COO-series cook droid

COO-series cook droid

TheCOO-series cook droid orCOO cook droid was aClass 5chef droid created as a joint venture betweenIndustrial Automaton andPublictechnic^[1] before theClone Wars. Thedroid model came equipped with over a dozen arms, which were equipped with common cooking tools such as spatulas, knives, and spoons. Designed for catering on a large scale, such as in military mess halls, the droids came with only a few hundred of the most common recipes, and although this software could be replaced with another package containing different recipes, the process to do so was very complex. Because of this, few owners did swap their droids' software packages. This lengthy process was a flaw commonly noted by customers. Ultimately, many owners ended up using the droid for nothing more than heating up meals or serving prepackaged foods. One such droid,COO-2180, served upon thestarshipJendirian Valley in22 BBY.^[1]

Specifications[]

The two meter tall COO cook droid, manufactured byIndustrial Automaton, was aclass 5, unlike mostcooking droids. It was designed to be used as a chef for large-scale catering, such as military mess halls, although the COO droid was considered a sloppy construction. For its body, Industrial Automaton re-used the chassis from one of its other droid models, making it appear ugly and clunky for a droid of its nature. The company's frugality was a main factor in causing many to believe that the COO droid was a cheap and mediocre design. It had a flat head fitted with avocoder, onephotoreceptor, and anolfactory sensor, which enabled the droid to determine the freshness of various ingredients. A COO droid's legs could lock to the floor through magnetism, a handy ability for cooking onstarships with irregularartificial gravity.^[2]

A cook droid's unique arm configuration allowed it to do many things at once. With the right socket configuration, a COO droid could have over a dozen arms. Possible arm apparatuses included spatulas, whisks, strainers, serving spoons, carving knives, small flame projectors for lighting oven burners, and three-fingered hands, along with many other gadgets. This way, a droid could make food much faster than one organic chef, as it could do many things at once, such as apply spices, cut up food, and administer any final touches. After a meal was finished, the droid could serve the food and then replace its arms with cleaning tools, allowing it to quickly clean dishes.^[2]

A COO cook droid came from the factory with knowledge of hundreds of common recipes taken from theHumbarine Housekeepers HoloBook in its software. Thus, the droids knew nothing beyond simple, conventional recipes when they were purchased. Though it was possible to remove a droid's software pack and replace it with another one that contained different recipes, this process was complex and involved partially disassembling the droid. It was impossible to tell what software a COO droid had—factory standard or a more advanced package—by simply looking at the droid. Because of the difficulty of switching software, many owners did not change the droids' recipe package, leading to potential trouble if the default software package did not include any recipes favored by the droids' owners. This also convinced beings that the COO was a sloppy model, constructed lazily. The droids were also known for being liars; they would tell customers or owners anything if it would help the droids, such as by prolonging their lifespans.^[2]

History[]

The COO cook droid was designed by Industrial Automaton, one of the leaders in droid manufacturing, sometime before22 BBY. Though many cooks criticized the creation of a chef droid, arguing that a machine that couldn't even taste had no business making food, the public had no problem with such a droid. However, customers found the droid very difficult to use, due to the complex process of changing the recipe package.^[2]

The COO quickly became popular in military mess halls, where it could easily cook a large number of simple meals in a short time. This was in fact Industrial Automaton's idea when designing the droid. As the COO droid was incapable of cooking more sophisticated meals without a new software package, it was generally used for mass catering of orthodox meals, and eventually customers began using the droid only to heat up meals or serve prepackaged food.^[2]

Around 22 BBY, the freighterJendirian Valley overhauled its cargo holds to create room forsentients, and the ship began transporting refugees affected by the growingcrisis ofplanets seceding from theGalactic Republic to join theConfederacy of Independent Systems. To feed the refugees, the ship's operator purchased a used cook droid,COO-2180. The droid made simple meals purchased from a military surplus store, and was instructed to feed only organic beings.^[2] In 22 BBY, the freighter transported theSenatorPadmé Amidala and her guard, theJediAnakin Skywalker, as they traveled undercover as refugees to Amidala's home planet ofNaboo.^[5] The duo's droid,R2-D2, stole a meal for his masters, earning him the ire of COO-2180.^[2][1]

At some point, thepirateReginald Barkbone spent a month inspace with avegetarian COO droid while trying to escape theLoronar navy. Barkbone had a very low opinion of the droid, calling the month in its company the most miserable time he had spent in space.^[2] BY1 BBY, COO droids were in use aboard theImperial prison bargePurge.^[3] During theGalactic Civil War, a COO cook droid was employed by theHuttcrime lordTeemo tooperate the bar inhis palace, in the settlementMos Shuuta on the planetTatooine.^[6]

Behind the scenes[]

The COO cook droid was created for the2002 filmStar Wars: Episode IIAttack of the Clones. Much of the information about the droid was given in the2006 reference bookThe New Essential Guide to Droids.

The Official Star Wars Fact File78 claims that the COO droid was manufactured byPublictechnic, whileThe New Essential Guide to Droids credits Industrial Automaton with the invention of the series. AsThe New Essential Guide to Droids is the newer source, this article treats that information as canon.

COO cook droids were later mentioned in the2009 novelDeath Troopers, where they were referred to as "COO-2180s".

Appearances[]

• Star Wars: Episode IIAttack of the Clones
• Star Wars: Episode IIAttack of the Clones novelization(andunabridged audiobook)(First appearance, in book)
• Death Troopers(andaudiobook)(Mentioned only)
• "The Long Arm of the Hutt" —Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Beginner Game
• "Debts to Pay" —Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Game Master's Kit
• The Jewel of Yavin

Sources[]

• Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: The Visual Dictionary(First mentioned)
• The Official Star Wars Fact File 78COO 1-2: Cook Droid COO-2180
• The New Essential Guide to Droids
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia(SeeCOO-2180)
• The Official Star Wars Fact File Part 52COO 1-2: COO-2180 cook droid(First identified as COO-series cook droid)

Notes and references[]