Secrets of BB-8: An EW 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' video

BB-8 seems to hold the same place in our hearts as a new baby.

You’re enchanted by him, you love him … even though you don’t know much about him.

In this first of four videos detailing the behind-the-scenes work that went into Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I walk you through the process of BB-8’s birth and explain both his role — and his roll.

Details on how he was devised come to EW via Neal Scanlan, head of The Force Awakens creature shop, and you’ll learn a lot about the droid here. But some elements of BB-8 remain a mystery even to those who built him. Watch above.