Everything the robot is saying in Unicorn: Warriors Eternal can be translated

Unicorn: Eternal warriors, the new sci-fi fantasy adventure series from Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky, is packed with an eccentric cast of memorable characters. But none of them leave quite as strong an impression as Copernicus, the top-hatted steampunk robot responsible for awakening the Unicorn Warriors through time to fight evil. While Copernicus is only able to speak in a series of beeps, bloops and various whistles – much to the chagrin of the series protagonist Emma – everything he says makes perfect sense… as long as you listen carefully.

“It’s just something that Genndy and I do a lot,” Unicorn: Eternal warriors lead writer Darrick Bachman, who previously collaborated with Tartakovsky primeval and the last season of Samurai Jack, told Polygon via Zoom. “We like to take dialogue out of everything, our whole career is just taking out as much dialogue as possible and doing everything pantomime. It’s just relying on the physical humor and physicality of old Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin style to get across what you’re trying to say.

When asked what it was like to write the “dialogue” for a character that technically does not speak, Bachman gave a fascinating answer: everything Copernicus says can be translated into actual words and sentences. “All the toots and beeps are actual words in the script,” says Bachman. “So I’ll actually write the words, he might say, ‘We have to get over here,’ but that’s it [various bleeps, bloops, and whistles] on screen. It’s about writing the dialogue of the other characters in such a way that the audience can tell what Copernicus is saying.”

Bachman even went so far as to compare Copernicus to R2-D2, the famous droid from the Star Wars franchise. From what we’ve seen of him in the series so far, Copernicus is as charming and capable as that iconic droid from a galaxy far, far away. He can transform into a vehicle, stretch his arms to perform powerful rubber snake-like punches, fly around with a rear-mounted propulsion engine, and soar above the clouds like the marvel of technology that he is. He’s one of the coolest new characters to premiere on television this year, and it’s all thanks to Genndy Tartakovsky, Darrick Bachman, and character designer Stephen DeStefano who brought him to life on screen.

Unicorn: Eternal warriors airs Thursday nights on Adult Swim and streams on HBO Max.