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The question "Why do Han et al. go to Maz’s castle on Takodana?" has a good answer about ditching the Millennium Falcon because they know the First Order is looking for it in association with BB-8, Rey, and Finn.

But given that BB-8’s orange and white color scheme is described as unusual for a BB-unit by Poe Dameron, why don’t they paint him or something?

He’s a BB unit. One of a kind. Orange and white. Utterly unique and utterly invaluable.

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    Ermm... they didn't have any paint ?!
    – Rick Sanchez
    Commented Dec 29, 2015 at 17:53
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    @RickSanchez as smugglers, i find that unlikely, and even still, why didn't they identify "make BB-8 less recognizable" as a goal in the stop at Maz's?
    – Rob Starling
    Commented Dec 29, 2015 at 17:55
  • Poe says this BB unit is "one of a kind", was that what you meant?
    – Mr Lister
    Commented Dec 29, 2015 at 18:07
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    Given the way BB-8 works, wouldn't painting her "gum up the works", i.e. render her immobile?
    – Martha
    Commented Dec 29, 2015 at 18:07
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    @RobStarling - Poe. "“He’s a BB unit. One of a kind. Orange and white. Utterly unique and utterly invaluable.”
    – DVK-on-Ahch-To
    Commented Dec 29, 2015 at 18:09

2 Answers 2

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There's no direct canon answer (novelization or Visual Dictionary), but it's strongly implied that it didn't matter:

  • Han knew that Millennium Falcon was likely tracked, so Bad Guys would know they are on Takodana anyway, being recognized or not.

    “Why are we here again?” he asked as they started up a wide, curving stone staircase.
    “To get your droid on a clean ship. Do you think it was luck that Chewie and I found the Falcon? If we can find it on our scanners, the First Order’s not far behind.” Han indicated the soaring walls now rising before them. Colored flags representing numerous cultures and tribes hung from the battlements, some banners more faded and frayed than others. “The galaxy’s full of watering holes, but nothing like this place. It’s been run by an old smuggler named Maz Kanata for a thousand years. Want to get Beebee-Ate to the Resistance? Maz is our best bet.” (Alan Dean Foster's Novelization)

  • Han only planned to be on Takodana for a short while, get a new, clean ship from Maz, and haul tail out of there ASAP.

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  • This seems right to me. BB-8 or no BB-8, now everyone in the universe knows they're looking for Han Solo and Chewbacca in the Millennium Falcon, thanks to the Scottish guy on Han's cargo ship. It's basically a race against the clock to find some incognito transportation.
    – paultamalunas
    Commented Dec 31, 2015 at 5:11
  • @paultamalunas - but in-universe, Han didn't know that the gangster made that warning.
    – DVK-on-Ahch-To
    Commented Dec 31, 2015 at 15:07
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Speculation questions like this have no definite answer. They could have put BB-8 in a box or just left him on the Falcon. Really anything attempt to disguise themselves would have prevented a lot of problems, but would have prevented the story from developing.

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  • True (and i'm not this answer's downvote, btw). Would it be interesting to ask if there's any mention of an in-universe reason that droids could or could not be painted in general? (i seem to recall Luke's squadrons' droids matching either their helmets or their x-wings)
    – Rob Starling
    Commented Dec 30, 2015 at 1:52
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    ^ for this, there's this answer: scifi.stackexchange.com/a/20129/58214
    – Rob Starling
    Commented Dec 30, 2015 at 1:55

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