Droids (Star Wars)

Droids are a type of robot that features in Star Wars.

History

Droids were a class of autonomous robot that were created by the inhabitants of a galaxy far, far away.

During the High Republic Era, Republic law dictated that only droids could perform repairs on the outer hull of ships as this was deemed too dangerous for living beings. However, organizations such as the Trade Federation were known to employ Mekneks who were freelance mechanics for the task.

Following the creation of the Trade Federation, the intergalactic business conglomerate came to make use of droids to guard their interests. Similar such measures were made by other corporations including the Techno Union, the InterGalactic Banking Clan, the Commerce Guild, the Corporate Alliance and the Retail Caucus.

In time, the various corporations and business entities in the galaxy began the creation of legions of Battle Droids that were part of their forces. The first open use of these droids in military engagements was by the Trade Federation during their blockade of the planet Naboo. The crisis was not noted by the Republic with debates on the validity of the attack. This was until the blockade was stopped by the actions of the people of Naboo and members of the Jedi Order. Afterwards, the Trade Federation joined other similar corporations that became dissatisfied by the Republic with them being brought together by Count Dooku. These factions pooled together their military forces in the creation of the Droid Army that became the might of the Confederacy of Independent Systems that opposed the Republic. The Republic responded by the deployment of the Grand Army of the Republic that was populated by clones who waged a conflict against the Battle Droids in the Clone Wars.

During the last years of the Clone Wars, the Sith Lord Darth Sidious who operated secretly as Chancellor Palpatine of the Galactic Republic came to enact his secret plans at taking over. This involved enacting Order 66 whereby he had the Clone Troopers turn against their Jedi Commanders. At the same time, he dispatched his newly crowned apprentice Darth Vader to meet with the Separatist leaders in secret in order to eliminate them. Once killed, a shutdown command was sent that deactivated the Droid Army thus ending the Clone Wars.

After the Clone Wars, the Imperial Senate passed a law prohibiting programming that would allow for the harming of organics in the droids used by the Empire. However, this law was bypassed by Arakyd Industries in conjunction with the Imperial Military by marketing their KX-series droids as 'security droids'.

With the creation of the New Republic, the new government came to use security droids to guard their prison ships. By this point, the Imperial remnants led by Moff Gideon possessed a company of Dark Troopers that he kept on his cruiser.

The Dathomiri Morgan Elsbeth came to employ numerous droids in her own efforts to recover Grand Admiral Thrawn after she learnt of his exile in another galaxy.

Overview

In appearance, the form of a droid was largely determined by the model and class.

All the knowledge of a droid were stored within their memory banks.

Most droids lacked true sentience and were given processing abilities sufficient only to carry out their assigned function. However, over time, droids may develop sentience on their own as they accumulate experience. Periodic memory wipes could prevent this from happening but those who manage to escape this fate began to develop their own personalities.

A class system was used to categorize different droids depending on their skill-set: first class droids (physical, mathematical and medical sciences), second class droids (engineering and technical sciences), third class droids (social sciences and service functions), fourth class droids (security and military functions), and fifth class droids (menial labor and other non-intelligence functions).

There were different classes of droids that included:

• Assassin droids :
• Astromech droids : a a series of versatile utility robots generally used for the maintenance and repair of starships and related technology. These small droids usually possessed a variety of tool-tipped appendages that were stowed in recessed compartments.
• Battle droids : a type of droid designed to fight in battles and wars.
• Labor droids :
• Probe droids : They were capable of traveling via hyperdrive-equipped pods to almost anywhere in the galaxy in order in search for their targets.
• Protocol droids : a type of droid programmed with multiple languages making them effective translators and knowledgeable about rules and customs. Their programming allowed them to be specialized in translation, etiquette and cultural customs with them typically being humanoid in appearance. Protocol droids were used to aid in communications during diplomatic or business negotiations and often function as personal assistants to their owners. Protocol droids were also used for military service, whether as administrators, couriers or spies. However, they had a tendency to be eccentric and fussy.
• Security droids : a type of droid programmed for enforcement and supervision duties which they did with brute force.
• Tactical droids : a type of droid designed to formulate battle strategies and command military forces in their deployments.

Known models of droids included:

• PIP Droid :
• MSE-6 series repair droid :
• BB Unit :
• IW-37 pincer loader droid :
• Chroon-Tan B-Machine : a type of midwife droid designed to assist with the organic birthing process.
• GH-7 Analysis Droid : hovering blue and silver medical droids were trained to diagnose physical ailments in patients.
• FX-6 Medical Droid : cylindrical droids with multiple arms, FX medical droids assist other models, such as 2-1B surgical models, in surgical centers and on battlefields. FX-6 models monitor patients, perform tests, operate equipment and review medical procedures and techniques.
• GU-series Guardian police droid :
• ID9 Seeker Droids : these small seeker droids were dangerous and deadly when used for nefarious purposes. Resembling probe droids, ID9 seekers had a half-hemisphere dome with a threatening red eye. They could hover and crawl on their pincers, imitate other droids, and were outfitted with electro-shock prods that could incapacitate mechanical beings and harm organic lifeforms.
• KX-series security droid :
• B-1 Battle Droid :
• B-2 Battle Droid :
• B-X Commando Droid : an enormous improvement over the standard battle droid, commando droids were elite warriors that were too expensive to produce in huge numbers. These stealthy yet powerful warriors were tougher and faster than their clanker cousins. Complex engineering gives them incredible agility, while advanced processors let them think fast on their nimble feet.
• Droideka : destroyer droids were dangerous and deadly battle droids designed by the Colicoid Creation Nest to exterminate their adversaries with extreme prejudice. They could transform their shape by curling into a ball and moving up to 75 kilometers per hour across a surface, or stand on three legs and utilize a shield generator while firing at a target.
• T-series Tactical Droids : humanoid droids built by Baktoid Combat Automota that were assigned to droid armies of the Separatist Alliance across the galaxy. They were superior in many ways to regular battle droids and used to coordinate the battle tactics from the safety of droid control ships and other fortified positions. They were upgraded later in the war to Super Tactical Droid.
• ID9 Seeker Droid : small in size, seeker droids were dangerous and deadly when used for nefarious purposes. Resembling probe droids, ID9 seekers had a half-hemisphere dome with a threatening red eye. They could hover and crawl on their pincers, imitate other droids, and were outfitted with electro-shock prods that could incapacitate mechanical beings and harm organic lifeforms.
• E-XD Infiltrator Droid : seemingly a meek protocol droid on the surface, in reality these were assassins whose true functions were hidden beneath the exterior. Infiltrator droids were used by the Empire to sweep Outer Rim worlds for rebel bases, and changed forms from standard robotic humanoid into towering, quick fighters. They were outfitted with an anti-capture failsafe -- an inner proton warhead that would detonate upon capture making them doubly dangerous.
• Dark Troopers :
• HK-87 Assassin Droid : humanoid assassin droids capable of using melee weapons and armed with blasters. They often serve as bodyguards and enforcers for their master. Some could be equipped with powerful explosive detonators in their chests allowing them to initiate a self-destruct where a group of them could completely devastate a small region to destroy their target.
• Star Navigator Droid : golden skinned three-eyed droids programmed navigation skills and efficiency.

For maintenance, Nepenthé was a viscous lubricant used to protect against mechanical wear while delivering program patches.

Some Droids were fitted with restraining bolts that were small, cylindrical devices that could be affixed to a droid in order to limit its functions and enforce its obedience. When inserted, a restraining bolt restricted the droid from any movement its master did not desire, and also forced it to respond to signals produced by a hand-held control unit known as a caller.

Members

• R2-D2 : a blue-domed R2-series astromech droid that was in use by the Naboo where it was stationed on-board the Nubian royal starship and helped in the repair of the ship after it escaped the blockade of the planet by the Trade Federation.
• C-3PO : a bipedal protocol droid that was created by Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine.
• K-2SO : a K-series security droid that was re-programmed to serve the Rebel Alliance and came to be the partner to Cassian Andor. He was present during the raid on the Imperial base at Scarif where he was destroyed but not before allowing him compatriots into the vaults that allowed them to transmit the plans to the Death Star to the Rebel fleet.
• L3-37 : a bipedal feminine custom self-made piloting droid associated with Lando Calrissian. She was built from the parts of various droids and had improved herself over the years. Elthree served as a skilled navigator with her deeply believing in droid rights and freeing her kind from slavery. She was ultimately killed in the mines on Kessel after freeing the droids enslaved by the Pyke Syndicate. Her programming was uploaded into the Millennium Falcon where a part of her remained within its systems.
• Chopper :
• IG-88 : a bipedal humanoid droid who operated as a bounty hunter in the years of the Empire where it was hired to hunt down Han Solo by Darth Vader.
• IG-11 : a bipedal humanoid droid who operated as a bounty hunter in the years after the Battle of Endor where he was a member of the Bounty Hunter Guild and sent to kill the Child.
• Q9-0 : a humanoid droid operating in the post-Endor era where he was a mercenary that was hired for a mission to free Qin from a New Republic prison ship but was destroyed by the Mandalorian.
• BB-8 :
• BB-9E : a black-coated BB-series droid in service to the First Order and was stationed on-board Supreme Leader's Snokes flagship where it exposed Finn's infiltration of the ship.
• Bucket :
• D-0 :
• Huyang : a bipedal Mark IV architect droid professor who served the Jedi Order and stationed on the Crucible where he helped in the teaching of younglings during the Gathering. He would survive the Jedi Purge and by the time of the New Republic was working with Ahsoka Tano with him accompanying her during her travels.

Notes

• Droids were created by George Lucas and featured in the setting of the Star Wars universe.
• In 1977, during an interview regarding the original trilogy film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, George Lucas stated that droids were designed to serve sentients. However, droids were Lucas' favorite people, and the filmmaker did not want droids to be cold or malevolent, just like how the robots in THX 1138 were 'very friendly'. On the other hand, he did not intend droids to be sentient themselves: he stated that, droids, even though some of them like C-3PO and R2-D2 are very human in nature, had no soul, only programmed to act like human beings.

Alternate Versions

• In the Star Wars Expanded Universe, Droids appeared in the setting of the former Star Wars Expanded Universe.

In other media

Video games

• In Star Wars: The Knights of the Old Republic, various models of droids appeared in the setting of the RPG video game. One of the notable droid companions for he player character was an assassin droid called HK-47.
• In Star Wars: The Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords, various models of droids appeared in the RPG video game sequel. One droid was G0-T0 who was a hovering spherical droid that was part of the G0-T0 infrastructure planning system line.
• In Star Wars: Republic Commando, various droids appeared in the setting of the FPS video game. Set during the Clone Wars, the Clone Commandos of Delta Squad were sent on various assignments against the Separatists where they fought numerous Battle Droids.
• In Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, various models of droids appeared in the setting of the action video game. Among the main characters shown was PROXY that was an advanced holodroid that was created as a trainer and companion to Starkiller. With its advanced holographic disguise, PROXY altered his form and used a variety of combat programs to ambush his master to better his fighting technique.
• In Star Wars: The Old Republic, various models of droids appeared in the setting of the MMORPG video game.
• In Star Wars: Battlefront 2, CIS Battle Droids appeared as a playable faction in the video games multiplayer mode. In the story mode, Iden Versio of Imperial Special Forces was shown to make use of an ID10 seeker droid. These droids attached to her backpack and could be used for various jobs and assist her in combat.

Appearances

• Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope:
• Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back:
• Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi:
• Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace:
• Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones:
• Star Wars: Clone Wars:
• Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith:
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars:
• Star Wars: Rebels:
• Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens:
• Rogue One:
• Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi:
• Solo: A Star Wars Story:
• Star Wars Resistance:
• The Mandalorian:
• Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker:
• The Book of Boba Fett:
• Andor:
• Obi-Wan Kenobi:
• Ahsoka:

External Links

• Wookieepedia Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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