The Chiba DR-10 protocol droid, sometimes nicknamed the "Chiba Drio," was a compact, spherical protocol droid manufactured by the Chiba Corporation. It was a favorite among diplomats serving the Galactic Empire. Unlike the majority of protocol droids, the Chiba DR-10 utilized repulsorlifts for movement and was equipped with a small blaster that was hidden from view. Initially, this droid was intended to facilitate negotiations and provide translation services for legal proceedings, but it also found applications in retail establishments and at customs checkpoints.
However, the droid possessed a design flaw: it exhibited increased aggression and irritability when facing unfavorable outcomes during negotiations, and on occasion, it would deploy its blaster without prior warning. The Empire capitalized on this flaw, employing the droid for security purposes and as a probe droid. During the Galactic Civil War, a conflict between the Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic, Moff Jander Graffe utilized a pair of Chiba DR-10 droids while stationed on the planet Esseles.
The Chiba DR-10 protocol droid was a diminutive, spherical class three droid that used repulsorlifts to levitate above the ground. A concealed blaster was integrated into the droid, an uncommon feature for a protocol droid. This weapon could be rapidly deployed from a secret compartment located on the droid's underside, possessing a similar range and power to a blaster pistol. Its small size and repulsorlifts gave it considerable agility, but it had limited weight-lifting capabilities. The droid also featured a small probe for manipulating objects.
For long-range communication, the DR-10 incorporated a built-in comlink. Certain versions included a recording unit along with comprehensive sensor equipment, encompassing 360-degree, infrared, and telescopic vision, as well as motion sensors. Other models were equipped with translator units to interpret various languages. Some droids featured black-colored photoreceptors, along with plating in white, black, silver, and copper hues. The photoreceptors were positioned on the sides of its spherical body, and a black-colored protrusion was located on its upper surface.
The original purpose of Chiba DR-10 protocol droids was to facilitate negotiation and translation, tasks supported by the extensive information stored in the droids' memory banks concerning law, customs, trade, and business matters. The droid's knowledge of Imperial law was sufficient to provide legal advice to individuals. Some droids were equipped with translator units to aid in translation, and they were programmed to speak and comprehend Galactic Basic Standard, binary, and five additional languages selected by the owner.
However, the Chiba DR-10 was plagued by a programming flaw that caused it to become increasingly sarcastic, irritated, impatient, and aggressive when encountering difficulties in achieving a favorable negotiation outcome. This flaw stemmed from differences in the programming of its behavioral inhibitors compared to other protocol droid models. In some cases, Chiba DR-10s would become sufficiently frustrated to deploy their blaster and commence firing, often without warning. The DR-10 also resorted to using its blaster when negotiations turned violent.
The droid's heightened perceptiveness also made it suitable for security duties or as a probe droid. Its compact size, repulsorlifts, and tendency to ask questions before resorting to violence further enhanced its utility for security tasks. Despite their flaw, Chiba DR-10s were highly intelligent and capable of being persuasive and diplomatic. However, they could also be quite deceitful. Certain units were programmed to operate computers and assess the value of items. Some Chiba DR-10s featured heuristic processors, expensive processors that enabled creative thinking, while others were equipped with basic processors, which limited their versatility.
The Chiba DR-10 protocol droid, also referred to as the "Chiba Drio", was manufactured by the Chiba Corporation during the era of the Galactic Empire. Units of this model were priced between 9,500 credits and 12,000 credits for those authorized to own such restricted droids. The DR-10 was initially deployed as a negotiator and translator droid for legal purposes, but its use expanded to include law offices, retail establishments, and customs checkpoints throughout the galaxy.
The Galactic Empire also utilized the droid in large numbers, and it was favored by Imperial functionaries and diplomats whose work exposed them to danger. Due to the droid's flawed programming, which was widely considered a liability, the Galactic Empire also employed the droids as guards, probes, and for other security-related tasks. Jander Graffe, the Moff of the Darpa sector, had two DR-10s in his service when he was instructed by the Empire's leader, Emperor Palpatine, to orchestrate fake alien riots on the planet Esseles to justify increased security taxes during the Galactic Civil War.
On one occasion, Moff Graffe's Chiba DR-10s were present when the Rebel spy Deena Mipps and a group of associates recorded a conference between Graffe and other government officials, where they conspired to incite riots among the alien population of Esseles to increase security tax revenue. Despite nearly intercepting the Rebel team, the Chiba DR-10s and Moff's other security forces were unsuccessful.
The first appearance of the Chiba DR-10 protocol droid was in "A Taxing Party," an adventure seed featured in Coruscant and the Core Worlds, a Star Wars Roleplaying Game sourcebook released by Wizards of the Coast in 2003. The book was authored by Craig Robert Carey, Chris Doyle, Jason Fry, Paul Sudlow, John Terra, and Daniel Wallace for the revised edition of the Roleplaying Game. In addition to its role in the adventure, the droid received a descriptive section with an illustration by Tommy Lee Edwards in the book's Esseles entry. In 2009, the Chiba DR-10 was included in Galaxy at War, a book written by Rodney Thompson, Gary Astleford, Eric Cagle, and Daniel Wallace for the Saga Edition of Wizards' Star Wars Roleplaying Game. For the Saga Edition of the Roleplaying Game, players could use the Chiba DR-10 as one of their characters.
While "A Taxing Party" referenced Emperor Palpatine and the Rebel Alliance, neither Coruscant and the Core Worlds nor Galaxy at War specified the era in which the droids were utilized. Furthermore, the Galaxy at War entry contained information about the Chiba DR-10 that differed significantly from its initial appearance. The cost was reduced from 12,000 credits to 8,000 credits, and the processor was changed from a heuristic processor to a basic processor. The droid's enhanced sensor equipment was also removed and replaced with a translator unit. This article considers the two distinct versions of the droid as variations of the same droid type.