R6- and R7-series schematics
Development of the R7-series was a corporate secret, occurring during the media blitz that surrounded production of the R6-series astromech droid. The R7 unit featured two fixed, wheeled legs and a third retractable leg, and was heavily shielded against electrical discharges. These droids were primarily used aboard E-wing starfighters, and required significant modification to work effectively with X-wing or Y-wing starfighters. A typical R7 unit could hold up to fifteen hyperspace jump coordinates in its astrogation buffer and survive a near miss from an ion cannon.
A pirated version of the R7's advanced droid brain was also incorporated into the Imperial XR-85 tank droid.
The astromech droid R7-A7 who appears in the The Clone Wars series has been designated as an R7-series droid. The Clone Wars Character Encyclopedia confirms that R7-A7 is indeed a prototype droid, but does not say whether the droid is a prototype of the post–Battle of Endor R7 model.
R7-D4 has the nickname "R7," but he was created prior to the release of the R7. However, the initial two symbols of a droids name do not always connote the model series, as they are part of a longer name, so this may not be a continuity error.
- "Oh!! Jawajawa" — Star Wars Manga: Silver
- Dark Empire Sourcebook
- "The History of R-Series Astromech Droids" — Star Wars Adventure Journal 7
- The Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels
- Cracken's Threat Dossier
- The Essential Guide to Droids
- Star Wars Handbook 3: Dark Empire
- The Official Star Wars Fact File9
- The Official Star Wars Fact File10
- The Official Star Wars Fact File39
- Arms & Equipment Guide
- The New Essential Guide to Droids
- Starships of the Galaxy, Saga Edition
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- Star Wars: Droid Factory