PLNK-series power droid

<PLNK-series power droid

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PLNK-series power droid

Production information

Manufacturer

Industrial Automaton^[1]

Class

Power droid^[1]

Technical specifications

Height

1.37meters^[2]

Gender

None programmed^[2]

Plating color

Dark green,^[3] gray,^[4] brown,^[5] and gold^[6]

Armament

None^[2]

Equipment

Liquidtibanna tank and pump^[1]
Liquid tibanna–powered generator^[1]

Chronological and political information

Affiliation

"Plunk. Plunk."

―A plunk droid — 20?cb=20250116042720

Link ▶️(file info)^[3]

PLNK-series power droids, nicknamed "plunk droids" for their distinctive vocalizations, were four-leggedpower droids manufactured byIndustrial Automaton during theClone Wars. They spoke a form ofdroidspeak similar toGonkian and functioned as containment and refueling units for liquidtibanna gas, which they equipped variousstarships and equipment with. Though not built with the near-limitless capacity of standard powerdroids, their tibanna-driven generators were enough to provide theGrand Army of the Republic's listening posts with sufficient power to execute their needs. The droids served theRepublic Navy, working aboardVenator-class Star Destroyers; as well as theConfederacy of Independent Systems, countingfreighters that passed through the Separatistblockade of theGwori system. PLNK-series units were also used onRepublic-affiliatedworlds such asCoruscant,Rodia, andMandalore.

Characteristics[]

The PLNK-seriespower droid was designed for storing and refueling liquidtibanna gas.^[1] They were additionally built for refuelingstarships and equipment and performed simple tasks inspaceports and military bases.^[2] To increase their capacity for tibanna, the droids were based on a "stretched" designed of theGNK power droid and had four legs, as opposed to the two of the GNK series.^[1] Lacking both weapons and aprogrammed gender, the PLNK-series were equipped with feet that allowed them to waddle along.^[2] They had a slow moving pace, weighed down by a heavy internal tibanna tank and tibanna-powered generator. A single unit carried an internal pump for loading and discharging liquid tibanna through its externally mounted hose and nozzle;^[1] the fuel hose ran from the droid's left side to the nozzles holstered on its back.^[4] Their actions could be controlled by a main panel for system diagnostics located on their front side.^[2] The droids spoke a form ofdroidspeak similar toGonkian,^[3] saying "plunk" as they shuffled about and hence earning them the nickname "plunk droids." They also understoodGalactic Basic Standard but were unable to speak it.^[1]

Although unequipped with the near-limitless power generation of a standard power droid, each PLNK-series model possessed a tibanna-driven generator that was capable of supplying enough power to satisfy the needs ofRepublic listening posts until its tibanna supply ran out.^[1] Three plunk droids were enough to power a single listening post and could alternatively be used as detonators to destroy an outpost in case of enemy insurgency.^[4] In the service of theConfederacy of Independent Systems, plunk droids were thought to have some defective circuits that led to miscalculation.^[7] Like other power droids, plunk droids were encased in heavy shielding,^[1] mainly over their fuel reservoirs,^[2] and coloredduranium plating^[1]—ranging from dark green^[3] to gray,^[4] brown,^[5] and gold^[6]—to safeguard their highly flammable tibanna contents. To further protect their cargo, the units featured heightened security and safety protocols, but were still restricted by highly limited programming and artificial intelligence. The droids' self-preservation programming sometimes gave them cause to run away from their owners when "spooked" or agitated.^[1]

History[]

"One of those plunk droids probably miscounted again. Their circuits are defective."

―A B1 battle droid^[7]

PLNK-series power droids had begun to be manufactured byIndustrial Automaton by thetime of theClone Wars.^[1] They were in the service of the Separatists, countingfreighters passing through theblockade of theGwori system to theGwori Revolutionary Industries shipyards. WhenB1-Series battle droids noticed one too many freighters in a convoy, they dismissed it as a calculation error made by the plunk droids, whom they claimed possessed defective circuits.^[7] Plunk droids were also used by theRepublic Navy to refuelBTL-B Y-wing starfighters,^[2]bombers introduced during the war^[9] that, unlike moststarfighters, relied on liquid tibanna instead offusion generators as a power source.^[2] The droids served aboard theVenator-class Star Destroyer Resolute in theOpen Circle Fleet of the RepublicNavy^[3]^[5]^[10]^[11] and could be seen shuffling about thehangar bay of the vessel, where Y-wing bombers,^[3]LAAT/i gunships,^[5]Delta-7B interceptors, andV-19 Torrent starfighters were housed.^[10]

Clone Captain Rex ushers a plunk droid in Rishi Station.

A trio of plunk droids, containing liquid tibanna, served as the power source for theGrand Army of the Republic listening postRishi Station on theRishi moon, which was used to monitor a portion of theOuter Rim Territories for possible invasion by the Confederacy of Independent Systems. When SeparatistBX-series droid commandos captured the station, theclone troopers manning the facility decided that it was necessary to destroy the installation to warnKamino, the site of the GrandArmy's cloning facilities, of the impending Separatist attack. Thetroopers rounded up the three plunk droid units^[4] and wired them together^[12] in order to detonate them using athermal charge. When the remote detonator failed to sync up with the charge, clone trooperHevy sacrificed himself to manually trigger the device, destroying the three plunk droids along with the installation.^[4]

Plunk droids were used on the planetRodia, where one such droid stepped in to fuelJedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi's Delta-7B interceptor after he landed inKay-Tap square tointercept thebounty hunter Cad Bane.^[13] The droids were additionally employed by the Republic onCoruscant and were involved in preparations for the departure of the RoyalNaboo J-type star skiff, which was to takeSenators Padmé Amidala andRush Clovis to adiplomatic meeting with SenatorLott Dod onCato Neimoidia.^[6] Shortly afterward, plunk droids were dispatched with a Republicfleet sent toinvade the planetGeonosis and halt the production of Separatistbattle droids inArchduke Poggle the Lesser's droid foundries there. The power droids were present aboard theStar Destroyers of the fleet when the initial body of troops was deployed.^[8]Sundari, thecapital city ofMandalore,^[14] made use of plunk droids^[15] in one of its spaceports,^[14] where the units were sometimes observed byMandalorian civilians during their operations.^[15]^[16]

A yellow plunk droid on the Renown. — A yellow plunk droid on theRenown.

A yellow PLNK power droid served along on theVenator-class Star DestroyerRenown when it was hijacked bySeparatist forces during theClone Wars. When droids of theConfederacy of Independent Systems hijacked a Republic cruiser, all clone personal and crew members were all killed but this droid and a small group of others led byBNI-393. whenD-Squad led byMeebur Gascon came aboard the starship, the droid survivors hoped to escape with them until abuzz droid was caught spying on the droids.Astromech droid R2-D2 then chased the spy in pursuit to the gunnery room where the rest followed—except this droid stayed behind at D-Squad'sshuttle. He was later returned under the protection of the Republic after they escaped theRenown that was full ofrhydonium. The droid along with the others were all assigned to the samePlatoon for the rest of the war as it escalated its destructive path.^[17]

Behind the scenes[]

Plunk droids were created for the2008 animated television seriesStar Wars: The Clone Wars and first appeared in the background of the episode "Shadow ofMalevolence," which aired onOctober 10. The droids were first named in theStarWars.com episode guide for "Shadow ofMalevolence." They later had a more active role in theOctober 24 episode, "Rookies," and could be seen once again ambling around a hangar bay in "Jedi Crash" as well as "Storm Over Ryloth." They were also used in the series'second season, appearing extensively in the background of scenes in multiple episodes. They were given the "PLNK-series power droid" designation in the 2009Scavenger's Guide to Droids, published byWizards of the Coast, which also greatly expanded the droids' features. The appearance of plunk droids is very similar to that of the GNK andEG-6 droids of theoriginalStar Wars trilogy. In aninterview published inStar Wars Insider 115,The Clone Wars Supervising DirectorDave Filoni states that the name "plunk droid," as well as the sound that the droids make, is a play on the name of designerKilian Plunkett.^[18] Plunk droids also appeared in the2011 non-canonical video gameLEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars that adapted "Rookies."