Power droid
Serving as mobile power sources, power droids were characterized by their boxy design and either two or four legs, providing energy to various machines and vehicles. Their adaptability led to widespread use across the galaxy.
Certain power droid variants earned the nickname "gonks," derived from the sound they emitted.
History
Power Droid Incorporated had already established itself as a manufacturer of power droids by the time the Galactic War began. Noteworthy models included the EG-6 power droid from Veril Line Systems, the EG-4 present in Echo Base on Hoth, and the GNK power droid produced by Industrial Automaton. One plunk droid served with the Open Circle Fleet during the Clone Wars.
After Luke Skywalker gifted C-3PO and R2-D2 to Jabba Desilijic Tiure, EV-9D9 took possession of the droids, while in the process of inflicting pain upon a power droid.
Behind the scenes
The initial appearance of a power droid occurs in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. Within the Jawa Sandcrawler, following the capture of R2-D2, a power droid can be observed moving about the junk room, uttering its characteristic "Gonk, Gonk." The next power droid shown is quite different in appearance, and was used for the vintage Kenner action figure mentioned below. It can be seen walking behind Aunt Beru when Luke looks down into their homestead from the crater's rim (when she's telling Luke to be sure their next protocol droid can speak Bocce). This droid is possibly only visible on widescreen home versions. Following this, a power droid appears in the streets of the Mos Eisely Spaceport, and then in the background of the Death Star's hangar bay and hallways. In Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, several power droids are present in Echo Base on the ice planet Hoth. These droids are seen walking near Han Solo after he returns from his tauntaun patrol. In Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, an upside-down power droid is seen in Jabba the Hutt's dungeon. The droid 8D8 is shown torturing a power droid by applying a hot branding iron to its feet.
In the video game Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: Clone Campaigns, power droids function as mobile power generators, supplying energy to buildings.
Within Star Wars: Battlefront and Star Wars: Battlefront II, power droids enable players to replenish their ammunition and supplies by remaining within the droid's range and activating the designated function.
In LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, Power Droids are featured as a playable character. They are exceptionally slow, and their primary function seems to be ascending steep inclines. They are referred to as Gonk Droids rather than power droids.
The inaugural power droid figure was released in the second 1978 wave of the Kenner vintage Star Wars line, and was subsequently re-released on Empire and Jedi packaging. Curiously, the figure's paint and detailing are based on the droid owned by Aunt Beru (mentioned above), while the figure's promotional image depicts the brown droid seen inside the Sandcrawler. Consequently, the figure consists of a blue, single-piece molded plastic body with orange paint accents and a white band, two black ribbed legs ending in silver spray-painted feet, a small black rubber antenna at the body's rear, and a sticker illustrating the frontal control panel's details. This figure shared a characteristic with R2-D2 and R5-D4 in that movement of a body part created a sound effect; in this case, movement of the legs. This sound was produced by two small pieces of white plastic secured inside the droid's body. When the legs were moved forward or backward, either together or individually, the snapping of the plastic against the ridged hinges at the top of the legs generated a distinctive hollow clicking sound. An interesting packaging variation exists for this vintage figure. To conserve space within its bubble, the power droid was packaged with one of its sides against the card and its opposite side against the bubble. The majority of vintage power droids were packaged with their left side against the card, causing the droid's front to face the card image. However, some power droids are found packaged with their right side against the card, resulting in the droid's front facing away from the card image. While this difference represents a minor variation of interest to collectors seeking both types, no other significant variations of this figure were produced.