Snowball

For other uses, see Snowball.

"I think the rat ate his brain."

―Neel^[2]

Snowball was a four-eyed bilge rat who nested within the droid SM-33. Around 9 ABY, the children Wim, Neel, Fern, and KB discovered the buried starship Onyx Cinder on the planet At Attin. Inside, Neel examined the deactivated SM-33 and was startled when Snowball jumped out of the droid's eye socket, causing him to jostle SM-33's arm, which pulled down on a lever that closed the ship's hatch. While attempting to restore the ship's power so the hatch could be opened, Wim accidentally caused the ship to make a hyperspace jump, resulting in the children becoming lost and embarking on a journey to find their homeworld. When SM-33 had been reactivated, Snowball scurried across the vessel's control panel and jumped onto Neel while the droid was searching his memory bank for At Attin. The droid was unable to recall it and took the children to the Port Borgo spaceport. There, SM-33 was shot with an ion rifle while attempting to rescue the children from pirates, and they and Snowball were locked in the port's brig. Neel attempted to train Snowball to retrieve the cell's key, but when the rat reached the key, he instead scurried away.

The pirate Jod Na Nawood soon helped the children escape, and they then convinced him to return for SM-33 and Snowball. Na Nawood successfully rescued the droid and brought them both back to the Onyx Cinder. When the children eventually located At Attin, Snowball watched as the Onyx Cinder approached the planet. After SM-33 was beheaded by Na Nawood, who had betrayed the children, Snowball climbed out of the droid's head and was kicked by Na Nawood. Soon after, while KB was piloting the Onyx Cinder past the Barrier surrounding At Attin, Snowball climbed on her head. While KB spoke with the astronomer Kh'ymm via hologram, Snowball watched the hologram and waved his paws at it. When the children were reunited on At Attin, Snowball once again jumped into Neel's hands.

Biography

Nesting in a droid

"I think there's something inside."

―Neel, examining SM-33's eye socket^[2]

Snowball was a bilge rat^[1] who nested in the hollowed-out cranium of the droid SM-33^[4] onboard^[5] the Onyx Cinder,^[6] a starship buried on the planet At Attin,^[5] and caused damage to the droid's memory circuits.^[4] Around 9 ABY,^[7] the children Wim, Neel, Fern, and KB discovered the Onyx Cinder. Inside the ship, Neel found SM-33, who had been deactivated, and looked into^[5] his^[2] empty eye socket while examining the droid. Snowball then jumped out, startling Neel and causing him to jostle SM-33's arm, which pulled down on a lever, closing the ship's hatch and trapping them inside. As the children searched for the vessel's power conduit to restore power to the hatch, Wim powered on the starship, and shortly after, accidentally caused it to jump to hyperspace.^[5]

After the Onyx Cinder came out of hyperspace, a reactivated SM-33 entered the ship's cockpit, where Fern convinced him to accept her as the vessel's captain and take them home. The droid did not recall At Attin and so searched his memory bank for it. While he did, Snowball began squeaking and poked^[2] his^[1] head out of SM-33's eye socket, causing Fern and KB to stare at it. Snowball then jumped out and scurried along the ship's control panel. As he did, Neel suggested that the rat had eaten SM-33's brain. Snowball then paused in front of Neel, who greeted the rat before he jumped onto him, causing him to scream. The children were unable to determine how to return to their homeworld, so Fern agreed to SM-33's suggestion of bringing them to the Port Borgo spaceport. Just before the droid jumped the ship to hyperspace, Snowball climbed back into his eye.^[2]

Imprisoned at Port Borgo

"Hey, what if we train this little guy to go get the key over there?"

―Neel^[2]

Neel attempted to train Snowball to retrieve the cell's key.

After arriving at Port Borgo, the children searched for someone who could provide them with directions to At Attin, but the pirates there attempted to steal Wim's Old Republic credits. After a crowd of pirates surrounded the children, SM-33 arrived to protect them and placed himself between the children and the pirate Vane. The droid warned Vane that he would not leave without his captain, and Snowball peered out of his eye to shriek at the pirate. SM-33 defeated several of the pirates and the group attempted to flee to the Onyx Cinder, but before they could reach it, SM-33 was shot by the pirate Brutus with an ion rifle. The droid shut down, and Snowball scurried out of his eye socket and rolled on the ground. He approached Neel, who gently scooped the rat up with his hands. Brutus then ordered the children to be locked in the port's brig.^[2]

After being locked in the brig, the children planned a way to escape. Neel, who was still holding Snowball, suggested training him to get the cell's key, which was hanging nearby. He knelt by the cell's caged door and pointed toward the key, telling Snowball to climb up the poles the key was hanging on, get it, and bring it back to them, then asked Snowball if he understood him. In response, Snowball turned around in Neel's hand to look at him and squeaked. Neel then lowered his hand and reminded Snowball where the key was.^[2]

The rat jumped out of his hand, then scurried to the poles and began climbing them. When he arrived at the key, Snowball rose on his hind legs and looked at the key. The rat glanced toward the children and then returned to standing on four legs while moving in front of the key. Wim pointed toward the key while he and the others tried to further instruct the rat, but Snowball instead spun around in place and cleaned himself before scurrying away,^[2] eventually returning to SM-33's head.^[8] Wim groaned in response to their plan's failure and the children went back to planning their escape.^[2]

Eating porridge

"Oh, and don't forget about the rat that lives in his eye hole."

―Neel, to Jod Na Nawood^[8]

With the help of fellow prisoner and pirate Jod Na Nawood, the children escaped and returned to the Onyx Cinder. After convincing Na Nawood to return to rescue SM-33, Neel told him not to forget the rat. Upon finding SM-33 in a droid repair shop, Na Nawood powered the droid on to confirm its identify. While Na Nawood questioned the droid, Snowball peaked out of his eye and squeaked. The pirate then deactivated SM-33 and brought him back aboard the Onyx Cinder before jumping to hyperspace and escaping the port.^[8]

While the children examined the deactivated SM-33, Snowball exited his eye socket and climbed around his head. When KB activated SM-33, Snowball leapt off his head and scurried away. Later, as the children ate^[8] porridge,^[9] Neel held Snowball and fed him some of his food off of a spoon. After eating some of the porridge, the rat scurried off of Neel's hand and onto the table he was sitting at. He sat on his hind legs and used his front paws to eat more, then scurried down off the table.^[8]

After obtaining coordinates from^[8] the astronomer^[10] Kh'ymm on the Observatory Moon,^[8] the crew traveled to the planet At Achrann, which they initially believed to be At Attin. While the children disembarked from the Onyx Cinder, Na Nawood remained on board with SM-33 and asked the droid about At Attin. In response, SM-33 turned to look at Na Nawood and began to speak to him, then paused. Snowball briefly popped out of his eye hole and squeaked, and the droid then again said he did not remember At Attin.^[11] Later, as the crew was traveling to the planet Lanupa to find coordinates to At Attin, SM-33 told the children about the pirate Tak Rennod, who had scanned At Attin's coordinates in his lair on Skull Ridge Mountain on the planet. As he told them about Rennod's lair, Snowball poked out of his eye upside down. The bilge rat then righted himself and stretched his front legs.^[6]

Return to At Attin

"Hey, hey, little guy."

―Neel, to Snowball^[12]

On Lanupa, Na Nawood betrayed the children, but he and SM-33 were captured by his former crew.^[6] Na Nawood convinced the crew that he could take them to At Attin and the treasure there, and the pirates captured the children and the Onyx Cinder, which was capable of passing through the Barrier surrounding At Attin. While SM-33 piloted the Onyx Cinder toward At Attin, Snowball peered out of his eye and looked around, watching as the ship approached the planet. When Na Nawood entered the cockpit, SM-33 stood and approached him, and Snowball retreated inside the droid's head. Na Nawood quickly beheaded SM-33 with a lightsaber and the droid collapsed. He then ordered the children to get on the ground, and Snowball climbed out of SM-33's head and jumped to the floor. As Na Nawood stepped toward the children, he kicked Snowball aside, and he screeched at the pirate.^[13]

Snowball climbed onto KB's head as she piloted the Onyx Cinder. — Snowball climbed onto KB's head as she piloted the *Onyx Cinder*.

While Na Nawood and his crew launched an invasion of At Attin, KB—with assistance from SM-33, whose head she held next to his body—attempted to pilot the Onyx Cinder back past the Barrier in order to contact Kh'ymm for help. As the droid told KB to hold his head steady, Snowball jumped around in front of her and squeaked. As the ship approached the Barrier, Snowball climbed up KB's arm and hopped onto her head. Shortly after, while KB was speaking with Kh'ymm via hologram, Snowball approached the hologram and rose on his hind legs. He then moved closer and again rose on his hind legs before leaping toward the hologram. After nearly falling off the control panel, Snowball climbed back up and sat close to the hologram while repeatedly waving his paws into it. He then looked around and climbed back down.^[12]

Soon after, the Onyx Cinder was shot down by a pirate frigate and crashed on At Attin. After New Republic forces sent by Kh'ymm defeated the pirates, Wim, Fern, and Neel went to the crash site of the Onyx Cinder, where they reunited with KB. As the ship shuddered, the children began to move away to avoid being crushed. Before Neel stood, Snowball squeaked and hopped into his hands. Neel greeted Snowball and then carried him in his hands as they walked away from the crash site.^[12]

Personality and traits

Snowball was a male^[2] bilge rat^[1] with four red eyes, gray fur, and pink skin.^[2] It^[3] was mangy and had barbels similar to a catfish.^[14] The rodent stood .05 meters tall.^[4] Snowball often allowed Neel to carry it. When Neel attempted to train Snowball to retrieve their cell's key, it at first approached the key but then left without taking it,^[2] instead returning to SM-33. Snowball also allowed Neel to feed it porridge.^[8] When Na Nawood kicked Snowball, it screeched at him.^[13] While KB was piloting the Onyx Cinder, Snowball climbed on her head. Snowball also showed interest in a hologram it saw and waved its paws at it.^[12]

Behind the scenes

Overview

"It's a dream. Once they show you, ‘Hey, this is what SM-33 looks like,’ and he's a mashed-up robot and he has a rat in his eye? I'm like, ‘Oh my God, I'm so in!’"

―Nick Frost^[15]

Snowball first appeared simultaneously in "This Could Be a Real Adventure"^[5] and "Way, Way Out Past the Barrier,"^[2] the first and second episodes of the live-action Disney+ series Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, which aired on December 2, 2024.^[16] Prior to the release of the series, Snowball was first pictured in a StarWars.com article published on August 10 of that year.^[17] He then appeared in a trailer for the series uploaded to the official Star Wars YouTube channel on November 1, 2024.^[18] The day after the episodes released, Snowball was identified in another StarWars.com article.^[19] Legacy Effects created the prop for Snowball,^[20] and Industrial Light & Magic also worked on its effects.^[21] On May 5, 2025,^[22] Snowball was added to the 2015 EA Capital Games video game Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes alongside SM-33.^[23]

Originally, Snowball was only planned to be in around five shots, but^[21] series co-creator^[3] Jon Watts was amused by him, and scenes including Snowball were added throughout the series. In earlier versions of the series, SM-33's malfunctions caused by Snowball were more pointed and caused puffs of smoke to come from his head.^[21]

Nick Frost, who voiced SM-33, listed the rat living in the droid's eye as one of the reasons he considered SM-33's unique design to be "a dream". Frost compared their relationship to "a Star Wars Ratatouille," in reference to^[15] the 2007 animated film.^[24] He imagined that the rat made the droid's brain tickle and that he could be heard laughing at night in his quarter. Frost also added that although he had been watching films for fifty years, a robot with a rat in its brain was something he had never seen before.^[15] Ryan Kiera Armstrong, who portrayed Fern, liked the little rat, and Robert Timothy Smith, who portrayed Neel, described it as his best friend.^[25]

Vocals

"I wanted a more feral sound for the moments when Snowball shrieks at pirates or at Neel. I kept thinking in my head that I wanted it to shriek a bit like the monkey in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark"

―David W. Collins^[3]

Sound designer David W. Collins provided Snowball's vocals, although they were heavily pitched and processed.^[3] Collins tried to perform Snowball emotionally and expressively, but felt it did not sound feral or angry enough. He realized that he wanted Snowball to sound similar to the monkey in^[26] the 1981 Indiana Jones film Raiders of the Lost Ark. Because Skywalker Sound had worked on the film, Collins was able to find the raw monkey recording in Skywalker Sound's effects library and then pitch and filter it to use in his vocal track.^[3]

Collins was able to make cute, happy, scared, and other types of sounds for Snowball, and he felt that doing so required a human actor, as it would be too difficult to cut together mouse recordings. He also explained that if he had used mouse recordings, they would not have sounded the way the audience would imagine. While recording Snowball, Collins voiced it at one-tenth speed and then pitched and sped it up to avoid having any artifacts. When Snowball leapt at Neel, Collins wanted there to be off-screen chaos on the floor while the other characters continued talking, which was ultimately not added to the scene.^[26]