B1-series battle droid

B1-series battle droids were humanoid fourth class battle droids measuring 1.93 meters tall. The OOM-series battle droid was a mark of the B1-series. While 631 model B1 battle droids were a more cheaply made model. Unlike early B1 battle droids, later B1s were able to operate without a central command signal. Central Control Computer were located in an orbiting Droid Control Ship, and Central Control Computers were used because the budget-minded Trade Federation saved the production costs of thousands of individual droids. By the time B1s were being used by the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the B1 battle droid had been reworked to not require a central command signal to operate, and these later B1s that did not require a control ship were capable of limited independent thought, and B1s not programmed by central computers saw themselves as "independent thinkers." Despite the new model within the Separatist Droid Army there were still older B1 models programmed by central computers used, such as RB-551, a B1 battle droid who served as part as a droid patrol during the Battle of Ryloth. Central Control Computers still did see use due to battle droids that required them, as was on the Subjugator-class heavy cruiser, Malevolence, but the battle droids of the Separatists had been upgraded by the Geonosians to possess autonomous thinking.

The humanoid physiques of the B1 model were specifically commissioned by the Trade Federation for practical reasons. The humanoid form allowed B1s to operate existing machinery, vehicles, and weapons originally designed for organic operators and pilots, saving the Federation unnecessary production costs and retrofitting. B1s could pilot Single Trooper Aerial Platforms, Armored Assault Tanks, Multi-Troop Transports, and Federation battleships, among other vessels. B1 battle droids' limited programming meant they were not always effective at these types of jobs, however. During the Ambush on Rugosa, a B1 battle droid at the controls of the laser cannons on a Munificent-class star frigate missed every shot it fired at Republic escape pods. When the B1 battle droid was confronted about this by the OOM command battle droid in command of the frigate, the droid told the commanding officer that it had missed due to flawed programming it suffered. The limited programming of the B1 battle droids also made them unfit to serve many of the jobs they were tasked with on the advanced Subjugator-class heavy cruiser Malevolence, during the Malevolence Campaign.

The body of the B1 battle droid was also designed so the unit could be able to fold into a compact stowed configuration. One of the uses of this configuration was storage for transport, as in this configuration one hundred and twelve B1 battle droids could be stored into a Multi-Troop Transport. B1 battle droids could also fold into this configuration when they were low on power and needed to close down to recharge. When the B1s were activated, the limbs of the B1s unfolded first, and their long neck unfolded last. B1 battle droids were also designed to resemble their Geonosian creators, and were able to be produced cheaply. The cheap price tag of the B1s often allowed multiple battalions of B1 battle droids to be sacrificed for a victory without concern.

B1 battle droids had a comlink just below their head, and their photoreceptors could switch to an infrared mode. B1 battle droids had the ability to pick up electromagnetic fields, such as the small fields generated from holoprojectors. B1 battle droids possessed simple vocabulators, which gave the majority of B1s high-pitched voices, but other B1s spoke in lower, more monotone voices. B1 battle droids could exhibit various tones of voice, such as fear, confusion, and excitement. These also were examples of the B1 battle droid's "personality quirks," which were the result of programming glitches in the B1 battle droids.

Inexpensive yet durable metal protected the droid's signal-receiver assembly. However, this metal did not protect B1 battle droids against blaster fire or lightsabers well, and these weapons could easily defeat a B1. Another weak point in the droids, which could be aimed for by snipers, were the droid's capacitors, and hitting between the B1's capacitors could take out the unit. Despite these tactics often utilized by the Republic, Clone Captain Rex informed the Onderon rebels that the only true way to take out a battle droid was to take out their head, and Rex stated this was because the droids didn't even require their bodies to report intel back to command.

The B1 was designed to be easily controlled, inexpensive to mass-produce, and unquestioningly obedient; however B1s often questioned their orders. This could be observed during the Battle of Quell, in which T-series tactical droid TF-1726 gave the order to destroy Republic Jedi General Aayla Secura's Venator-class Star Destroyer. A B1 battle droid disagreed with this, mentioning that there were still hundreds of droids aboard the cruiser. These droids had been sent to attack the Republic Star Destroyer earlier in the battle, but TF-1726 responded that he didn't care, and ignored the B1's protest, so the B1 followed its orders to fire on the enemy ship. Another example of this was when a B1 questioned the hired bounty hunter Cad Bane's decision not to launch reinforcements to the vulture droids engaging Republic forces during the Battle of Devaron. Later during the battle, two B1s were concerned over their orders to defend the ship's bridge. The droids knew only the few droids stationed on the bridge would be defending against two incoming Jedi. During a sandstorm in the final acts of the Second Battle of Geonosis, O.M.5 and another B1 battle droid questioned where Separatist Council member Poggle the Lesser was leading them, but the pair continued to follow him for as long as they could.

These examples of B1s questioning and commenting on their orders all additionally served as examples of the "banter" and other comments that the B1 battle droids would often make. Other examples were when two B1 battle droids spoke on the battlesphere they were stationed on, Skytop Station, as one needed to get its head adjusted due to high amounts of moisture. Another example came when a group of B1 battle droids talked about how they believed they were superior models to the older RB-551.

B1 battle droids also made other types of comments on duty, such as one B1 battle droid commenting on the beauty of the planet Hissrich, and another insulting Republic clone troopers during the Battle of Teth, calling the clones of Torrent Company "Republic dogs." One B1 battle droid seemingly saw itself as being above the astromech droids of D-Squad, as it called them "stupid astromechs." These "personality quirks" displayed by B1 battle droids were the result of programming glitches the droids suffered. B1 battle droids proved to be extremely dim-witted, but no attempt was made to fix these issues, as the droids were still able to use their swarm tactics, and advanced programming was not required for this.

Individual B1 battle droids were not effective soldiers against enemies like clone troopers in combat, and so the B1 primarily relied on mass-assault tactics to achieve victory, but the cheap cost of the B1 battle droid made this a viable tactic for military use. Although later models were capable of limited independent thought, B1 battle droids had a limited intelligence compared to other soldiers and required a superior commander to lead them effectively in battle. Motion-capture data from highly trained organic droids allowed the B1 to demonstrate an array of combat stances, positions, and maneuvers. Despite their advantages, B1s were just as vulnerable to EMP weapons as other droids. The Gungan Grand Army used this tactic during the Battle of Naboo when they used boomas against the Trade Federation Droid Army, and, during the Clone Wars, the Republic also used this advantage. Clone troopers used Electro Magnetic Pulse grenades, which were nicknamed "droid poppers" by the clones, against B1s and other battle droids, and the Republic would develop the electro-proton bomb, which could short-circuit an entire droid army.

In the field, B1 droids often utilized E-5 blaster rifles and wore comlink booster packs. The droids were also able to use electrobinoculars and thermal detonators on the field. During the Battle of Ryloth, two B1s in Nabat used electropoles to force Gutkurrs to move to attack Ghost Company. B1 battle droids were programmed to never surrender, but the droids were also able to focus on self-preservation, and they could attempt to escape their possible destruction. B1 battle droids outranked the astromech droids used by the Confederacy, and B1 battle droids were able to hold military ranks such as sergeant and lieutenant. B1 battle droids could also serve as scouts for military operations and as gunners to operate heavy artillery, such as the laser cannons on Armored Assault Tanks. B1 battle droids were able to operate in space.

B1 battle droids would be manufactured by Baktoid Combat Automata and Baktoid Armor Workshop, and the latter would approach the Geonosians to build battle droids and other weapons. The Geonosians designed the B1 battle droids, and B1s were constructed in their droid foundries on Geonosis. This allowed countless droids to be produced at one time. Archduke Poggle the Lesser also received backing from the Trade Federation's mysterious benefactor Darth Sidious, and millions of B1 battle droids were produced on Geonosis for the Trade Federation.

In 32 BBY, Prop 31-814D made Free Trade Zones eligible for taxation, and in retaliation the Trade Federation initiated a blockade of the planet Naboo. The Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn were sent to negotiate with the Federation, but the negotiations were thwarted when Darth Sidious contacted Viceroy Nute Gunray and ordered him to kill the Jedi. Although the two Jedi were able to escape, the Trade Federation sent an invasion force to Naboo in hopes of forcing Queen Padmé Amidala to sign a treaty which would legitimize the occupation. At the end of the occupation B1s fought against the Gungan Grand Army at the Great Grass Plains during the Battle of Naboo, and did gain the upper hand. This was truly a distraction to draw the main droid forces away from Naboo's capital city of Theed, which had been occupied since its capture by the Federation. In Theed they fought against the Royal Naboo Security Forces under the command of the Queen of Naboo, Padmé Amidala. The droids were ultimately shut down at the end of the occupation during the Battle of Naboo when the Trade Federation's orbiting Droid Control Ship was destroyed by the young Force-sensitive pilot Anakin Skywalker.

The Trade Federation lost thousands of B1 battle droids due to the Battle of Naboo, and the defeat showed the faults of the B1. It was clear that the B1 could effectively bully civilians, but the droid was not a match for trained soldiers. The lessons learned from Naboo led the Techno Union to develop the B2 super battle droid. Super battle droids were a heavy infantry model of droid designed solely for combat, but also would also see other uses. The Trade Federation would come to ally itself with the growing Confederacy of Independent Systems. By the Clone Wars, Separatist leaders had come to see networked control centers for B1s as a vulnerability, and the reliance on a central command signal, the tactic that had cost the Federation the Battle of Naboo, eventually was removed from the B1 battle droids. The new model of B1 that did not need a control ship to operate were capable of limited independent thought, and the newer B1s regarded themselves as "independent thinkers." Older models controlled by central computers still saw use, despite the newer model of B1, and the computers were used to give commands to droids performing complicated technical duties.

In 22 BBY, ten years after the Battle of Naboo, the Federation provided B1 battle droid forces to the Confederacy of Independent Systems, a secessionist movement composed of wealthy industrialists and disgruntled citizens of the Outer Systems, and the Confederacy's Droid Army. The Separatist Crisis soon broke into full war at the First Battle of Geonosis, and the Separatists officially waged war against the Galactic Republic and its newly released clone army in a conflict known as the Clone Wars. During the Clone Wars, B1 battle droids were the most common form of battle droid, to the point where billions of B1s were fielded over the course of the conflict, and there were often one hundred B1 battle droids on a battlefield for every one B2 super battle droid. However, despite their numbers, they were not as effective as the experienced clone troopers of the Republic. During the war, many Separatist leaders grew angry at the failures of the B1, particularly the Supreme Commander of the Droid Army, General Grievous. B1 battle droids were used throughout the entire conflict, and, when not used on the front lines, this model of droid could be as security on Separatist worlds and military locations like ships and bases.

At one point, B1 battle droids were among the Separatist Army at the Battle of Horain. While Obi-Wan Kenobi and Captain Rex were trying to get back to the Resolute, a blaster bolt deflected by Obi-Wan hit a B1 in the head, causing it to short-circuit and switch sides, fighting for the Republic. In addition to their use against the Republic in the war, the droids also saw action against other enemies of the Confederacy. Enemies like these were the Nightsisters at the Battle of Dathomir and Darth Maul's Shadow Collective during the Confederacy's campaign against the group Throughout the war, the droids were referred to as "clankers" and "tinnies" by Republic forces.

Between 22 BBY and 19 BBY, a group of battle droids were present on the uninhabited Opop Hibbedit. A tactical droid decided they should continue their search elsewhere, and the group left in an MTT, with one falling out into the jungle below, due to unsecured straps. He eventually rejoined his squad, only to fall out again.

The wide-scale use of droids in combat led to an increase in anti-droid propaganda and rhetoric following the Clone Wars. The B1 battle droid and other droids built solely for warfare were outlawed by the Galactic Empire, the totalitarian state that replaced the Republic, in the wake of the destructive Clone Wars. Orders were given to stormtroopers to shoot and destroy the droids on sight. After the Clone Wars, the B1s became a rare sight and were remembered as an incompetent fighting force. Nevertheless, the leftover battle droids could still be dangerous to those who were unwary. The super tactical droid General Kalani continued to command a large garrison of battle droids and droidekas at a wrecked Separatist supply ship on Agamar. These droids had not been given the shut-down code issued years prior, as Kalani had believed it was a Republic trick. After the rebel group known as the Spectres—joined by Captain Rex—made contact with the Separatist remnant, the two forces joined to fight off an Imperial attack. With the aid of two Jedi, Kalani and several of his B1 battle droids were able to escape the planet in a Sheathipede-class transport shuttle. Due to this mission, Kalani and Rex came to an unofficial end to the Clone Wars, which they both accepted as the war's end.

On the planet Koboh, B1 battledroids and other former Seperatist forces were reprogrammed and used as soldiers by the Bedlam Raiders.

At one point during the Imperial Era, two B1 battle droids and one B2 battle droid fought with a group of Jawas against two Outer Rim Territories traders and a squad of Imperial stormtroopers, including an Imperial officer. All three groups were trying to steal Tusken Wind from a Tusken Raider camp in the Dune Sea, and a shootout broke out between them.

Between 3 ABY and 4 ABY, a B1-Series battle droid that was missing its arms and legs and three super battle droids could be seen at Slade's Repairs while the bounty hunter Valance was getting his cybernetics fixed. After Valance and Cadeliah escaped from Zuckuss and 4-LOM's attack, Zuckuss figured that the battle droids would be of use.

During the Galactic Civil War, several B1 battle droids were among the rebuilt battle droids in the workshop owned by Ruen on the Wreck Belt. Ruen notably did not treat his droids well but kept them controlled through control loops and ethical programming he installed into them. Ruen activated many of his battle droids, including B1 battle droids and B2 super battle droids, to apprehend the assassin droids 0-0-0 and BT-1 while the two were there for business. BT-1 quickly destroyed all of the droids Ruen had activated, and Ruen was forced to help the two assassin droids. After this was done, however, BT-1 was able to hack into the remaining droids and remove the restraints Ruen had placed, which 0-0-0 viewed as an act of emancipation. Ruen tried to contact Quarantine World III to report about 0-0-0, but the remaining now-freed B1s and other battle droids turned on him. The droids killed Ruen and destroyed the workshop as BT-1 and 0-0-0 watched from a distance. As the two left the Wreck Belt they discussed how they believed that if organics treated droids better, violence between droids and organics wouldn't be necessary.

At some point before the Battle of Endor, Emperor Palpatine acquired a B1 battle droid to be put on display inside the Palpatine Archive.

When several thugs saw the modified battle droid Mister Bones deployed by Temmin Wexley on Akiva against them during the time in the last months of the Galactic Civil War they laughed at the droid due to the model's history of failures. However, this droid was modified, and proved to be very effective.

The planet Plazir-15 had several B1 battle droids repurposed for civilian duties, with one serving as a foreman overseeing numerous B2 super battle droids.

Following the fall of the Empire, some surviving Imperials, Grand Admiral Rae Sloane among them, fled into the Unknown Regions and secretly prepared a return to galactic power by reforming themselves into the Empire's successor state, the First Order. The Resurgent-class Star Destroyer was developed by Kuat-Entralla Engineering and saw heavy use as the Star Destroyer of the First Order Navy. At some point, a group of at least four B1 battle droids fought in a confrontation in the hangar of a Resurgent-class Star Destroyer. Though one of the units was blasted, the other three B1s kept up their blasterfire.

Some B1 battle droids included the OOM command battle droids OOM-9 and 224. Among the B1 battle droids leftover from the Clone Wars was a unit that went rogue, taking a neutral, albeit malevolent, role in galactic affairs by becoming a bounty hunter. By the time he was involved in a battle, the B1 was heavily modified, with at least his upper body looking almost entirely different from that of his brethren. The bounty hunter B1 was also equipped with a red cape and a vibroblade, which had the word "armblade" written on it. During the Galactic Civil War, the modified battle droid Mister Bones served as a companion to Temmin Wexley. Following the Rebellion on Akiva, Bones along with Temmin joined the New Republic. Another B1 battle droid was R0-GR, a veteran of the Clone Wars who later served the Freemakers.

Fighting in uniformity, the B1 was only distinguished by numerical markings on the back of their comlink booster packs. Command structure and function was designated by distinct, colored markings on their armor. These units, the OOM-series battle droids, were denoted by color. Blue denoted pilot droids, red denoted security droids, and yellow denoted command droids.

• —A B1 variant equipped with green markings that were specialized in operating AATs.
• —A B1 battle droid series that specialized in melee combat; only used by the Bedlam Raiders in times after the Clone Wars.
• —Standard B1 droids that were specifically modified to hunt down escape pods in space. They donned rocket packs and were distinguished by their orange and black colored bodies.
• —A B1 variant that were specialized in hand-to-hand combat and had white and green plating.
• —A variant of the B1 that was specifically designed and used for reconnaissance.
• —A B1 variant that utilized a repeating blaster. The droid had the same markings as the standard B1 battle droid.
• —A variant of the B1 that used a missile launcher, and this variant had the same markings as the standard B1 battle droid.
• —Modified B1 battle droids created by Karina.
• —B1s tasked to suppress and extinguish fires. Firefighter droids were positioned aboard the Malevolence during the Republic's assault on the vessel. Their bodies were mostly colored black with yellow stripes, and a single red spot could be found on their heads.
• —B1s who served as grenadiers.
• —B1s designed to support heavy fire in battle. Armed with E-5Cs, these battle droids were capable of wielding heavy weaponry such as Z-6 rotary blaster cannons. They were identifiable by the overall gray body and dark red paintings.

B1 battle droids first appeared in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.

In the mid-1990s, Doug Chiang's earliest designs of the battle droids were a nod to the helmets worn by the stormtroopers of the original trilogy, suggesting the evolution of large-scale combat in the Star Wars galaxy. The finished droid's proportions are reminiscent of African sculpture. Early design had towering droids twice the height of humans, but subsequent iterations brought their height down to human size.

The opening of E. K. Johnston's 2019 novel Queen's Shadow depicts the capture of Padmé Amidala and members of her royal entourage during the Invasion of Naboo at the hands of a group of Trade Federation droids. While the text does not specify what model of droid these units are, the history gallery for the battle droid's entry on the StarWars.com Databank had previously confirmed B1-series droids had captured Amidala, meaning these units must in fact be B1s. The next novel in Johnston's series came with the prequel Queen's Peril in 2020. While it too does not specify what battle droid models appear throughout it, the book adapts a number of scenes from Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. As The Phantom Menace visually depicted B1s as being the battle droids in many of the scenes adapted by the novel, B1s can also be confirmed to appear in Queen's Peril.

Darth Vader (2020) 8 and Darth Vader (2020) 9 introduced the Droid Crush Pirates of Bestoon and showcased that many of its members are droids that use B1 parts for their bodies. When the Droid Crush returned in Adam Christopher's novel Shadow of the Sith, several of the units were described as being "almost skeletal" droids with "large, almost bulbous" heads, matching the depiction of the B1-derived droid pirates seen in Star Wars: Darth Vader. Christopher confirmed on Twitter that those droids seen in the novel are the same as those pictured in the comics. Christopher also confirmed several droids in Kiza's droid army were B1 battle droids.

The 2018 reference book Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary, New Edition first identified the OOM-series battle droid and stated they had been created before the B1-series. However, 2015's Ultimate Star Wars and 2019's Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition both contain battle droid pages that list the model as B1. Therefore, all information on the page applies to the B1 battle droid, but the section also mentions the security, pilot, and command droids that The Complete Visual Dictionary treated as predecessors. Additionally, both versions of Ultimate Star Wars state that OOM-9 is an OOM command battle droid and a B1. Another 2019 reference book, Star Wars Character Encyclopedia, New Edition, similarly included a battle droid page that listed the droid type as a B1, but it also included information on pilot battle droids. Star Wars Battlefront II and Star Wars: Droidography both also state B1s served as pilot droids. The battle droid Databank entry on StarWars.com does not mention a difference in model despite including information involving B1s and OOMs. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary later established that the OOM-series was a mark of the B1 line. Given that the majority of sources treat the OOM-series as part of the B1-series, this article assumes Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary, New Edition is incorrect.

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