The DT-17 model represented a type of battle droid. These were spherical, hovering droids that employed a laser turret as their weapon.
These orb-shaped DT-17 attack droids hovered, staying aloft above the ground. A laser turret, capable of accurate targeting, was part of their armament. These droids could be called into service using a remote control.
Rikard Lovas, a Kubaz bank manager, deployed a DT-17 in an assault against Deputies Drego and Streehn. This attack occurred after the Deputies discovered his scheme to pilfer the electronic credits belonging to the inhabitants of Niima Outpost on the planet Jakku. Streehn suffered injuries from the DT-17's attack, and it also disarmed Drego by shooting the blaster from his grip before Constable Zuvio neutralized the droid.
The initial appearance of a DT-17 attack droid was in the short story "High Noon on Jakku," authored by Landry Q. Walker and released in 2015.