The Foreign Intruder Defense Organism, also known as FIDO, represented a formidable battle droid utilized by the New Republic circa 11 ABY.
Conceptualized by the renowned Mon Calamari Admiral Gial Ackbar, the FIDO was materialized by a team of elite Mon Calamari scientists. Its purpose was to safeguard the perimeters of fortified locations such as bunkers, fortresses, or safe houses.
From a distance, the FIDO bore a resemblance to a massive krabbex. Its construction involved an eight-meter pod attached to four articulated legs.
The pod was shielded by a robust plasteel casing. It was outfitted with a highly sensitive long-range sensor coupled with an advanced motion detector. The FIDO's primary armament, its 26 claw-tipped cables, were housed within the pod and deployed through a central grid. The legs were engineered to firmly anchor the FIDO to a chosen strategic point, sacrificing mobility.
Partial exposure of the sensor and cable grid was necessary if the FIDO's controller employed camouflage. The FIDO possessed considerable sophistication and intelligence, enabling it to discern allies from adversaries, and was expertly programmed with battle strategies. The controller monitored the situation via protected sensors located at the extremity of each tentacle, allowing for adaptation to evolving circumstances.
The FIDO's principal weapons consisted of 26 cables tipped with claws, each capable of extending to approximately 100 meters. These cables drew inspiration from the mouth tentacles of the krakana, a predator indigenous to Dac, the Mon Calamari's oceanic home planet. Each cable terminated in razor-sharp pincers fabricated from solid plasteel, capable of severing transparisteel and even penetrating the armored hull of an Imperial Juggernaut.
Given that these cables constituted the FIDO's sole means of attack, it relied on ambush tactics in combat to minimize "friendly fire" and incidental damage. When properly positioned, the FIDO would remain undetected by enemy forces until escape was impossible. Subsequently, the enemy would be ensnared by numerous durasteel cables and subjected to destruction through violent flinging or dismemberment.
The inaugural deployment occurred during the Battle of Anoth in 11 ABY against Imperial Mountain Terrain Armored Transports led by Ambassador Furgan of Carida, who sought to abduct Anakin, the youngest offspring of Han and Leia Organa Solo.
During the engagement, the Foreign Intruder Defense Organism confronted eight MT-ATs. The FIDO unit neutralized four MT-ATs before succumbing to the remaining spider walkers' firepower. Despite the FIDO's destruction, Leia and Terpfen defeated Furgan, thereby averting a significant threat to the New Republic.
Following the battle, the New Republic initiated limited production of additional FIDOs. To safeguard the design from misappropriation, the New Republic Intelligence classified its blueprints as Category Red information.
Author Kevin J. Anderson has indicated that the designation FIDO alluded to the FidoNet Star Wars Echo, an online forum in which he actively participated during that period.
The Spanish translation of Champions of the Force preserved the acronym by renaming the droid O.D.I.E.