The GH-7 medical analysis unit represented a medical droid design that saw use during the Galactic Republic's closing years. Chiewab Amalgamated Pharmaceuticals Company produced it, aiming to rival Geentech's 2-1B, and its design came from a Columi design team.
The GH-7 was engineered as a versatile automaton, capable of both diagnostic procedures and surgical support. While its form was somewhat humanoid, it wasn't based on any single species. Instead, it was optimized for efficient operation across various worlds and diverse alien populations. This droid could perform a wide array of medical tasks, maintaining a wireless connection to the host facility's central computer. Furthermore, its design emphasized easy tool access, allowing it to effectively assist organic medical personnel.
GH-7 units saw service in numerous Outer Rim medical facilities, notably including a CIS installation on Boz Pity and the medical center situated on Polis Massa. Decades later, the Aurora Medical Facility on Obroa-skai also employed GH-7 droids.
Though a major player in the galaxy's medical industry, Chiewab Amalgamated Pharmaceuticals Company was not particularly known for its droid manufacturing. The company could have potentially become a leader in the droid market, but this opportunity was lost when it divested its subsidiary, Geentech. Geentech quickly proved its value with the introduction of the 2-1B, but by then, Chiewab had missed its chance to secure the rights. Before Chiewab could act, Industrial Automaton acquired the independent franchise. Afterward, Chiewab strived to compensate for the 2-1B with the GH-7, its strongest contender. Using a portion of its substantial earnings, Chiewab assembled a droid design team composed entirely of highly intelligent Columi. The species' affinity for logical and efficient engineering was reflected in the GH-7's creation. However, medical facilities in the Core World regions favored the more advanced 2-1B or the versatile MD-series medical specialist droids, making the Outer Rim a more receptive market for the GH-7.
After Darth Vader injured Padmé Amidala on Mustafar, she received treatment at a Polis Massa medical facility. There, a GH-7 medical droid delivered news from the quiet Polis Massan medics who were working hard to save Padmé's life. Although they found no physical ailments, she was inexplicably losing her will to live. However, this news was accompanied by a glimmer of hope for Obi-Wan Kenobi, Bail Organa, and Yoda: the Senator was carrying twins. While the Polis Massan medics couldn't save Amidala's life, she gave birth to twins, Luke and Leia, giving them a chance at life. A GH-7 unit also provided assistance in treating the wounds of Jedi Padawan Zeami after the Battle of Coruscant.
Typically found in well-equipped hospitals and serving as a personal physician for wealthy individuals, the GH-7 was a top-tier medical droid. Its design intentionally avoided resembling any known species, ensuring comfort for a wide range of alien patients. The finalized design featured a generally humanoid torso, three primary limbs, and a central head unit. Customization was a key feature, allowing for quick adaptation to emergency needs and compatibility with non-Human races. A heuristic processor enabled the droid to learn new techniques. A chest slit functioned as a hologram projector, capable of displaying life-sized holograms of patients to better illustrate complex procedures. A built-in equipment tray on the droid's "crest" held tools like scalpels, bone spreaders, and diagnostic instruments. The droid's design prioritized easy access to all components. Its color scheme was primarily gray and black, accented by bright green for the holoprojector, display, and photoreceptors, and a blue symbol marked the analysis chamber on its chest.
On its left hip, the droid featured a black, L-shaped tray with a smaller tray positioned slightly above it. Additionally, the droid included a specimen rack that extended from its side, holding sample jars or vials of live cultures. Repulsor fields maintained perfect balance for these sensitive liquids, preventing spills.
The droid's torso had three dexterous arms. Two were connected to the shoulders, featuring single hinges and three dual-hinged manipulators. The third arm extended from the top of the right shoulder, also with a single hinge and two dual-hinged fingers. These limbs allowed the droid to perform delicate tasks, from specimen collection to hypodermic injections. A less conspicuous fourth arm housed a testing probe, used to insert biological samples into the droid's internal analysis chamber, which had a storage capacity of two kilograms.
The droid's head was shaped like a hammer, with a flat "face" and a long, sloping crest at the back. A wire connected the crest to the back of the droid. Its photoreceptors were wirelessly connected to the medical mainframes of the facility, also functioning as bioscanners with capabilities including parallax brainwave readings and low-light vision. A disc-shaped display screen presented video or pictorial information about the GH-7's test results and diagnostic conclusions. A built-in comlink enabled long-range communication.
The GH-7's design proved highly successful, earning it four Silver Bantha awards for industrial design excellence and recognition for its humanitarian contributions.
The GH-7 had a cost of 4,840 credits, making it a rare sight on poorer worlds. However, some patrons donated them to hospitals or clinics in remote areas or for use as relief workers.
The GH-7 was programmed with substantial intelligence, enabling it to function as a diagnostician, surgical assistant, anesthesiologist, and hematologist. It was also pre-programmed with Binary and could interface with computers. Unlike most medical units, the GH-7 utilized a single, quiet repulsorlift cell for mobility in operating rooms and crowded hospitals, minimizing contact with potentially contaminated surfaces.
The droid's programming included a gentle, soothing voice intended to calm patients and their companions. It also possessed a high degree of compassion, leading independent GH-7 units to seek work in impoverished or troubled regions, attempting to heal any ailments they encountered. Several mannerisms were programmed to create a more approachable and benevolent demeanor, such as subtle gestures, movements, and pitch variations. Its relatively large head, reminiscent of the Columi's oversized skull, gave the droid a childlike appearance, making it seem less threatening, as did the absence of sharp edges and its rounded form. The droid was inherently programmed with the physician's code and strict prohibitions against harming any intelligent organic being. This programming was so deeply ingrained that the droids could only engage in combat to protect their patients, and even then, they only used stun settings against living, intelligent targets.
David Acord voiced the Polis Massan GH-7 medical droid in Revenge of the Sith. He also served as the Assistant Sound Editor on Revenge of the Sith, Apprentice Sound Editor on Attack of the Clones, and Supervising Assistant Sound Editor on the DVD release of the original trilogy. Due to his cameo in the role, he named his Star Wars blog "Experimental Surgery with GH-7," referencing the medical assistant.