Droids, the marvelous mechanical characters inspired by a galaxy far, far away, have entertained and inspired for more than four decades. In 2021, the U.S. Postal Service celebrates these wondrous creations with a pane of 20 stamps featuring 10 favorite droids.
Grouped in four rows of five, the stamps vary in height to best suit the proportions of each droid. Individual characters are set against soft-focus backgrounds that evoke settings of memorable adventures.
On the first and third rows are: IG-11, a dangerous bounty hunter turned protective guardian; R2-D2, a brave and gifted “astromech” (mechanic-navigator), who, partnered with C-3PO, routinely saves the galaxy; the towering K-2SO, a glitchy, cynical, semi-obedient droid reprogrammed to assist the rebels; D-O, a tiny character who emulates BB-8, who rescued the excitable droid from longtime neglect; and L3-37, an outspoken combination astromech-protocol droid
The second and fourth rows feature: spherical BB-8, a brilliant, childlike astromech and a fan favorite; C-3PO, a worry-prone protocol droid-a diplomat conversant in millions of languages; a gonk droid, a vital walking battery working to provide power to the highly mechanized galaxy; a 2-1B-series medical droid, which tends to the galaxy’s diverse “biologicals”; and Chopper (C1-10P), a grumpy old droid and an essential crewmember of The Ghost, a rebel starship.
Moviegoers were first immersed in the Star Wars galaxy in 1977. The first film’s opening moments recount the misadventures of droids R2-D2 and C-3PO-stranded on the desert planet Tatooine. Ever since, “Artoo,” “Threepio,” and numerous other Star Wars mechanicals have been key to many thrilling adventures
No other film fiction had ever portrayed artificial intelligence so developed and varied. Aside from the awe-inspiring designs of the droids, much of their appeal derives from their relatability as characters. Droids often exhibit free will, emotion, and funny, quirky personalities-by-products of accumulated exploits and cobbled-together programming.
Greg Breeding was the designer of the stamps and pane, and William Gicker was art director.
The Star Wars™ Droids stamps are being issued as Forever® stamps. These Forever stamps are always equal to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.
Exploring the galaxy since 1978, Mark wrote his first fan fiction in 1981 and been a presence online since his first webpage Fanta War in 1996. He's contributed to Star Wars Insider (since '06) and Starburst Magazine (since '16) as well as ILM.com, SkywalkerSound.com, StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Build The Millennium Falcon, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia, Model and Collectors Mart, Star Trek magazine and StarTrek.com. He is a four-time Star Wars Celebration Stage host, the only podcaster to have appeared on every Celebration podcast stage since the stage began in 2015, the Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks, Canon Fodder and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.
Droids, the marvelous mechanical characters inspired by a galaxy far, far away, have entertained and inspired for more than four decades. In 2021, the U.S. Postal Service celebrates these wondrous creations with a pane of 20 stamps featuring 10 favorite droids.
Grouped in four rows of five, the stamps vary in height to best suit the proportions of each droid. Individual characters are set against soft-focus backgrounds that evoke settings of memorable adventures.
On the first and third rows are: IG-11, a dangerous bounty hunter turned protective guardian; R2-D2, a brave and gifted “astromech” (mechanic-navigator), who, partnered with C-3PO, routinely saves the galaxy; the towering K-2SO, a glitchy, cynical, semi-obedient droid reprogrammed to assist the rebels; D-O, a tiny character who emulates BB-8, who rescued the excitable droid from longtime neglect; and L3-37, an outspoken combination astromech-protocol droid
The second and fourth rows feature: spherical BB-8, a brilliant, childlike astromech and a fan favorite; C-3PO, a worry-prone protocol droid-a diplomat conversant in millions of languages; a gonk droid, a vital walking battery working to provide power to the highly mechanized galaxy; a 2-1B-series medical droid, which tends to the galaxy’s diverse “biologicals”; and Chopper (C1-10P), a grumpy old droid and an essential crewmember of The Ghost, a rebel starship.
Moviegoers were first immersed in the Star Wars galaxy in 1977. The first film’s opening moments recount the misadventures of droids R2-D2 and C-3PO-stranded on the desert planet Tatooine. Ever since, “Artoo,” “Threepio,” and numerous other Star Wars mechanicals have been key to many thrilling adventures
No other film fiction had ever portrayed artificial intelligence so developed and varied. Aside from the awe-inspiring designs of the droids, much of their appeal derives from their relatability as characters. Droids often exhibit free will, emotion, and funny, quirky personalities-by-products of accumulated exploits and cobbled-together programming.
Greg Breeding was the designer of the stamps and pane, and William Gicker was art director.
The Star Wars™ Droids stamps are being issued as Forever® stamps. These Forever stamps are always equal to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.
Exploring the galaxy since 1978, Mark wrote his first fan fiction in 1981 and been a presence online since his first webpage Fanta War in 1996. He's contributed to Star Wars Insider (since '06) and Starburst Magazine (since '16) as well as ILM.com, SkywalkerSound.com, StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Build The Millennium Falcon, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia, Model and Collectors Mart, Star Trek magazine and StarTrek.com. He is a four-time Star Wars Celebration Stage host, the only podcaster to have appeared on every Celebration podcast stage since the stage began in 2015, the Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks, Canon Fodder and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.
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