BX-series commando droids, which are also referred to as BX-series commando droids, BX commando droids, BX droids, or simply commando droids, represented a sophisticated line of commando battle droids. These droids were deployed by the Confederacy of Independent Systems throughout the duration of the Clone Wars. Engineered for covert operations and combat deep within enemy territory, they additionally served in roles such as security, [bodyguard](/article/bodyguard] duty, and as enforcers for prominent figures within the Separatist faction. Possessing a reputation for being merciless, deadly, and highly adaptable, these droids struck fear into the hearts of Republic clone troopers, and their presence in squads had the potential to significantly alter the course of battles. They were capable of challenging even a skilled Jedi, and they proved to be formidable adversaries for some of the most elite clones. However, their high production cost limited their deployment in large numbers.
As members of a sophisticated droid lineage, BX-series droids showcased heightened adaptability, superior intelligence, and enhanced durability compared to their B1-series counterparts. Their programming incorporated advanced combat strategies and heightened battlefield awareness, complemented by distinctive glowing white photoreceptors. Commando droid captains, along with other commando droids holding high-ranking positions, were distinguished by white markings on their heads and chests. The design of these units prioritized both infiltration capabilities and intense combat situations, with programming tailored for combat engagements, assassination missions, and clandestine infiltration operations. The BX unit ND-5 would later reflect that, as a battle droid, his focus was solely on executing orders and eliminating designated targets, without regard for the underlying reasons behind his actions. ND-5 harbored concerns that he would forever be confined to the role of a hunter and destroyer, but his companion Kay Vess reassured him that he was capable of being more than just a war machine. The construction of a BX unit involved a titanium-reinforced steel alloy, which served as robust armor resistant to blaster fire. BX units assigned to security duties within the Spire prison received additional plating made of cortosis.
The more streamlined head design of commando droids, in contrast to the B1 models, allowed them to wear Phase I clone trooper armor for infiltration purposes. Their robust armor provided increased resilience, enabling them to withstand multiple direct hits from a DC-15A blaster carbine, although a point-blank shot to the head with an ELG-3A blaster pistol could instantly neutralize them. Furthermore, commando droids demonstrated exceptional agility and acrobatic abilities, exhibiting faster movement and reaction times compared to standard battle droids, including performing multiple flips. They even possessed the capacity to continue fighting even after sustaining significant injuries, such as having their legs severed by a lightsaber, a stark contrast to the vulnerability of standard B1 battle droids, which could be easily disabled by simply knocking them over.
To enhance their infiltration effectiveness, commando droids could modify their vocabulators to mimic the voices of clone troopers. However, their awkward movements while wearing armor and their unconventional responses to orders (typically "roger, roger," a common phrase among battle droids) often betrayed their disguise to observant individuals. Commando droids also possessed considerable strength, as evidenced by one instance where a commando droid lifted Clone Captain Rex by his neck. They were proficient in close-quarters combat, utilizing vibroswords and exhibiting remarkable agility, allowing them to evade blaster fire and surprise their adversaries. Despite their numerous advancements over standard B1 battle droids, the higher production costs associated with commando droids meant that the B1 remained the primary infantry unit for the Confederacy.
One commando droid once claimed to have been manufactured five "cycles" before the Clone Wars even commenced, which would have made that particular commando droid older than its fellow battle droids. Nevertheless, the BX-series was regarded as "new" in 22 BBY, during the early stages of the Clone Wars. In fact, the BX was undergoing preliminary testing early in the conflict. During this evaluation phase, the forces of General Grievous took note of the successful BX trials. Acting on Grievous's behalf, the droid C-5DS contacted the Akiva production plant to place an advance order for twelve thousand BX commando droids for deployment within Grievous's forces. At least one commando droid participated in the Battle of Antar 4, where the BX unit performed admirably.
In 22 BBY, at a time when commando droids were still considered a relatively recent development in the Clone Wars, General Grievous deployed commando droids to infiltrate and seize control of the Republic's Rishi Moon Station. Initially, the droids arrived in a Droch-class boarding ship and, after ambushing the deck officer, CT-327, they forcibly entered the base and eliminated Clone Sergeant O'Niner and all of his men, with the exception of four clones who managed to escape through a ventilation shaft. They maintained control of the station until Clone Commander Cody and Clone Captain Rex arrived to inspect the station. Together with the survivors of the Rishi Station unit, Cody and Rex successfully reclaimed the listening post from the commando droids and destroyed them.
However, droid reinforcements arrived at the station, prompting one of the station's clone troopers, Hevy, to sacrifice himself to destroy the base. The commando droids had hard-wired the base's all-clear signal, making the only way to alert the Republic of an impending Separatist attack on Kamino the destruction of the station. But, the detonator failed to connect with the tibanna that was intended to destroy the station. This compelled Hevy to activate it manually, resulting in his sacrifice for what a clone trooper could consider home. The base was destroyed, and the Republic ceased receiving the all-clear signal, which alerted them to a potential problem. A Republic fleet arrived at the Rishi moon, forcing Grievous and his fleet, outgunned, to retreat.
At least two commando droids were stationed in Lessu during the Battle of Ryloth. Their mission was to prevent the ARF troopers Stak and Razor from activating the plasma bridge, but they were ultimately defeated. The two ARF troopers successfully activated the bridge, leading to the Republic's capture of Lessu, aided by the Twi'lek Resistance. Separatist leader Wat Tambor was apprehended, bringing an end to the Separatist occupation of Ryloth.
General Grievous utilized commando droids during his boarding of Jedi Council member Eeth Koth's flagship, the Steadfast, resulting in Koth's capture. Subsequently, in the Saleucami system, Grievous and his tactical droid, TV-94, employed them against fellow Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi, Adi Gallia, and Anakin Skywalker as they attempted to rescue Koth from Grievous. Later, a pair of commando droids acted as snipers after Grievous was forced to crash-land on Saleucami's surface. One of the droids shot Captain Rex as he approached them leading a speeder patrol. The shot pierced the clone captain's armor and would have gone straight through his heart had it been two inches to the left. Both droids were promptly run down and shot by Rex's companions.
While Rex was recuperating at a farmstead, he discovered that it belonged to a clone deserter named Cut Lawquane, whose adopted children inadvertently activated a Separatist escape pod that had crashed in one of their fields. Their exploration of the pod led to them accidentally activating its complement of commando droids, who proceeded to attack the homestead as Rex and Cut defended it. Despite sustaining heavy damage, the droids put up a fierce fight against the clones and inflicted significant damage to the homestead before they were all destroyed.
The bounty hunter Cad Bane deployed a pair of commando droids when he held several members of the Galactic Senate hostage. In this operation, they successfully impersonated the Senate Commandos stationed at the entrance. They later escaped along with Bane, Ziro, and the other bounty hunters. These commando droids were adore with the Black Sun symbol and spotted a dark blue color.
Commando droids were also employed as guards at the Citadel under the command of Warden Osi Sobeck, distinguished by special yellow livery on their torsos. Their duties included guarding the prisoners, providing security, and operating the laser cannons.
The Confederate minister Rish Loo deployed commando droids against Jedi General Anakin Skywalker and Senator Padmé Amidala when his plan was exposed. Although the droids were swiftly destroyed, they provided a sufficient distraction to allow Loo to escape.
On Kiros, commando droids operated Flitknot Speeder Bikes and AATs when the Republic forces arrived. The Confederate commander Darts D'Nar had two with him as his guards when he negotiated with Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi for his surrender. Kenobi engaged D'Nar in hand-to-hand combat, diverting his attention while Jedi General Anakin Skywalker and Jedi Commander Ahsoka Tano disarmed all of D'Nar's bombs in the city. Upon learning of this, Kenobi swiftly destroyed both droids by lifting them into the air and crushing them with the Force. D'Nar escaped from Kenobi by using a bomb he had hidden in his T-series tactical droid, much to the tactical droid's horror, but Skywalker and Tano caught up to D'Nar, and he was captured by Tano.
During the Confederate–Republic peace conference at Sundari on Mandalore, commando droids served as guards to the Confederate delegation. Several then forcibly removed Onderon's Senator, Lux Bonteri, when he spoke out against Count Dooku for his part in the murder of Lux's mother. After Padawan Ahsoka Tano rescued Bonteri from his execution, the commando droids then fought the Senate Commandos under Captain Taggart when the peace conference broke down.
Commando droids were used by Grievous when Dooku ordered the destruction of the Nightsisters of Dathomir. During the Battle of Dathomir, commando droids were deployed by Grievous to combat the Nightsisters, and were with Grievous when he and his droids found Mother Talzin and Old Daka in a secret cave in the Nightsister lair. A commando droid used a rocket launcher to destroy the cave's wall, allowing Grievous and several droids to get in and eliminate the Nightsisters inside. Around that time, several commando droids fought a group of Nightsisters while Grievous fought Selena before killing the future Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth's mother. Three commando droids later chased Morgan, but she hid in a tree, fooling two of the droids, though the last one stayed back to find and fight Morgan, though the Nightsister triumphed, despite the droid's tough design. Her victory would be a small pyrrhic win however, since the Separatist Droid Army continued the massacre of the people with Grievous's laugh echoing throughout the burning land.
Several commando droids were deployed to the Onderonian capital city Iziz. They led the attack on the Onderon rebels' base in the highlands, killing many rebels alongside the new Separatist HMP droid gunship.
Several commando droids took part in Grievous's invasion of Hondo Ohnaka's Gang's base on Florrum, which left the pirate captain's base in ruins.
Admiral Trench deployed commando droids in his defense of Ringo Vinda space station. Several commando droids were also on the Maxillipede shuttle under the command of Commander Kraken used to transport clone trooper Tup from Ringo Vinda, as the trooper had mysteriously killed Jedi General Tiplar in what had been an early execution of Order 66 due to a failure in the clone's behavioral modification biochip. The droids on the shuttle were destroyed by Anakin Skywalker, Clone Captain Rex, and ARC trooper Fives, and Tup was rescued, but Kraken was eventually rebuilt. Commando droids were used by Dooku when he invaded Scipio. There, they fought Commander Thorn's detachment of the Coruscant Guard and left no survivors. A lone commando droid then apprehended Republic Senator Amidala alongside a battle droid and brought her before Count Dooku, with both droids being destroyed when Anakin Skywalker impaled them with his lightsaber.
Commando droids also participated in the Battle of Anaxes during the Outer Rim Sieges. A team of commandos arrived at the remains of a fight between battle droids and Clone Force 99, and one unit reported the unusual tactics used by this clone squad to Admiral Trench. Commando droids also arrived at a Separatist Security Outpost after it was attacked by Clone Force 99, Advanced Recon Commando Jesse, and Captain Rex. Later during the battle, General Skywalker defeated the two commando droids Trench sent against him while aboard the admiral's flagship, the Invulnerable
As with all the other battle droids, the commando droids were deactivated alongside the entire droid army when the Galactic Empire took control of the galaxy.
In the early days of the Galactic Empire, a platoon of commando droids served under the command of governor Tawni Ames of Desix. The commando droid Eighty-One was active during the Imperial Era but was destroyed during the hunt on Chandar's Folly. On the planet Koboh, commando droids and other former Separatist forces were reprogrammed and used as soldiers by the Bedlam Raiders.
Following the destruction of the first Death Star, Darth Vader faced a precarious situation, as his master, Darth Sidious, intended to replace him with the assistance of a rogue cybernetics expert named Cylo. To solidify his position and reassure his master, Vader recruited Doctor Aphra and forcefully seized control of a droid factory from Karina, utilizing it to create an army of commando droids to confront Cylo, losing half of them in the process.
Subsequently, Vader deployed his commando droids during the final battle of the War on Shu-Torun. One of Vader's assassin droids, 0-0-0, had also modified the droids to have cyber syringes in order to drain the blood of the enemy troops. Horrified at the commando units suddenly proclaiming that they would bring death to their organic foes, the enemy army surrendered. Afterward, Vader sent his droids to help 0-0-0, BT-1, and Krrsantan capture Aphra. The Tech Masters used commando droids as guards.
Later, Aphra was pursued by a monster droid bounty hunter, which was made from BX-series and B2 battle droid parts. The bounty hunter was destroyed during the skirmish on Arbiflux. The Commando droid ND-5, owned by the crime lord Jaylen Vrax, worked with Kay Vess in pulling off a heist on Sliro's Mansion. In 5 ABY, the Siniteen prison builder Golas Aram used several commando droids to guard his private compound on the planet Irudiru. The New Republic operatives Sinjir Rath Velus and Jas Emari fought and defeated several of Aram's droids with the help of the New Republic Special Forces soldier Jom Barell.
Prior to the Hosnian Cataclysm, the commando droid designated N1-ZX, also known as "Nunzix," served within the Resistance's network of spy droids in 34 ABY. This droid, Nunzix, was programmed with software prioritizing its own survival, leading to an intense self-preservation drive. Possessing a disposition marked by grumpiness and selfishness, Nunzix displayed a reluctance to endanger itself. While stationed on the planet Kaddak, it acquired intelligence concerning the First Order and the whereabouts of Supreme Leader Snoke. A mission was launched by Poe Dameron, alongside his companions C-3PO and BB-8, aimed at rescuing the droid. Nunzix exhibited minimal appreciation towards its rescuers, promising to divulge the information only upon their return to the Resistance base located on D'Qar.
Poe began to suspect that the information was a deception crafted by Agent Terex of the First Order Security Bureau, intended to ensnare the Resistance in a trap. Terex, accompanied by the Ranc Gang, pursued Poe and the droids relentlessly. N1-ZX and its saviors experienced a crash landing on an unidentified desert planet, prompting them to seek refuge within a cave. Given N1-ZX's unwillingness to engage in combat, Poe utilized a droid personality template provided by his acquaintance Temmin Wexley to override its programming. Nunzix adopted the persona of the B1 battle droid Mister Bones, proceeding to eliminate numerous members of Terex's gang before ultimately being shot down and disintegrated by Terex himself.
During combat engagements, droid commandos were equipped with a diverse array of weaponry. The E-5 blaster rifle, a standard firearm of the Droid Army, was commonly utilized. Additionally, they were known to employ vibroswords for close-quarters combat. For ground assaults, they made use of thermal detonators, while sniper rifles were employed for long-range engagements. Furthermore, the droids frequently carried stun batons. In the Battle of Dathomir, one of General Grievous' commando droids was observed wielding a missile launcher. At the Citadel, a droid commando utilized an electrostaff for torture purposes. Other droid commandos stationed at the Citadel were equipped with specialized shields and operated the cannons present there, although these cannons were typically manned by B1 battle droids. The droids also possessed the capability to mimic the voices of others, often impersonating clone troopers and Senate Commandos by donning their respective armor.
The BX-series droid commandos, which made their debut in the episode "Rookies," were conceived for the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars as an advanced technological iteration of the B1 battle droid. BX units appeared as adversaries in the video game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, in which one BX claims to have been manufactured five "cycles" before the onset of the Clone Wars. However, other instances suggest that the BX unit emerged during the war itself.