HURID-327

HURID-327 was a jovial, red-plated loadlifter droid who left the castle of the pirate Maz Kanata on the planet Takodana shortly before its destruction by the First Order. As it left through the front gate, HURID-327 passed a group consisting of the astromech droid BB-8, the smuggler Han Solo, the scavenger Rey and the former stormtrooper Finn, who were entering the castle. HURID-327 was a bipedal droid with two weight-distributing lower limbs and upper limbs built with cargo-support joints and heavy-duty industrial manipulators. Its central body core was gyro-stabilized and included a plate at the front built with a binary acoustic signaller. A disc-shaped counterweight-producing repulsor anchor was located on each of HURID-327's shoulders, with the left disc being slightly larger than the right.

Behind the scenes
"Neal said, 'Let's put a stilt-walker in it!' I thought he was mad! [Laughs.] Katy Coleman, the stilt-walker/performer, did a great job inside."

- Luke Fisher speaks about Neal Ellis' reaction to HURID-327

HURID-327 first appeared in Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, with its first reveal being a brief appearance in the picture's first full-length trailer, which was released two months before the film in 2015. The droid was played by performer Katy Coleman in The Force Awakens, who wore stilts for the role. The idea to have a stilt-walking performer inside the droid came from the concept model maker Neal Ellis, and was considered crazy by senior sculptor Luke Fisher.

The droid was not identified in the film, but was later named in Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary, a reference book written by Pablo Hidalgo released the same day as the film. Concept art of the droid titled "Castle Droid H027" was produced in November 2013.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens