The astromech was stationed in an Imperial facility near Fortress Vader on the planet Mustafar when agents of the Rebel Alliance infiltrated the base in 1 BBY. Later that year, C2-B5 was deployed in the Imperial security complex on the planet Scarif, patrolling for needed maintenance and performing computer network sweeps within the Citadel Tower's data vault. The droid was present in the Citadel when the Battle of Scarif broke out against the rebels, which culminated in the destruction of the entire base by the Empire's Death Star superweapon.
C2-B5 was an astromech droid who served the Galactic Empire and was deployed in an Imperial base located near Fortress Vader, the personal residence of the Sith Lord Darth Vader on the lava planet Mustafar. In the year 1 BBY, the droid was present at the base when a team of Rebel Alliance operatives disguised as stormtroopers, along with the rebel spy Athex and ex-Imperial security droid K-2SO, infiltrated the facility to recover intelligence regarding a powerful artifact in Imperial possession.
C2-B5 approaches Jyn Erso, a rebel infiltrator disguised in an Imperial ground crew uniform.
Later in 1 BBY, the droid was stationed in the Imperial security complex on the tropical planet Scarif, tasked with searching for maintenance needs and sweeping the computer network to locate any electronic discrepancies within the data vault of the Citadel Tower. The Imperial astromech was present in the Citadel when a rebel squad called Rogue One infiltrated the base to steal the plans for the Empire's Death Star superweapon. Three undercover rebel agents—Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor, and K-2SO—walked past C2-B5 inside the base.
Soon after, when rebel troopers outside the base began their attack to facilitate the rebel trio's entrance into the data vault, the astromech roamed the Citadel corridors alongside the stormtrooper garrison rushing to intercept the rebel infiltrators. The Battle of Scarif eventually concluded with the Alliance's successful theft of the plans and the destruction of the entire Imperial complex by the Death Star's superlaser.
C2-B5 had gunmetal-based, black plating with matte black and silver accent panels.
C2-B5 was a black-plated, sinister-looking astromech droid that stood 0.93 meters (3 feet 1 inch) tall. Featuring gunmetal-based plating with matte black and silver accent panels around its cylindrical body, C2-B5 contained a black sensor and a processor state indicator on the front of its dome that produced a red light, which could alternatively switch to blue. The astromech also had another indicator on the back of its dome that emitted light in alternating yellow and green. C2-B5's dome additionally featured an illuminated logic function and diagnostic light display ports, and the droid also had a retractable third leg.
As an Imperial droid, C2-B5 was not granted independence and was routinely subjected to memory wipes by Imperial technicians to ensure its subservience. For this reason, the droid did not have any sort of distinctive personality and was devoid of emotions such as fear, anger, and greed, but still maintained a level of unique comportment. An honorable droid, C2-B5 considered serving the Empire as its sole purpose until it was destroyed or its memory was wiped for a new mission. The Imperial droid was the opposite of the rebel astromech R2-D2 in many ways.
C2-B5 was equipped with a deflector shield generator capable of deploying a large personal energy shield, and the astromech could also release toxic dioxis gas in order to neutralize nearby opponents. The droid was additionally able to emit a 360-degree scan pulse burst that revealed enemies out of sight.
C2-B5 was part of the Rogue One filming at the Canary Wharf station.
C2-B5 was created for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, a 2016 film that marks the first entry in the Star Wars Anthology Series. The droid was first seen in a behind-the-scenes reel for Rogue One that debuted during the film's panel at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2016 on July 15, 2016. The character was later fully revealed in an episode of The Star Wars Show, a then-weekly digital video series by Lucasfilm, released on August 31, 2016.
According to Neal Scanlan, creature effects supervisor for Rogue One, C2-B5 was created upon the idea of reimagining R2 units while respecting the model's established characteristics. Dubbed R2-D2's "goth twin," C2-B5 only briefly appeared in Rogue One as a background character despite the droid's prominent presence in the film's marketing and merchandising. A physical model for C2-B5 was built and used for the Scarif Citadel interiors sequence, which was shot at the Canary Wharf station on the London Underground in a single night on August 16, 2015.
The concept art for First Order Cargo, a real-life store in Disney's Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge themed land, features repurposed promotional images of C2-B5. While official sources use it/its pronouns for C2-B5, the Lucasfilm Story Group members Pablo Hidalgo and Matt Martin refer to the character as he/him.
C2-B5 deploys a large personal energy shield in Star Wars Battlefront.
Prior to the release of Rogue One on December 16, C2-B5 made its first appearance in the Rogue One: Scarif expansion pack of the video game Star Wars Battlefront, released on December 6, 2016. In the game, the droid can be deployed into battle as a non-playable character by the player-controlled Director Orson Krennic. The astromech then generates a large personal shield to protect itself and its Imperial allies, releases a cloud of dioxis gas to deal damage to nearby rebel opponents, and periodically scans the area to reveal enemies hidden from view.
According to Matt Martin, due to C2-B5's appealing look, the character was included in Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire, a 2017 hyper-reality experience created by ILMxLAB and The VOID. The droid could be physically interacted with in the experience's Disney Parks locations. C2-B5 also appeared in the 2021 non-canonical LEGO Star Wars Battles mobile game as a dark side reinforcement that can be unlocked in battles on the planet Kamino. When deployed into combat, the droid repairs allied structures and zaps enemy ground troops with an electric arm. According to the game, C2-B5 is strong against clone turbo tanks and good with turbolasers and Flame Towers but weak against Y-wing bombers in battle. While the cards menu animation for C2-B5 shows the astromech trying to drink from a red mug but later realizing it is empty, a light side emote features Jedi Grand Master Yoda hitting C2-B5 with his stick.
- LEGO Star Wars Battles