- "Y'know, this is humiliating. If you'd upgraded my repulsor lift module, I wouldn't have to drag myself up like a meatbag."
- ―ZO-E3
ZO-E3, known as Zoe, was a feminine droid, and the co-pilot of the smuggler ship Windfall. She and her captain were captured in the Windfall, pulled out of hyperspace above the planet Mustafar by an Imperial interdictor vessel. The Sith Lord Darth Vader, who sought the Windfall's captain as a descendant of Lady Corvax, had the starship taken to his fortress, where Admiral Gable Karius boarded with an escort of stormtroopers, who shot ZO-E3 and captured her captain. ZO-E3 was imprisoned in a cell next to the Mustafarian Vylip F'alma, who help the two smugglers escape. F'alma sent the smugglers to his clan's priestess, located in Corvax's sanctum below the surface of the planet. They spoke with the priestess, but were followed by Vader. When ZO-E3 attempted to provide an excuse for their escape, Vader used the Force to throw her against a wall.[1] She was later part of the battle on Mustafar.[2]
Behind the scenes
ZO-E3 was created for Vader Immortal – Episode I,[1] the first installment of Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series, a three-part virtual reality series created by ILMxLAB. She was voiced by actress and comedian Maya Rudolph.[3]
Concept art for an earlier iteration of ZO-E3's design.
The spelling of the droid's name varies between the installments of Vader Immortal; the first episode uses "ZOE3," while the second[4] and third use "ZO-E3."[2] Early promotional material on StarWars.com used the designation given in Episode I,[5] but later material, such as the reveal article for Episode III, also use "ZO-E3."[6] The Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy released on November 19, 2024 spells the droid's name as Z0-E3, seemingly the only source that spells her name with the number zero instead of the letter O.[7] As "ZO-E3" is the name provided by the most sources, this article takes that to be the correct designation.
Early concept art for ZO-E3 created by Aaron McBride depicted her with hovering leg struts inspired by the characters B.O.B. and V.I.N.CENT from the 1979 film The Black Hole, with a head inspired by a roller paintbrush, which was derived from previous concepts for L3-37 from Solo: A Star Wars Story.[8] A later piece of concept art, also by McBride, depicted ZO-E3 with a similar appearance to her final design, but featuring the leg struts present in earlier iterations, some variation in color and design, and "DGH" written in Aurebesh on the side of her head.[9]
Appearances
Vader Immortal – Episode I (First appearance)
Vader Immortal – Episode II
Vader Immortal – Episode III
Sources
"VR=Vader Reality" — Star Wars Insider 199
"Launchpad" — Star Wars Insider 204- Star Wars: Timelines
Our Favorite Scary Star Wars Stories to Thrill You This Halloween Season on StarWars.com (backup link) (Picture only)- Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy (as Z0-E3)
ILM Evolutions: Pushing the Boundaries of Interactive Experiences on Industrial Light & Magic's official website (backup link)
Priestess in the Databank (backup link) (Indirect mention only)
The Windfall in the Databank (backup link)
ZO-E3 in the Databank (backup link)
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5
Vader Immortal – Episode I
- ↑ 2.0 2.1
Vader Immortal – Episode III
- ↑
Maya Rudolph Joins Vader Immortal, and More News from Star Wars Celebration Chicago! on Industrial Light & Magic's Immersive Entertainment website (backup link)
- ↑
Vader Immortal – Episode II
- ↑
SWCC 2019: 7 Things We Learned from the Vader Immortal Panel on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑
In Vader Immortal: Episode III, You'll Finally Duel Darth Vader on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑ Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
- ↑
Aaron McBride (@amcb_toraidhe) on Instagram (post on April 6, 2020): "Earlier Concept for Star Wars VR: Vader Immortal for the Droid character 'ZOE3'. The ball and legs struts were inspired by the hovering robots B.O.B. and V.I.N.C.E.N.T. from The Black Hole ( 1979 ). The Head was something I had tried earlier for L3-37 in SOLO inspired by a Roller Paintbush." (screenshot)
- ↑
Aaron McBride (@AmcbToraidhe) on Twitter (post): "Concepts for Star Wars Vader: Immortal #VR experience for droid character 'Z0-E3' voiced by the brilliant @MayaRudolph" (backup link) (screenshot)
External links
Maya Rudolph Joins Vader Immortal, and More News from Star Wars Celebration Chicago! on www.ilmxlab.com (backup link archived on June 16, 2019)