Chopper is a fan-favorite droid inStar Wars Rebelsbecause of his loyalty to his fellowGhostcrew members and his questionable morals, but new behind-the-scenes information makes us love him even more. ThroughoutRebels’4 seasons, Chopper’s voice actor was kept a secret, with his credit in the outro just reading as “himself.” All of that changed with theRebelsseries finale when it was revealed that the show’s creator and showrunner, Dave Filoni, voiced the droid.
Since the end ofRebels,Chopper had a cameo inRogue One: A Star Wars Story, going on to appear inStar Wars: The Bad BatchandAhsoka. The C1-series astromech has never been easy to understand, with audiences largely having to rely on other characters in the scenes to fill in the gaps of what Chopper was saying. However, it’s recently come to light thattheRebelscast always knew what Chopper meant.
The Rebels Cast Always Knew What Chopper Was Saying
His Dialogue Appeared In The Scripts
On the latestRebelsrewatch podcastPod of Rebellion, former cast members Vanessa Marshall (Hera Syndulla), Tiya Sircar (Sabine Wren), and Taylor Gray (Ezra Bridger), discussed Dave Filoni’s performance as Chopper with moderator Jon Lee Brody. While discussingRebelsseason 1, episode 3, “Droids in Distress,” they drifted into a discussion about how dialogue associated with droids like Chopped and R2-D2 appeared in the scripts. Some cast members believed “beep” and “boop” was written, but the matter was eventually settled.
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Vanessa Marshall found aRebelsscript and revealed how Chopper’s lines were written out.Anytime Chopper had a line of dialogue, the actual words were always contained within brackets,likely because audiences weren’t going to know what exactly was said but because the cast needed to.
Pod of Rebellionmade a comparison to Vin Deisel getting actual lines for theGuardians of the Galaxymovies even though he only said “I am Groot.”
Chopper’s dialogue was writtenalong with his actions so that the cast could get a grasp of what would actually be happening in the episode. While some audience members, myself included, can understand some of what Chopper is saying, it’s nice to know that theRebelscast didn’t have to struggle or learn a droid binary. One of the great aspects ofRebelshas always been thatdespite not always knowing what Chopper was saying, you could always bet that it was either an insult, a sassy remark, or a mocking remark.
It’s amusing to speculate that theStar Wars Rebelsscripts may actually have had swearing on them. Many viewers have argued that Chopper’s comments sound as though he has one of the foulest mouths inStar Wars; at one point he certainly sounds as though he tells an Imperial officer, “I don’t give a ****.” It’s quite amusing to imagineStar Warsscripts with actual swear words written on them - and this may help explain anotherRebelsdecision.
Dave Filoni Never Recorded His Lines With The Rest Of The Cast
A Surprising Decision, But Understandable
Chopper may have been voiced by Lucasfilm’s Dave Filoni, but Filoni never recorded his lines as Chopper with the rest of the cast.It’s not surprising that Filoni chose not to be in the booth for recording sessions, as he had a hand in many different aspects ofRebelsand likely didn’t always have the time to record. He may also have been concerned the other voice cast would crack up laughing if they heard him swearing in the booth.
Tiya Sircar revealed that the cast had asked Filoni to join them in the booth and record with themfor the final few episodes ofRebelsseason 4. While Filoni didn’t give in, it’s clear that the cast members would’ve welcomed him. It’s likely hard to run, write, and direct a show likeRebelsthat has so many moving parts, soit’s understandable why Filoni would record Chopper’s lines when it was most convenient for him and his schedule. However, with the number of times thatRebelscharacters have returned in differentStar Warstitles, it’s clear thatRebels, its cast, and its characters mean a great deal to Lucasfilm’s current CCO.
With Chopper likely returning in other upcomingStar Warstitles, it’ll be interesting to see if any other information is revealed about Dave Filoni and his process for recording lines for the orange astromech. Having a look behind the scenes with the cast ofRebelsnot only enhances our understanding of what goes into making an animatedStar Warsshow but also enhances our viewing of episodes and characters. Either way, getting this look behind the curtain at Chopper makes us love theRebels’trusty astromech even more.
