The following contains spoilers for Part III of Obi-Wan Kenobi, streaming now on Disney+.
Throughout the Star Wars saga, many droids have been overlooked heroes in the fight against tyranny and the dark side. In Part III of Obi-Wan Kenobi, the titular hero and Leia Organa managed a temporary escape aided by NED-B, a loader droid. Ned-B was not programmed to speak, but his actions showed that he was one of the Rebellion's true heroes, in part because most people overlooked him.
In the Star Wars universe, the plight of droids has been a recurring theme. In Marc Sumerak's Star Wars: Droidography, R0-GR explained that while droids and humans worked together in the past, the Clone Wars changed everything because the galaxy began to fear what droids could do, ignoring the fact that the organic members of the Separatist leadership were the ones responsible for programming the droid army to be soldiers. R0-GR further explained, "Those droids who were still in one piece and didn't get deactivated when the Clone Wars ended found ourselves living in an Empire where droids were treated like property and nothing more." While droids like L3-37 protested against this treatment, other droids, like NED-B, used this disregard to help bring down the Empire.
When Leia first met NED-B, she was taken aback by his large size. However, after Tala, her Rebel rescuer, introduced NED-B as an ally, Leia immediately warmed to him and introduced NED-B to her own droid, L0-LA59, or "Lola." Tala immediately interjects that "he's just a loader. They don't allow them to communicate." Tala's summation of NED-B overlooked the fact that despite his inability to make sound, he still did communicate. For example, in response to Leia's introduction, NED-B nods to show that he has heard her and to greet Lola. NED-B instead showed that not all communication requires sound.
Tala's statement that "actions speak louder than words" still set the tone for NED-B's character throughout the episode. Through his actions, NED-B showed his true heroism. First, when stormtroopers investigated the droid repair shop, NED-B stood as a quiet, unassuming watcher. However, he also was shown gripping a hammer behind his back. NED-B's grip on the hammer implied two things. First, NED-B was ready to fight the stormtroopers to protect Leia, Obi-Wan and Tala. Second, the droid also was smart enough to know to hide that he was carrying a weapon to avoid tipping off the stormtroopers to his true allegiances. The stormtroopers were oblivious to the potential threat NED-B posed to them, dismissing him as a mere loader droid. Their dismissal of NED-B prevented them from finding the hidden rebels.
In fact, the only member of the Imperial forces on Mapuzo to recognize NED-B as a potential Rebellion ally was Reva, the Third Sister. While the rest of the Empire's forces were focused on the organic citizens, Reva saw NED-B leave the droid repair shop and immediately suspected that he was hiding something. Reva's acknowledgement of NED-B as possibly more advanced than a loader droid had disastrous consequences because she found Leia on her own. Thus, while NED-B showed his own heroism, his character also helped emphasize why Reva's willingness to think outside the box makes her the Empire's most dangerous Inquisitor.
Even so, NED-B still had a heroic role to play. After Obi-Wan Kenobi's confrontation with Darth Vader, NED-B was the one to pull Obi-Wan to safety after Tala created a firewall to prevent the Empire from taking Obi-Wan prisoner. The episode also lingered upon Darth Vader noticing NED-B, which means that Vader might now recognize him as a threat. Even so, NED-B was directly responsible in part for saving Obi-Wan, who will likely rescue Leia once more in turn.
Therefore, while organic heroes usually take the Star Wars spotlight, NED-B showed once more that droids could be heroes, too. NED-B used the fact that the Empire overlooked him to his advantage. In fact, the only reason Reva was able to capture Leia was because she actually recognized droids as more than property. As the Rebellion continues to try to rescue Leia from the Empire's clutches, NED-B may continue to have a role in her salvation... and the salvation of the galaxy.
New episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi air Wednesdays on Disney+.