EX droids, also known as Ee-Ex comm droids, or Eeex, were a model of communications droid used during the High Republic Era to communicate across the galaxy. One such droid was used by a Republic Pathfinder team that discovered treasure; however, when the team was all killed during a pirate raid, the droid's whereabouts were unknown for centuries afterward until it surfaced again in the possession of a descendant of a member of the expedition, becoming sought-after as it pointed to the treasure.
EX droids were communications droids with beige plating along with blue- and copper-colored plating at their tops, disc-shaped chassis, and a photoreceptor on top. The droids had several manipulator arms attached to a spindle that could be used while they hovered as well as an antenna.
The droids were used during the High Republic Era by communications teams to communicate across the galaxy. Specifically utilized by teams of Republic Pathfinders, who would travel to the Outer Rim Territories, the droids would be sent back with coordinates of Outer Rim worlds.
Dexter Jettster (pictured) taught Servit about the EX droids' history.
One Ee-Ex droid was used during a Pathfinder expedition, with the Jedi Sturm Umbrik recording a message to send to an individual named Janssen regarding the expedition's discovery of treasure. However, they were subsequently all killed in a pirate attack, and the droid ended up as an heirloom, being passed down in the family of an individual on the expedition.
During the era of the Galactic Republic, a descendant of the individual, the Mirialan Servit, tried to figure out if the old EX droid was worth anything. He accidentally revealed it to the Weequay Jarl, who, knowing the story of Umbrik, tried to take it for himself. Servit ran off with the droid and ended up at Dex's Diner, where he had his friend Dexter Jettster, the owner of the eatery, take a look at it. Jettster, who also knew of Umbrik's tale, explained its value to Servit and helped him fend off Jarl and his crew when they caught up to the Mirialan. After a short skirmish, they all listened to Umbrik's holorecording, and once Jettster tricked Jarl into thinking that the treasure had been destroyed, Servit set off to follow the coordinates provided by the Ee-Ex droid and find the treasure for himself.
EX droids were created for Phase II of the Star Wars: The High Republic multimedia series, revealed in a High Republic panel at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim on May 26, 2022. According to author Cavan Scott, Lucasfilm Story Group member Pablo Hidalgo suggested a "Pony Express droid," referencing the nineteenth-century pony-drawn mail system, which led to the droids' creation. Scott also compared the droids to how drama writers try to break cellphones early on so that they do not present an easy way out of a situation—faraway individuals would not be able to rely on high-speed communication.
Prior to their High Republic debut, EX droids first appeared in "Galactic Tales: Inheritance," an installment of the Galactic Tales series of short stories. The story was written by George Mann and was published in the Star Wars Insider magazine's 211th issue on June 7, 2022.