CR-8R

CR-8R - nicknamed “Crater” because of the pitted scarring on his durasteel chassis - is a repurposed cargo-handling droid that first appears during the era of the High Republic (roughly 200 years before the Skywalker saga). His base frame is closest to the binary load-lifter line, but over decades of field modifications he has acquired an astromech-style dome, extendable repulsor pads, and a suite of magnetic clamps that let him double as a deck-crew chief on small freighters. When we meet him in Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures (IDW, 2021), CR-8R is part of the crew of the salvage ship Star Hopper, owned by the itinerant pilots Maz Kanis and Bulba Tor. Because his original personality matrix was left largely intact, “Crater” is unusually chatty for a labor droid, prone to giving unsolicited safety lectures and quoting out-of-date Republic freight regulations.

Although not designed for combat, CR-8R finds himself in the middle of several skirmishes with the Nihil Marauders. In issue #5 of the comic series, he famously uses his cargo-clamp armatures as improvised shields to protect Padawan Lula Talisola and a group of scared younglings, then vents a hold full of volatile Tibanna gas to drive the boarders off the ship. His quick thinking earns a commendation in an internal Jedi Order after-action report that is paraphrased in the middle-grade novel Mission to Disaster by Justina Ireland. A short entry on StarWars.com’s databank clarifies that, following those events, the droid was seconded to the Republic Defense Coalition as a logistics specialist helping coordinate aid convoys headed to Valo after the Fair was attacked.

No Legends-era stories feature CR-8R, so every appearance to date is part of the current Disney+ canon. While he is a relatively minor character compared with marquee droids like R2-D2 or Chopper, “Crater” has become a quiet fan favorite because he embodies the High Republic’s spirit of ordinary beings rising to heroism when history demands it. His last canonical status - still intact and attached to the aid fleet - means writers are free to bring him back in the announced Phase III High Republic comics or even spin him into later timelines; his modular design and century-plus service life make that entirely plausible within in-universe tech standards.