P2 units were 2.2 meters tall astromech droids with three wheeled legs, a rotating head dome, and retractable manipulator arms. The design was not successful at this point; the P2 droids were cumbersome, sluggish, clumsy, and slow to learn. The droids were fitted with primitive Intellex ship-configuration computers, and were able to communicate only through the use of its video display screen or computer link. Design glitches were common in these units, including a poorly-coded maneuverability routine that made the P2 ungainly.
Schematics for a P2-series astromech droid.
Despite its many faults, the P2 proved popular among star captains in the Old Republic shipping fleet. The P2 unit was a capable maintenance droid, with a buzz saw and laser cutter that made it handy for repair work. Because of its size, the P2 was commonly found aboard large bulk cruisers or container vessels.
Industrial Automaton was in the process of finalizing plans to make the P2-series publicly available when the company ran into trouble. Industrial Automaton was hit with a technology-infringement lawsuit, and though the case was eventually dropped, legal delays and bad publicity forced the company to scrap the P2 design. While the lawsuit was in the Galactic Republic court system, Industrial Automaton rushed out a replacement model, the R1 unit, by recycling the shells of existing Mark II reactor drone. By the time of the settlement, the P2 design innovations were scaled down and incorporated into the new R2 unit.
For the P2 droid's first appearance in the roleplaying game game supplement, Black Ice, artist Bob Dvorak based his illustration on early Ralph McQuarrie concept art of R2-D2.
A P2 unit
- "The History of R-Series Astromech Droids" — Star Wars Adventure Journal 7
- Cynabar's Fantastic Technology: Droids
- The Essential Guide to Droids
- The Official Star Wars Fact File9
- The Official Star Wars Fact File21
- Arms & Equipment Guide
- Inside the Worlds of Star Wars Trilogy
- Star Wars: Complete Locations
- The New Essential Guide to Droids
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- The Clone Wars Campaign Guide