Droid

Historical Context

The initial creation of droids has been lost through the ages. By the era of the New Republic, the precise origin of droids was unknown. However, some historians, focusing on more technologically advanced civilizations, estimate the first droid appeared roughly 30,000 years prior to the Battle of Yavin. Droids have served alongside organic beings in galactic society for millennia. According to R0-GR, the author of the B1-series battle droid manual, the relationship between organics and droids was fragile, with organics fearing a droid uprising. Despite several droid rebellions, Roger asserted that an "unspoken agreement" existed between human and droid societies, ensuring cooperation.

Droids existed as far back as the early days of the Jedi Order, which was established over 25,000 years before the Clone Wars. Professor Huyang, an ancient droid, served the Jedi for many millennia. As a result of this long-standing coexistence, the galaxy exhibited a complex relationship between organics and mechanicals. As droids became more important in galactic society, records of conflicts and uprisings between them and their organic superiors grew more frequent. During the High Republic Era, the Nihil incorporated droids into their organization, designing blaredroids and scav droids for use as weapons.

During the Clone Wars, a galaxy-wide conflict, the Confederacy of Independent Systems deployed a variety of battle droids to combat the Galactic Republic. This widespread combat deployment reinforced the notion of droids as a threat to biological life in the Republic's collective mindset. The Chiss Ascendancy did not utilize droids during the Clone Wars.

Ultimately, the Republic prevailed, but was replaced by the Galactic Empire, an authoritarian regime. Due to negative memories of the war, many individuals in the galaxy harbored fear or distrust towards droids. The Galactic Empire promoted anti-droid sentiment, treating droids as mere property. The practice of wiping droids' memories, installing restraining bolts, and limiting their mobility, which had begun during the Clone Wars, continued. Numerous establishments barred droids from entry. Following the Clone Wars, the Imperial Senate enacted legislation that prohibited programming droids used by the Empire to harm organics. Arakyd Industries, in collaboration with the Imperial Military, circumvented this law by marketing their KX-series droids as "security droids".

Droid-fighting, an illegal sport, was common on Nal Hutta and at the Lodge, where Ralakili, a Clone Wars survivor, operated fighting pits driven by his hatred of droids. The Rebel Alliance, opposing the Empire, recognized droids as sentient beings rather than property. The Rebellion encouraged droids to engage in acts of resistance, such as disabling restrictive programming, removing restraining bolts, and demanding freedom. The New Republic and the Resistance continued the Rebellion's policy of treating droids as equals.

Definition Explained

Droids were mechanical creations intended to aid organic lifeforms in a range of activities. The degree of intelligence varied based on the tasks they performed. Most droids had built-in safeguards preventing harm to organics. Exceptions included security droids and assassin droids. Simpler droids tended to assume that if a human acted as if they belonged somewhere, then that human's presence was legitimate.

Droids came in diverse sizes and forms, with many resembling humanoid organics, featuring an upright stance, two arms, two legs, hands, feet, a thorax, a neck, and a head. The B1 battle droids were designed to mirror their insectoid Geonosian creators. Similarly, the Colicoids modeled the three-legged droidekas after themselves. Certain droids, such as the LOM-series unit, were designed to resemble the organics they served.

Unlike organics, who born and healed slowly, droids could be mass-produced, were more durable, and easily repaired. They also did not need to learn skills (such as calculation abilities), as they were directly programmed with them. Most droids possessed a form of self-awareness, with advanced models even having emotions such as fear for their existence. Droids did not need to breathe, eat or drink. They were capable of surviving in a vacuum and underwater, and were immune to cosmic radiation, all poisons, toxins and diseases. They did not need to sleep, although they could be deactivated as a form of sleep and had occasional maintenance cycles.

Droids were generally regarded as non-living. They could not be detected by scanners designed to detect life-forms. Similarly, droids could not access the Force, an energy field connecting all living beings in the galaxy. Additionally, not being alive, droids could not be sensed in the Force, though a skilled Jedi might sense their presence through the empty spots they left in the Force. R0-GR, however, referred to droids as mechanical life-forms and artificial lives. Triple-Zero, a reprogrammed protocol unit, hypothesized that the Force could flow through a droid equipped with a special engine powered by human blood.

They could not die in a traditional sense, though they could be destroyed. If enough of the droid survived, they could be repaired, however. Droids were usually completely obedient and precise, and normally followed their proprietors' orders. However, unlike mere machines or primitive computers, droids were capable of developing unique personalities by gathering experiences. They could form friendships, and experience emotions such as happiness, pain, and sadness. To avoid that, most droid owners performed regular memory wipes on their properties. However, memory wipes were not always perfect, occasionally leaving droids with vague recollections.

Even so, some droids were emancipated. Movements for droid rights existed throughout the galaxy, promoting equality between droids and other sentient beings, with droids such as L3-37 believing strongly in this cause.

Key Attributes

The neural core was considered the soul of a droid. Droids were considered unappetizing to nightwatcher worms, a non-sentient predatory species native to the planet Jakku. Consequently, BB-8, a BB-series astromech droid, avoided being consumed by a nightwatcher worm after escaping the First Order's attack on Tuanul.

Droid Categorization

General Overview

Droids were designed to perform a wide array of tasks, from conducting basic diagnostics to executing complex medical procedures, and even transmitting messages to starships. Based on their abilities, technology, and intended functions, droids were classified into five categories, also known as "degrees."

Class One Droids

The first class consisted of droids specializing in mathematical, physical, and medical fields. Examples include the JN-66 analysis droid, the 2-1B surgical droid, the midwife droid, the DD-13 tripedal medical droid, and the GH-7 series medical assistance droid.

Class Two Droids

Second class droids were proficient in engineering and related technical disciplines. Examples included the DUM-series pit droid, the PLNK-series power droid, and the WED-15 Septoid Treadwell.

Class Three Droids

Third class droids specialized in social sciences and providing services. Examples included the CZ secretary droid, the LEP-series service droid, the FA-5 valet droid, and the BD-3000 luxury droid.

Class Four Droids

Fourth class droids were adept at military and security tasks. Examples included the GU-series Guardian police droid, the KX-series security droid, and the B1-series battle droid.

Class Five Droids

Fifth class droids were designed for manual labor and demanding tasks requiring limited intelligence. Examples included the GNK-series power droid, the MSE-6 series repair droid, the IW-37 pincer loader droid, the R-H029 sifter droid, the PK-series worker droid, and the UX-53 Autopolisher MK.II Droid.

Behind the Curtains

In the novelization of Star Wars: A New Hope and other early Star Wars Legends materials, droid was written as 'droid.

In 1977, during an interview concerning the original trilogy film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, George Lucas commented that droids were created to serve sentients. Lucas' favorite characters were droids, and he wanted them to be friendly, unlike the robots in THX 1138 were "very friendly." However, he did not want droids to be sentient themselves: he stated that, droids, even though some of them like C-3PO and R2-D2 are very human in nature, had no soul, only programmed to act like human beings.

Lucas aimed to highlight the issues droids faced, providing them with equal screen time because they had endured significant hardship and had limited opportunities to prove their worth. Similar to Akira Kurosawa's film The Hidden Fortress, which follows two peasants traveling with a princess and a general, A New Hope presents the story from the perspectives of two humble characters: the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO.

Legal Protection

George Lucas owns the trademark for the term "droid." The miniature 'mech combat wargame BattleTech was initially released as BattleDroids, but it was renamed due to trademark conflicts with Lucasfilm.

Pixar Animation Studios' film The Incredibles (2004) contains a reference to Lucasfilm's droid with the large weapon of destruction, the Omnidroid; an apparently unrelated killer droid of the same name also appears in Star Wars Galaxies. The credits of the film give a nod to Lucasfilm.

According to Mickey News (November 25, 2004):

Verizon Wireless licenses the term "Droid" for its line of smartphones that use the Android operating system. Motorola's Google Android-based cell phone from late 2009 is called the Droid, and the line has expanded to include other Android-based phones released under the Verizon brand. Lucasfilm licenses the term for this use.