AP-5, nicknamed AP; was a masculine RA-7 protocol droid who served as an analyst droid on a Galactic Republic attack cruiser during the Clone Wars. At the end of the conflict, the Republic was replaced by the Galactic Empire, and AP-5 was relegated to inventory duty aboard the cargo transport 241, an Imperial cargo ship. In the third year before the Battle of Yavin, AP-5 encountered the astromech droid Chopper when the latter hid in the cargo ship while evading several pursuing stormtroopers. Tired of being mistreated, the inventory droid befriended Chopper, helping him steal the cargo ship and providing his rebel allies with a suitable location for a secret base.
After joining the rebellion, AP-5 continued working as an inventory droid for the Phoenix Cell at Chopper Base on the planet Atollon. Despite his grumpy and sarcastic personality, AP-5 remained loyal to his new rebel masters. During a mission on Wynkahthu, AP-5 played an indispensable role in helping the Spectres to recover cargo from a derelict Imperial cargo ship. Later, AP-5 along with the Lasat warrior Garazeb Orrelios and Chopper helped to stop the E-XD-series infiltrator droid EXD-9 from reporting their base's location to the Empire.
An RA-7 protocol droid with masculine programming, AP-5 was activated some point before the fall of the Galactic Republic. During the pan-galactic Clone Wars that pitted the Republic against the Confederacy of Independent Systems, AP-5 served as a navigator and a military analyst aboard a Venator-class Star Destroyer. He notably participated in the Ryloth campaign, in which he estimated the Republic's tactical strategies were only 70% effective. Although the Republic ended up winning the campaign, AP-5's commander did not survive.
At the end of the Clone Wars, the leader of the Republic, Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, unilaterally abolished the regime, transforming it into an authoritarian Galactic Empire. Although AP-5 had been, according to himself, the best Republic navigator in his class, he was downgraded and reassigned to inventory duty aboard cargo transport 241, an Imperial class four container transport, serving as a quartermaster.
Three years before the Battle of Yavin, AP-5 encountered Chopper, a feisty astromech droid who belonged to a group of rebels called the Spectres. The astromech had been separated from his rebel cell and stranded on Horizon Base, where the cargo transport 241 was docked at the time. Looking for a safe haven from the Imperial stormtroopers, Chopper had boarded the cargo ship.
During a ship-wide search for the stowaway, AP-5 did not report Chopper's presence to his Imperial superiors, gaining the latter's trust and developing a friendship by telling war stories. When the ship's abusive Imperial captain belittled AP-5, Chopper sprung to his defense and managed to knock out the captain. The two droids then joined forces to seize control of the ship. After the captain regained consciousness, AP-5 initially managed to bluff him stating that Chopper had taken him as a hostage. Later on, AP-5 aided the rebellion by warning the rebels that the Yost system, their original jump destination, was not safe because an Imperial fleet had already been dispatched there. He instead provided the coordinates of an alternative world called Atollon which lacked any Imperial presence, making it a more suitable location to plant a rebel base.
The captain then realized that AP-5 had betrayed him and shot AP-5 as he was transmitting the coordinates. Despite taking a critical injury, AP-5 managed to send the new coordinates through to the Rebels, but not before being shot a second time. This enraged Chopper, who proceeded to knock the captain out with a flurry of attacks. Before he shut down, AP-5 told Chopper that he would not forget their friendship. Fortunately, after the two droids rendezvoused with the rest of the Phoenix Cell rejoined the crew of the Ghost, Sabine Wren managed to repair AP-5, using some parts disassembled from Chopper's stolen ambulatory strut. Immediately upon being restored to working order, AP-5 chided Chopper for not thinking logically, prompting Chopper to reply with a string of expletives. AP-5 retaliated by saying that the words were so foul that the droid would be disintegrated in six systems.
Using AP-5's information, the Phoenix Cell was able to establish a new base on Atollon called Chopper Base. AP-5 was placed in charge of checking the cargo that arrived from the base. Used to working with the Empire, AP-5 was unhappy with the frequent delays in rebel shipments arriving at Chopper Base. When the crew of the Ghost arrived with a shipment of power generators, AP-5 complained that the shipment was already several hours overdue. AP-5 then asked his friend Chopper whether it was routine for rebel shipments to be late; to which the droid answered in the affirmative.
AP-5 was later part of a homecoming party that greeted Kanan, Ezra, and Chopper after they returned from their perilous mission to Malachor. He and the Spectres, and Captain Rex witnessed a blinded Kanan hugging Hera while Ezra exited the starship Phantom without former Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano, who Ezra and Kanan believed had perished on Malachor.
After the Phoenix Squadron received word that a group of Imperial cadets from the elite Skystrike Academy were planning to defect to the rebellion, AP-5 was tasked with preparing fake credentials for Sabine's infiltration mission.
Later, AP-5 lent his expertise to a mission undertaken by the crew of the Ghost, the pirate Hondo Ohnaka, and the crime lord Azmorigan to steal cargo from an Imperial cargo ship that had become trapped in the atmospheric storms in Wynkahthu's upper atmosphere. Due to his experience working aboard a class four container vessel, AP-5 was able to advise the Lasat warrior Garazeb Orrelios when planning the mission. AP-5 and Zeb's planned involved jumping onto the hull of the ship, restarting its power plant, and then opening the cargo ramp doors to evacuate the cargo with grappling guns.
AP-5 calculated that the mission had a 38.5% chance of success. When Kanan protested, AP-5 responded that they would have a zero percent chance without him. AP-5 stayed with Hera and Kanan aboard the Ghost while the other rebels, Hondo, and Azmorigan boarded the ship. Despite his careful planning, AP-5 overlooked the fact that restarting the power generator reactivated one of the DT-series sentry droids. The sentry droid attacked Azmorigan and Zeb and locked them in the brig. When Zeb contacted the Ghost, AP-5 apologized for his mistake and warned the rebels not to engage the droids.
Despite his warning, Azmorigan destroyed one of the droids. This triggered the other sentry droids which attacked the rebels and their confederates. However, they managed to escape the cargo ship before it collided with the vortex and exploded. AP-5 stayed aboard while the rebels celebrated their cache of proton bombs and Hondo and Azmorigan left with their Ugnaught crew member Melch with their "treasure."
After Hera briefed Phoenix Squadron on a planned strike against the Imperial Armory Complex on the planet Lothal, AP-5 began loading explosives aboard the rebel freighter Ghost. While he was chatting with his friend Chopper, Sabine arrived with the second load of explosives. Despite AP-5's protestations that they had enough, Sabine insisted on loading more and stressed that she was the weapons expert. AP-5 grumbled about the changes to the supply schedule but compiled with Sabine's orders. When Sabine remarked that AP-5 and Chopper came from the same supply line, Chopper remarked that she needed an attitude adjustment.
Later, AP-5 along with Chopper, the Lasat warrior Captain Garazeb Orrelios, and communications officer stayed behind to guard Chopper Base while the other Spectres and Phoenix rebels departed for a training exercise. AP-5 took advantage of the training exercise to commence a thorough inventory of the base's munitions depot. AP-5 tried to solicit Zeb and Chopper's help but the two were not interested in such mundane work. When Zeb remarked that he did not regard counting crates as fun, AP-5 quipped about teaching the Lasat how to read. Zeb and Chopper then headed to the command center. Later, AP-5 caught them leaving and tried to solicit their help unsuccessfully.
That evening, AP-5 was lamenting the disorganized state of the depot when Zeb and Chopper arrived with a protocol droid they had found on the outskirts of Chopper Base. Zeb had taken pity on the "stray" droid and got AP-5 to charge up the droid. Due to the emergency protocol, the protocol droid began to revive quickly and started scanning its surroundings including the depot, Zeb, and Chopper. Impressed, AP-5 decided to take on the stray droid as his inventory assistant. Unknown to the rebels, the protocol droid was actually an E-XD-series infiltrator droid designated EXD-9; which had been dispatched by Grand Admiral Thrawn to probe the Outer Rim Territories for rebel bases.
Later, AP-5 and Chopper took the protocol droid on a tour of the depot. At that point, Zeb arrived to warn AP-5 and Chopper that the protocol droid was actually an Imperial Infiltrator Droid. Upon hearing the word "rebels," EXD-9 assumed his "attack mode" and attacked the rebels. EXD-9 fought with Zeb, who managed to severe the droid's left hand following a fierce struggle. When AP-5 suggested contacting Hera, Zeb refused because they did not have enough time and vowed not to fail the rebel leader. After finding a wrecked astromech droid that had been drained of its power and stripped of its spare parts, AP-5 cautioned that Chopper was unable to track down the Infiltrator Droid because it was low on power.
The three rebels then discussed their plan to capture and disable the Imperial droid. During the discussion, AP-5 advised Zeb against using his bo-rifle since they were in a munitions storehouse. In the end, Zeb agreed to disable the droid and AP-5 volunteered to help him do so. After Chopper lured EXD-9 out of hiding, Zeb attacked the Infiltrator Droid. Following a fierce struggle, Zeb managed to pin down EXD-9 and AP-5 managed to deactivate him with considerable difficulty.
After subduing the intruder, Zeb asked AP-5 about the good news. AP-5 reported that he could not detect any long-range transmissions which meant that EXD-9 had not been able to contact the Empire. When Zeb asked about the bad news, AP-5 informed the Lasat that EXD-9 had activated his self-destruct mechanism. Chopper managed to freeze the droid's timer before it could detonate its proton warhead. Following a discussion with Zeb and Chopper, the rebels decided to send the Infiltrator Droid back to the Empire but with its proton warhead rigged to explode. As part of the plan, AP-5 reprogrammed EXD-9 to its protocol mode and timed the detonator to explode when it connected with the Imperial network.
AP-5 then followed Zeb and Chopper as they tracked EXD-9 back to his pod. After Zeb shot EXD-9's long-range transmitter, the trio watched as EXD-9's pod departed into space. AP-5 then began expressing doubts that he had reprogrammed the droid correctly. However, Zeb reassured AP-5 that he done his great job. Despite not being on good terms, AP-5 commended Zeb for his admirable work. In the end, AP-5's plan worked and the rigged EXD-9 destroyed an Imperial Star Destroyer and several other Infiltrator Droids. However, Thrawn was still able to narrow down the search to 94 systems.
The following day, AP-5 accompanied Zeb and Chopper as they met up with the other Spectres. When Hera asked what happened, AP-5 claimed he had nothing to do with it; prompting a question from Kanan Jarrus. At the command center, the rebels were contacted by the rebel source Fulcrum, who commended them for reprogramming the Infiltrator Droid and setting it off to self-destruct. This rebel source was the disillusioned Imperial Security Bureau Agent Kallus, who had earlier befriended Zeb. When AP-5 began to recount the story, Zeb playfully muffled him while the other Spectres watched in bemusement.
After the rebels discovered that the Empire was monitoring Agent Kallus' Fulcrum transmissions, AP-5 accompanied his friend Chopper and Ezra Bridger on a mission to rescue Kallus, who was stationed aboard Lieutenant Yogar Lyste's Arquitens-class command cruiser. The rebels' plan involved the droids and Ezra stealing a Star Commuter 2000 shuttle from the planet Lothal's Capital City spaceport. The rebels would then purposely allow their ship to be captured by Lyste and Kallus' light cruiser. The plan worked and Ezra was captured. AP-5 and a disguised Chopper managed to avoid capture by claiming they were unwilling passengers aboard the stolen shuttle.
The rebels' rescue mission was complicated when Grand Admiral Thrawn requested an audience with Kallus and Lyste aboard his Imperial Star Destroyer Chimaera. Lyste insisted on taking Ezra to showcase his success to the Grand Admiral. AP-5 and Chopper managed to convince Lyste to bring them aboard by claiming that Chopper had film footage to use as testimony against Ezra, who claimed to be a bounty hunter.
Once aboard the Chimaera, Chopper alerted the retrieval team members to the change in plans. Kanan instructed Chopper and AP-5 to obtain a new set of clearance codes that would allow them to land on the Chimaera. AP-5 then told the astromech droid that they could only obtain clearance codes from an officer's port. The two droids then argued about whether to rescue Ezra first or to steal the clearance codes. Agent Kallus resolved that argument by freeing Ezra from his cell.
After Kallus informed Ezra and the droids that Thrawn was close to locating Chopper Base, AP-5 convinced Ezra and the others to infiltrate Thrawn's office in order to steal the clearance codes. While AP-5 served as a look-out, the other rebels and Kallus infiltrated Thrawn's Office and completed their objectives. AP-5 witnessed Thrawn and another stormtrooper] sentry returning to his office but failed to stop them from reaching the door. Kallus managed to distract Thrawn by reprogramming his Imperial sentry droids into assassins, giving the rebels enough time to escape to the hangar.
Following a brief scuffle between Kanan, Rex, Lieutenant Lyste, and Governor Arihnda Pryce, AP-5 and his rebel comrades managed to escape aboard Kanan and Rex's Sentinel-class landing craft. Kallus opted to stay behind in order to continue feeding information to the rebels and framed Lyste as Fulcrum. However, Thrawn quickly discovered his deception but allowed Kallus to remain undetected in order to find the rebel base.
AP-5 along with Commander Jun Sato and Captain Rex were present at the Chopper Base command room when the former Imperial Senator Mon Mothma gave a live HoloNet broadcast urging the galaxy to rise up in rebellion against the Empire.
After the formation of the Rebel Alliance, AP-5 was given a mission by Phoenix Leader Hera Syndulla to steal clearance codes from the Imperial Security Bureau station on Killun 71. These clearance codes were needed by the Phoenix Squadron as part of their upcoming raid on Lothal. For that mission, AP-5 was accompanied by his friend Chopper and the rebel pilot Wedge Antilles, who had recently defected from the Empire to the rebellion.
During the mission, AP-5 argued with Chopper, who was jealous that the former inventory droid had been allocated the mission. AP-5 was unapologetic and insisted that he would make a better spy due to his programming. This bickering annoyed Wedge, who quickly realized why the other Spectres had not volunteered for the mission. After landing at Killun Station, AP-5 and Chopper disembarked from their stolen Sentinel-class landing craft. The two droids proceeded without incident through an Imperial sensor but Chopper's presence was detected by the crew of an Imperial IGV-55 surveillance vessel.
After some haggling with Chopper, AP-5 proceeded to the base's central computer core alone. There, he was confronted by a female RA-7 protocol droid called PZ-7, who inquired about his presence. AP-5 tartly told her that she had been reassigned to inventory duty and that he was her replacement. AP-5 then easily acquired the clearance codes and found Chopper motionless at a network terminal. AP-5 thought Chopper was sulking and returned to the Sentinel shuttle first. In fact, Chopper had been remotely reprogrammed by the Imperial intelligence officers aboard the surveillance vessel. These Imperials wanted to use Chopper to steal the coordinates of Chopper Base.
When Chopper rejoined them, AP-5 realized that his friend was acting suspiciously. AP-5 realized that Chopper was speaking in Imperial Code 16. However, Wedge did not share AP-5's concerns and welcomed Chopper's more pliable nature. AP-5 tried to warn Antilles while the latter was using the refresher but Wedge thought that the protocol droid was being childish and dabbling in conspiracy theories. Unknown to AP-5, the Imperial surveillance crew were watching his interaction through Chopper's visual processor. Their controller LT-319 dismissed AP-5 as a threat on the grounds that the protocol droid had undermined his own credibility.
Back aboard the Ghost, AP-5's warnings were initially greeted by deaf ears. However, Hera validated AP-5's warnings after she stopped Chopper from downloading the Ghosts hyperspace logs. Before they could check Chopper, the reprogrammed astromech droid brought the Ghost out of hyperspace. When the rebels headed to the engine room to confront Chopper, AP-5 questioned the wisdom of everyone going to the same place. However, Ezra accused him of cowardice and AP-5 was compelled to follow the group. Chopper then trapped the rebels in the ship's cargo bay and attempted to expose them to zero gravity space.
After Hera had secured the cargo hold, she dispatched AP-5 outside of the ship in order to open the entrance to the hold from outside. AP-5 used his metallic body to navigate through the Ghosts hull and reach the maintenance hatch outside. Despite being spotted and attacked by Chopper with blasters, AP-5 managed to open the entrance to the cargo hold. Chopper returned for a second loop and pushed him into space. While AP-5 was left floating in space, the other Spectres managed to reprogram Chopper and neutralize the Imperial threat by reversing the data feed back to their ship, destroying the surveillance vessel from afar.
While floating in space, AP-5 reflected that he should be frightened but that he was strangely calm. As the protocol droid embraced the solitude of silence, he was surrounded by a herd of baby neebray. AP-5 befriended them and began to break into a song. However, his moment of solitude was interrupted by the return of the Ghost. Despite his rescue, AP-5 was upset that his solitude had been disturbed. Unaware of the earlier events, AP-5 thought that Chopper was still compromised. This prompted the exasperated astromech droid to slap him and Wedge in the legs.
After hearing from Kanan Jarrus' holocron and the Sith holocron that the former Sith apprentice Maul was planning to kill Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ezra produced a faux manifest purportedly from AP-5 delivering munitions to Phoenix Squadron's A-wing fighters. The rebel trooper guarding the airfield was distracted long enough for Ezra to borrow an RZ-1T trainer and travel to Tatooine to find Kenobi.
During the Battle of Atollon, AP-5 reported that scanners had picked up Imperial walkers approaching the western quadrant of Chopper Base. Shortly later, the remnants of Phoenix Squadron and General Jan Dodonna's Massassi Group fought against Grand Admiral Thrawn's ground forces before retreating into space. AP-5 and the other rebels were surrounded by Thrawn's death troopers before they could flee aboard the Ghost. However, an enigmatic being known as Bendu summoned a storm which gave the rebels a window to escape. After the rebel forces had reached space, AP-5 recommended doing a double hyperspace jump in order to cover their tracks. Rex recommended a third and the rebels traveled to Yavin 4.
During the Lothal campaign, AP-5 was present at a briefing at the rebel base where Syndulla presented a captured TIE Defender Elite flight data recorder to the Rebel Alliance leadership including Mothma, General Dodonna, Erskin Semaj and Senator Bail Organa. Syndulla also convinced the Alliance leadership to approve a strike on Lothal to destroy the TIE Defender factories there.
AP-5 had a grumpy and pessimistic personality due to his exploitative treatment at the hands of his Imperial superiors. AP-5 prided his service as an analyst droid during the Ryloth campaign and deeply resented being relegated to inventory work under the Galactic Empire. AP-5 had an antagonistic relationship with his Imperial captain, who believed that he was destined for the scrap heap. AP-5 found an unlikely friend in the form of Chopper, an astromech droid who was part of the rebellion. AP-5 gained Chopper's trust and friendship after he removed his restraining bolt; giving AP-5 the will to defy his master. Despite his friendship with Chopper, AP-5 could still be abrupt and condescending to his friend when he berated Chopper for committing the "illogical act" of sacrificing his stolen ambulatory strut to repair him.
Despite only knowing the Rebels for a short time, AP-5 has already formed an attachment to them, as he seemed saddened to learn of Ahsoka Tano's apparent death. Using his knowledge of Class four container vessels, AP-5 helped the Lothal rebels plan their operation to steal cargo from an Imperial cargo ship. While he was a skilled planner, he was a calculating pessimist who believed that their mission had little chance of success. He also overlooked the presence of sentinel droids aboard the cargo ship and tried in vain to advice the recovery team not to provoke hostilities with the droids.
AP-5 was a rigid stickler to the schedule and grumbled when Sabine once insisted on loading more explosives. Due to their similar personalities, Chopper and AP-5 got on well. This led Sabine to once remark that the two droids came from the same supply schedule. AP-5 initially did not get on well with the Lasat Garazeb Orrelios and regarded him as a heavy-lifting grunt. AP-5 could also be caustic towards Zeb and once joked about teaching him how to count. In return, Zeb found AP-5's attention to detail fastidious and long-winded. Later, AP-5 gained a better appraisal of Zeb after witnessing the Lasat's combat prowess against the E-XD infiltrator droid EXD-9.
AP-5 displayed team spirit when he helped Ezra and Chopper during a mission to rescue Agent Kallus. AP-5 managed to fool several stormtroopers and Lieutenant Lyste into believing that he and Chopper were unwilling passengers aboard Ezra's stolen shuttle. The Imperials did not suspect AP-5's deception since he was still in the livery of an RA-7 protocol droid. AP-5 used his knowledge of Imperial starships and procedures to help the rebels obtain a new set of clearance codes that allowed Kanan and Rex's landing craft to land on Grand Admiral Thrawn's flagship Chimaera.
AP-5 at times could be arrogant and condescending even to his friend Chopper. He once took pride with the fact that he had been assigned by Hera to steal a set of clearance codes from the Empire and took offense that Chopper should be upset. AP-5 annoyed Wedge Antilles by his acidic nature and attention to detail. AP-5 used his guile to convince the inventory droid PZ-7 that he was her replacement and mocked her for believing his ruse. As a rebel agent, AP-5 was a perfectionist who was meticulous with his work.
Due to his knowledge of Imperial protocol and his observation skills, AP-5 was one of the first to realize that Chopper had been compromised by the Empire. AP-5 found his moment of solitude with space and befriended a herd of baby neebray. He was upset that his moment of solitude was disturbed by his rescue at the hands of his fellow Ghost crew. AP-5 was also slow to forgive Chopper for the actions he had committed under his Imperial reprogramming and opined that he was still compromised. This prompted an angry outburst from the exasperated Chopper, who had been through a rough day.
As an RA-7 protocol droid, AP-5 had an insectoid head and a blue metallic body. He had a masculine programming and served as an analyst droid for the Republic and later as an inventory droid for the Empire. Due to his position, he was aware about Imperial fleet movements and star charts. AP-5 used this knowledge to help the rebellion to find a safe haven on Atollon. As an inventory droid, AP-5 was fastidious when it came to details. He also knew how to operate machinery, charge up, and reprogram other droids. AP-5 was also an ingenious tactician who conceived a plan to conceal Chopper Base from the Empire by sending a bomb-rigged EXD-9 to blow up a Star Destroyer. As a former Imperial droid, AP-5 was familiar with the layout of Imperial ships and knew how to obtain clearance codes.
Due to his mechanical body, AP-5 was capable of surviving zero gravity space. His metallic body could also double as a magnet for climbing on ships in space.
AP-5 is voiced by Stephen Stanton, who based his portrayal on the late British actor Alan Rickman. He is named after producer Athena Yvette Portillo, and his name also references her height. According to brand manager Pablo Hidalgo, AP-5 left the Empire because they were going to turn him into scrap. Despite joining the rebels, he chaffed under their chaotic and disorganized state due to his love for cataloging items and structure. AP-5's actor Stanton also confirmed during an interview with Andi Gutierrez on Rebels Recon that they had included AP-5's singing moment as part of the script for "Double Agent Droid." Show director Dave Filoni clarified that AP-5's encounter with the neebrays and song was intended to give a light-hearted ending to a "filler episode."