New Star Wars Rebels Droid Revealed

New animated Star Wars series reveals new robot

Lucasfilm has introduced a new character from the upcoming Star Wars Rebels . Chopper (aka C1-10P) is an astromech droid on the Ghost, the starship that the eponymous Rebels call home, and he's described as "a lazy, cranky (if ultimately goodhearted astromech droid". Like his fellow astromech R2-D2 he's good with mechanical stuff – he keeps the Ghost fully functional, and has many "unique" upgrades and customisations.

Chopper's look is inspired by Ralph McQuarrie's early concept art for R2-D2 – hence the arms that fold out of his head.

"If Artoo (R2-D2) is the family dog, Chopper is the cat," says Dave Filoni, executive producer of the show and a veteran of The Clone Wars .

Star Wars Rebels is set between Episodes III and IV, four years before Luke Skywalker left Tatooine in A New Hope , as the Emperor tries to extend his power across the galaxy. It's set to debut as a one-hour special on Disney Channel this autumn, followed by a series on Disney XD.