before him. The twin suns beat down on his dome as he rolls across the sand, guided only by the Force. His servos creak, his power cells drain, but the feeling inside him, that pull — never fades. It’s as if something out there is calling to him, waiting for him to arrive.

Days later, a Jawa sandcrawler rumbles over the dunes and captures him. Inside the dark, crowded interior, Skippy meets two other droids: a chatty protocol unit and a small astromech who seems unusually determined. C-3PO and R2-D2.

The moment they connect, the Force surges through Skippy stronger than ever before. In an instant, he sees flashes of things that haven’t happened yet, Darth Vader’s rage, Princess Leia’s courage, fleets of Star Destroyers, and a young boy standing beneath Tatooine’s twin suns.

That boy is Luke Skywalker.

And in that moment, Skippy understands everything. This is why the Force called him here. This boy will one day bring balance to the galaxy, but only if events unfold exactly as they should. Skippy’s path, as strange as it is, is tied directly to Luke’s destiny.

The Vision That Changed Everything

The next morning, the Jawa sandcrawler stops near the Lars homestead. Skippy feels the Force surge through him again, stronger this time, sharp and clear. The Jawas drag the droids outside, lining them up in the heat, waiting for the buyers to arrive.

Then he sees him. A young man, standing beside Owen Lars, squinting under the suns. The Force radiates from him like light through fog. It’s him, the boy from his vision. Luke Skywalker.

Skippy can feel Luke’s heart, his restlessness, his longing to be part of something bigger. And in that moment, he knows for certain that this is why the Force brought him here. Everything depends on what happens next.

Owen steps forward, looking over the lineup of droids. Skippy focuses, reaching out with the Force, gently nudging Owen’s thoughts. Pick me, he thinks. Choose me. The connection must be made. And it works, Owen points to him first.

For a brief moment, Skippy feels pure joy. The plan is in motion. The galaxy’s future is finally about to begin. But before the sale is complete, something dark flickers through his circuits — a new vision, one that turns everything cold.

He sees stormtroopers tracking the sandcrawler. He sees R2-D2 recaptured by the Empire, Princess Leia executed, and the Rebellion crushed before it ever begins. He sees Luke, still on Tatooine, never meeting Obi-Wan, never becoming a Jedi.

Everything falls apart.

The Force whispers to him what he has to do. It’s simple, but it costs everything.

Skippy channels what power he has left, focuses deep within his circuits, and triggers a small overload. Sparks fly, smoke bursts from his motivator, and he shuts down — deliberately.

Owen sighs, shaking his head. “This one’s got a bad motivator,” he mutters, waving the Jawas away. “Hey, what about that blue one?

And just like that, fate resets. R2-D2 is chosen. The right path begins.