The Fromm Tower Droid, also going by the names guardian droid and sentry droid, represented a heavily armed droid design conceived by Tig Fromm. Tig was the offspring of Annoo-dat crime lord Sise Fromm, a notorious figure, and these droids were produced at Tig's secret base situated on the planet of Ingo. Reaching a height of four meters, the Tower Droid featured a cylindrical tower structure mounted upon an armored chassis. Propelled by six substantial pneumatic wheels, it could achieve speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour. Equipped with a multitude of sensors, the Tower Droid could effectively counter nearby threats using its array of four laser cannons and a pair of repulsor ball launchers. The Fromm Gang primarily deployed Tower Droids as perimeter sentries. Notably, the Confederacy of Independent Systems also utilized them during the Battle of Xagobah in the Clone Wars. In 15 BBY, many Tower Droids faced destruction during the rescue operation to free Jord Dusat, a captive speeder racer, from Tig Fromm's stronghold. This event prompted Fromm to ramp up production to compensate for the losses. Shortly thereafter, both Tig and Sise Fromm were apprehended by bounty hunter Boba Fett. Subsequently, the Fromms' rivals seized their assets, leading to the dispersal of the remaining Tower Droids throughout the galaxy.
The Fromm Tower Droid was a class four droid designed to fulfill roles in security and paramilitary operations. Measuring four meters in height and possessing a symmetrical design from front to back, its engine and drivetrain were integrated within a compact, armored chassis. This chassis accounted for slightly less than half of the droid's total height. Besides offering protection to critical components, the chassis served as the base for the cylindrical tower structure. The chassis and tower featured alternating sections of red and gray colors. Extending from the front of the base unit were two slender arms, each equipped with four digits. The droid moved on six sizable pneumatic wheels, with three positioned on each side of the chassis. Thanks to its powerful engine and tires with thick treads, the Tower Droid could effortlessly navigate even challenging terrains at high speeds. On level surfaces, it could attain speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour. The maximum speed automatically adjusted based on the terrain to prevent the risk of tipping. The tires also incorporated a self-sealing mechanism, enhancing their resistance to punctures.
The tower assembly contained the main cognitive module and was topped with a saucer-shaped head capable of rotating 360 degrees. The Tower Droid was outfitted with a diverse range of sensors. These included visual sensors for various wavelengths, as well as auditory, electromagnetic, radionic and seismic sensors, all positioned around the head's rim. Additionally, infrared sensors were strategically placed around the top of the tower assembly. A broadband antenna extending from the head's top enabled it to receive commands from a central control hub and transmit guidance information to a number of seeker drones used to investigate suspicious sensor readings. Removing the head was enough to render a Tower Droid inoperable.
The Fromm Tower Droid was heavily armed for combat. Four laser cannons were arranged in pairs on the chassis, both in front and behind the tower assembly. The droid's primary offensive weapon was a repulsor ball launcher housed within the tower section. The obsidian repulsor balls were stored on racks on either side of the primary cognitive module and were launched from sliding panels on the tower's front. These antigravity projectiles were small and highly maneuverable, equipped with a built-in repulsorlift engine that allowed them to far exceed the Tower Droid's speed, outpacing target vehicles at speeds exceeding 250 kilometers per hour. The Tower Droid remotely controlled these spheres, managing up to five simultaneously, making them exceedingly difficult for a target to evade. Loaded with potent explosives, the repulsor balls were programmed to detonate when they approached within one meter of their target, triggering an explosion capable of overwhelming most defensive measures.
Tower Droids lacked sophisticated personalities and possessed only basic intelligence programming, preventing them from distinguishing between friendly and hostile entities. Their suite of sensors, substantial weaponry, and ability to navigate difficult terrain led to their primary use by the Fromm Gang as mobile sentries. Upon detecting an intruder through its scans of the surroundings, the Tower Droid could deploy its seeker drones to investigate and apprehend the target or employ its weapon systems to neutralize the threat. The Confederacy of Independent Systems also utilized Tower Droids for military purposes during the Clone Wars, and they were subsequently adopted by various paramilitary organizations. Tower Droids stationed at Tig Fromm's base on the planet Ingo were stored within a large hangar when not in active service. The designations guardian droids or sentry droids were commonly used to refer to Fromm Tower Droids.
Tig Fromm, the young son of the Annoo-dat Blue crime lord Sise Fromm, was the mastermind behind the creation of the Fromm Tower Droid. This occurred at some point before the Clone Wars concluded. Sise Fromm managed a legitimate import-export venture on the Outer Rim planet Annoo, which served as a facade for a criminal enterprise involved in activities such as extortion, kidnapping, and blaster running. Tig Fromm, a mechanical prodigy, channeled his abilities into constructing droids to serve the Fromm Gang. He believed that droids, with their enhanced loyalty, durability, and firepower, were superior to organic species. The Fromm Tower Droid, while not Fromm's most ambitious project, became his most successful and enduring creation. Hundreds of these droids were manufactured at Tig Fromm's base in the Vaj Desert on the planet Ingo. They were then deployed by the Fromm Gang at the Ingo base, Sise Fromm's stronghold on Annoo, and the organization's facility on Auren.
Although primarily intended for perimeter security, some Fromm Tower Droids ended up in the hands of the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars. They saw action with the Separatist Droid Army in the later stages of the conflict against Galactic Republic forces at the Battle of Xagobah.
By 15 BBY, Tig Fromm was nearing completion of his most ambitious creation: a powerful weapons satellite known as Trigon One. His father intended to use this satellite to seize control from the Fromm Gang's rivals. This project drew the attention of an anti-Imperial resistance cell on Annoo, who dispatched their agent Kea Moll to destroy it. While speeder racers Thall Joben and Jord Dusat, along with their droids C-3PO and R2-D2, were racing through the desert and inadvertently entered the restricted zone around Tig Fromm's base, they triggered the automated defenses. As C-3PO swerved to avoid an incoming repulsor ball, he was ejected from Joben's landspeeder and landed close to a Tower Droid. Just as the sentry droid prepared to launch a repulsor ball, Moll, who was observing nearby, fired her sawed-off blaster cannon at the Tower Droid, destroying it.
Tig Fromm, fearing that Joben and Dusat might reveal the location of his base, captured Dusat. Joben, teaming up with Moll and his droids, returned to the secret base to rescue Dusat. As they approached in Joben's landspeeder, the White Witch, a Tower Droid moved to intercept them. However, Joben used the speeder to decapitate the droid, disabling it. The group successfully infiltrated the base and rescued Dusat. In response, Fromm deployed his droid cruisers outside the base to block their escape and deactivated the Tower Droid sentries to prevent them from attacking the cruisers. However, C-3PO activated an emergency override control, reactivating the Tower Droids and causing them to engage the cruisers. As Fromm's droids battled each other, the intruders managed to escape.
Many Tower Droids were destroyed during Dusat's escape, prompting Tig Fromm to increase production to replace them. At some point, the Fromm Gang captured C-3PO and R2-D2 and imprisoned them at their facility on the moon Auren. However, the droids escaped their cell, and the base's Tower Droids were unable to prevent them from fleeing Auren after reuniting with Joben and Dusat. Joben eventually sabotaged Trigon One, causing it to crash into Sise Fromm's stronghold, destroying both the base and the ship. When rival gangster Jabba the Hutt learned of the Fromms' scheme to usurp his own criminal empire, he placed a substantial bounty on the heads of the Fromm organization. This led to the capture of Sise and Tig Fromm, along with their chief of security, Vlix Oncard, by the bounty hunter Boba Fett. The Fromm Gang's rivals swiftly moved to seize their assets, including the 431 operational Tower Droids on Ingo. These droids were dispersed throughout the galaxy and were eventually utilized by various groups, including revolutionaries, arms dealers, and private collectors.
The Fromm Tower Droid originated in the animated television series Star Wars: Droids. It made its sole appearance in the series' inaugural episode, "The White Witch," which was penned by Peter Sauder and directed by Ken Stephenson. The episode premiered on September 7, 1985. They were later featured in the 1988 video game Star Wars: Droids, although their depiction in the game was significantly smaller.
While referred to as guardian droids or sentry droids in "The White Witch" and its accompanying picture book adaptations, The White Witch: A Droid Adventure and The White Witch, the droids were officially identified as Fromm Tower Droids in the 1999 reference book The Essential Guide to Droids by Daniel Wallace. This book also provided a comprehensive description of the droids. The Official Star Wars Fact File 88 further expanded on their capabilities. The involvement of Tower Droids in the Clone Wars was established in the 2004 young reader novel Boba Fett: Pursuit by Elizabeth Hand.