The Marksman-H training remote, often called a remote or a lightsaber training drone, functioned as a type of droid specifically designed to instruct users in the art of deflecting incoming blaster bolts using a lightsaber effectively.
These devices were rapid and unpredictable, equipped with adjustable power settings that ranged from non-lethal "sting" to lethal. During training sessions for Jedi Initiates, the remotes were set to "sting," an experience that Jedi Gella Nattai later likened to "tickling." Furthermore, these remotes could be programmed for defensive applications. Prolonged exposure to the sting blasts of Jedi training remotes could potentially induce unconsciousness and temporary loss of bladder control.
The Jedi Order employed these remotes as training aids for Jedi Initiates both during the High Republic Era and in the later years of the Galactic Republic. Under the Galactic Empire, the Imperial Army also utilized them, but as drones.
On their journey to the planet Alderaan, the aspiring Jedi Luke Skywalker trained with a Marksman-H remote, wielding his father's lightsaber. Initially struggling to deflect the remote's attacks, he learned to trust in the Force when his mentor, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, obscured his vision. Decades later, the defecting stormtrooper Finn stumbled upon a Marksman-H remote, hidden within a brown bag, while searching for bandages to treat the injured Wookiee Chewbacca. Subsequently, Rey used a red one while furthering her Jedi abilities on Ajan Kloss.
As revealed in Star Wars Insider 215, the original training remote prop featured in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope was constructed from various model kits available to the production team. Parts from World War II German tank models and a haulage truck model were incorporated. The prop's plastic base measured six inches in length.