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Battle droids at the First Battle of Geonosis
Battle droids, also known ascombat droids,war droids,[2]clankers,droid soldiers, orbattle bots, were a type ofdroid designed for combat. Over theyears, many different models of battle droids were used by various factions throughoutthe galaxy. One such faction was theConfederacy of Independent Systems, which used a number of different models of battle droid during theClone Wars to make up theSeparatist Droid Army. Under the command ofGeneralGrievous, varying models of battle droids fought against theGalactic Republic'sclone troopers until the finaldays of the war, when the Confederate battle droids were deactivated by theGalactic Empire and became prohibited by theImperial Senate.
History[]
Clone Wars[]
- "A Republic military presence is the only sure defense against the Separatists."
"Even extremists can be reasoned with!"
"Perhaps if one can be heard over the clanking of their battle droids!" - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi andSatine Kryze[3]
Battle droids fought Republic clone troopers as the Separatist Droid Army.
During theClone Wars, theConfederacy of Independent Systems used a variety of battledroids in theirdroid army. These droids, includingB1-series battle droids,[4] which were the maininfantry of the Separatists,[5]B2-series super battle droids, anddroidekas, were produced in large factories onplanets such asGeonosis.[4] The Separatist DroidArmy was led by the[6]Kaleesh[7]cyborgGeneralGrievous.[6] Droids like the B1 battle droid were ineffective in small numbers,[8] but they had the ability to overwhelm enemies in large groups.[9] Battle droids were led bycommanders such as Grievous orAsajj Ventress,[10] andorganicofficers could be assisted by specializedOOM command battle droids.[11]T-series tactical droids[12] andsuper tactical droids also commanded battle droids throughout the Clone Wars, and these units could assist organic leaders. One supertactical droid wasKalani, a general who led Confederate forces againstinsurgents onOnderon, but, after theOnderonian Civil War, Kalani escaped toAgamar.[13]
The main enemies of the battle droids were theclone troopers of theGalactic Republic. Thetroopers were able to think independently and creatively, while battle droids like the B1 were "dim-witted"[14] and easily taken down byclones. However, the battle droids of the Separatists outnumbered the clones, andCountDooku once claimed that clones were outnumbered one hundred to one. During the war, clone troopers,[8] and even some of theJedi, referred to battle droids by the nickname of "clankers."[15] The Jedi adapted theirtraining remotes to mimic the moves of battle droids to better preparePadawans for the war against the Droid Army.[16]
TheChiss Ascendancy came to learn of the Clone Wars and that battle droids made up the majority of theConfederacy military; whenSenior CaptainMitth'raw'nuruodo "Thrawn" recounted that information tosky-walkerChe'ri, she questioned the tactical advantage of such a military, understanding that an enemy had the chance to deactivate droids upon accessing their controls and that their programming could be altered during an enemy incursion into afactory. Thrawn also noted that their intended programming may possess exploitable weaknesses, concluding that a desire to lessendeaths by using droids instead of organics as soldiers was useless if it resulted in losing the war.[17]Balmorran Arms produced theSD-series battle droid at some point.[18]
Age of the Empire[]
- "I thought everything was being dismantled or torched in one star or another. What does anyone need with battle droids when the Empire has Star Destroyers?"
- ―Has Obitt[19]
B1 battle droids that remained active on Agamar.
Although battle droids were outlawed by theGalactic Empire in the wake of the Clone Wars, companies such asHolowan Laboratories[20] andArakyd Industries were able to evade the ban by having their products reclassified assecurity droids.[21] The galactic population's general distrust ofclass four droids helped to turn theJoint Chiefs away from using battle droids.[22] Nevertheless,InstructorPell Baylo felt thatGalactic EmperorSheev Palpatine expected his military personnel to obey orders as if they were mindless droids.[23]
Even during the earlymonths of theImperial Era, battle droids and other pieces of surviving Separatist equipment were considered useless in the face of Imperial technology, such as theStar Destroyers of theImperial Navy. ThesmugglerHas Obitt believed that surviving CIS equipment, such as the remaining battle droids, would be dismantled or destroyed.[19] Indeed, surviving battle droids were all authorized to be decommissioned, which really meant destroyed, inspecialized decommissioning facilities on worlds likeCorellia,[24] although some surviving Separatist equipment was allowed to fall into the hands of anti-Imperial insurgents, which gave an excuse for theImperial Military to take overlegacy worlds.[19]
TheTRD-2 sparring droid was based upon the design of theSD-series battle droid.[18] Former battle droids formed theDroid Gotra during the Imperial Era. Thecrime lordFaazah also made use of repurposed battle droids to bolster his ranks ofbodyguards on the former Separatist stronghold ofMurkhana.[25] Battle droidsremained active onAgamar due to the intervention ofKalani, who was able to block the deactivation order[26] initiated byDarth Vader after hekilled theSeparatist leaders.[27] When the Empirearrived on Agamar, Kalani was able to flee with several B1 battle droids.[26]
Galactic Civil War and New Republic Era[]
- "I'm R0-GR— last of the B1 battle droids, nearly decorated veteran of the Clone Wars, and oft-disputed hero of the Rebellion. But you can just call me Roger."
- ―R0-GR[28]
Mister Bones served inNorra Wexley's team during the Galactic Civil War.
Later, during theGalactic Civil War,Temmin Wexley owned a modified battle droid namedMister Bones who acted as a companion to him. After therebellion on Akiva in4 ABY, the two joined theNew Republic and Wexley's motherNorra Wexley in the fight against the Galactic Empire.[29] Mister Bones perished during theBattle of Jakku[30] in5 ABY.[31]
Around9 ABY,[32] anImperial Remnant led byMoffGideon continued upon the Empire'sDark Trooper project by successfully fielding severalPhase-III Dark Troopers.[33] Consideredthird-generation battle droids,[34] Gideon'sentire platoon of combat droids was destroyed by theJedi MasterLuke Skywalker during thesecond rescue of Grogu.[33] At the same time, battle droids dating back to the Clone Wars, originally intended to be destroyed by the New Republic, were used onPlazir-15 for mass work.[35]
Also during theNew Republic Era, theAcolyte of the BeyondKiza came under the influence of themask of the long deadSithViceroyExim Panshard, who desperately held onto life through the mask and promised Kiza power if they reached the Sith world ofExegol. Under Panshard's guidance, Kiza collected an army of old battle droids from recent and old wars alike, keeping them inside a crashed Separatist core ship on alarge asteroid next to theRed Honeycomb Zone, which blocked Exegol off from the wider galaxy. Kiza's droid army,[36] which included B1 battle droids,[37] was left huddled and turned off inside the core ship[36] until21 ABY;[38] years after any of the battle droids had last moved, Kiza modified at least some of them to each contain a fragment of abledkyber crystal to lead her towards Skywalker, who had in his possession other fragments of the same crystal; just as how the battle droids could track Skywalker through the fragments in their systems, Panshard hoped that combining Skywalker's crystals with their own would lead them through the Red Honeycomb Zone to Exegol, where the larger crystal mound was kept by theSith Eternal.[36]
Kiza ultimately sent a mix of several different battle droids after Skywalker, but the eleven droids were destroyed during askirmish on Polaar. When Skywalker traveled to Kiza's asteroid, he found the deactivated army aboard the core ship before beginning alightsaber duel against her. Over the course of the duel, many of the battle droids were destroyed by lightsaber strikes. The subsequent overload of the core ship's forge melted down many of the others, and Kiza herself was killed. Nine surviving battle droids, while unable to process their new programming from the kyber crystals, ensured Panshard's mask was salvaged and adorned with the kyber fragments, placing it upon Kiza's dead body before they deactivated. One of the droids also scarified an arm for its lord, ensuring that Kiza's broken arm could be replaced. However, their master soon met hisfinal end onTaw Provode's solitary moon when Skywalker destroyed the mask. Kiza's body and the droid arm were left limp and consumed by a nativeserpent.[36]
One B1 battle droid,R0-GR, came to serve under theResistance and write "droidography," a guide to the various models of droids inthe galaxy, to teachorganics more about the droids they interacted with. R0-GR also stated that he was the last B1 battle droid, but he had learned of the existence of Mister Bones, and this led R0-GR to say that his statement might have not been entirely true.[28] Anotherbattle droid was being worked on by thedroidsmithBabu Frik, but he needed to abandon the unit prior to thedestruction of Kijimi.[39]
Appearances[]
Non-canon appearances[]
Sources[]
Non-canon sources[]
- LEGO Star Wars: Choose Your Side: Doodle Activity Book
LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales | Official Trailer | Disney+ on the officialStar WarsYouTube channel(backup link)(Posted on StarWars.com)- Gaze Upon the Petrifying Poster forLEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales! onStarWars.com(backup link)
- The Creators ofLEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales on Crafting a Ghoulactic Halloween Event onStarWars.com(backup link)(Picture only)
- 13 Hilarious and Horrifying Highlights fromLEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales onStarWars.com(backup link)
- 20 Eerie Easter Eggs fromLEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales onStarWars.com(backup link)
Notes and references[]
- Related categories:
- Battle droid models
- Battle droids
- Related Categories:
- Battle droid models
- Battle droids