ND-5

As a soldier for the Confederacy of Independent Systems, ND-5 was built in 22 BBY. He participated in the Clone Wars and distinguished himself as a highly effective battle droid, fighting in multiple engagements. He was a participant in an operation known as Project Deadfall.

After the Clone Wars concluded, ND-5 was placed in long-term storage. Sliro Barsha assumed control of the droid after the war. Barsha then ordered ND-5 to assassinate the other members of the Barsha family, accusing them of treason against the Galactic Empire. ND-5 sustained chest damage during his service to Sliro, resulting in a noticeable scar.

Jaylen Vrax, Sliro Barsha's brother, survived ND-5's assassination attempts on his family and managed to gain control of the droid. He installed a specially designed restraining bolt to ensure ND-5's obedience. ND-5 accepted the bolt, believing it was necessary to prevent a return to his original programming as a Separatist battle droid. Following this, ND-5 was assigned to work with various criminals. When the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate organized an auction to sell Han Solo, a smuggler and vital member of the Alliance to Restore the Republic who was imprisoned in carbonite, ND-5 and Jaylen Vrax were present at the event.

In 3 ABY, Vrax began implementing a scheme to steal a codex from Sliro Barsha, who was now a director in the Imperial Security Bureau operating undercover as Sliro Ruback, the leader of the Zerek Besh crime syndicate, a front for the ISB. The codex contained confidential information about various Galactic Empire officers. He intended to recruit a crew, including a thief and slicer named Kay Vess; her mother, Riko Vess, as a second slicer; a heavy known as Hoss; an explosives expert named Ank Parako; and a droidsmith. Vrax provided ND-5 with a list of these individuals.

Vrax dispatched ND-5 to rescue Kay Vess from a shipwreck on Toshara. Vess had previously attempted to infiltrate Ruback's vault, leading Zerek Besh to place a death mark on her, making her a target for a bounty hunter named Vail Tormin.

ND-5 discovered Vess fleeing from Tormin on the shipwreck and positioned her behind him. He commanded Vess to retreat before blocking Tormin's punch and throwing her backward. When Vess did not comply, he repeated his instruction before throwing a thermal detonator at Tormin. This allowed Vess to escape.

ND-5 then met with Vess and Vrax on the Trailblazer, an EML-850 light freighter that Vess had stolen from Ruback. Vess, unaware of Vrax's identity, aimed a blaster at him, prompting ND-5 to reveal himself by seizing her blaster and warning her against forcing him to kill her after rescuing her from Tormin. Vrax began explaining his plan to Vess to steal from Barsha's vault. Vrax falsely claimed the vault contained 157 million credits in beskar, when his true intention was to use the codex to gain control of Zerek Besh. Vess, unaware of Vrax's real motives, agreed to the plan, and ND-5 returned her blaster, stating that no one would be harmed if she followed the plan.

Vess and ND-5 proceeded to recruit the remaining crew members. Vess chose her childhood friend Gedeek Obaz as the crew's droidsmith, while Vrax secretly planned to recruit her mother. ND-5 suggested that they first travel to Kijimi to recruit Parako but allowed her to decide their initial destination.

To recruit the safecracker, ND-5, Vess, and Nix arrived in Kijimi orbit aboard the Trailblazer. ND-5 informed Vess about the syndicate war between Crimson Dawn and the Ashiga Clan. After informing Kay about the Ashiga's welcoming committee, ND-5 introduced Vess to Jet Kordo's holotracker, the first to steal the Trailblazer, explaining how it could lead Vess to Kordo's vault. ND-5 later suggested that Vess investigate the cantina in the Thieves' Quarter for leads on Ank Parako's whereabouts. After learning that Parako had been captured by the Ashiga Clan, ND-5 suggested that Vess hack into a terminal in the Ashiga Clan District. Vess later informed ND-5 that Crimson Dawn had stolen a relic from the Ashiga, to which he replied that returning the relic from the Crimson Dawn facility, The Wellspring, should persuade the queen to free Parako.

After Vess successfully recovered the relic, ND-5 congratulated her but cautioned that the Ashiga might see her as the thief. ND-5 then instructed Vess to return to the Trailblazer for an upgrade module he had found for Vess' Vm-19 blaster. Afterward, ND-5 was informed that Krisk, an Ashiga affiliate, wanted to make a deal, which he found unusual because Ashiga rarely betray their queen. After Vess attended the meeting, ND-5 was informed about the keycard provided to free Parako from the Crimson Dawn leader Qi'ra, which ND-5 found troubling, recalling his experience at the auction of Rebel Captain Han Solo. ND-5 then provided the speeder for Vess to navigate the tunnel, eventually leading to the safecracker's rescue. However, Parako still needed to complete a job for Crimson Dawn due to her personality.

After Vess began working for Crimson Dawn to infiltrate the Ashiga Stronghold, ND-5 answered Kay's questions, explaining the Melitto culture and Krisk's actions to improve the hive. After being informed that Parako was secured, ND-5 told Kay about Qi'ra's syndicate war and her plot to seize power, advising Kay not to trust Qi'ra. With Parako recruited, ND-5 would then travel to recruit other members.

At Vess's suggestion, ND-5 and Kay Vess traveled to the jungle planet of Akiva to recruit a droidsmith for the job. After ND-5 questioned the reliability of the droidsmith, Gedeek Obaz, Vess suggested that he could remove a restraining bolt without detection and possessed a spike that could remove protocols, subtly referring to ND-5. ND-5 quickly rejected Vess's suggestion, reminding her that he did not require any assistance. Later, ND-5 directed Kay to meet the Sullustan smuggler Surat for information. Upon learning that Obaz worked at an Imperial station, ND-5 considered it a bad idea to try to break him out but agreed to it for the heist. ND-5 later informed Vess that there were rumors of the Empire decimating syndicates on Akiva, which he thought was somehow related to Obaz. He also inquired if she was accustomed to the climate, given her origins on the desert planet of Cantonica. After receiving news that Gedeek had been rescued, ND-5 suggested that Vess find out why Gedeek was being hunted by the syndicates and resolve the issue. ND-5 then moved the Trailblazer to Sashin to be closer to Vess's location. While Vess was attempting to upgrade her speeder, she also asked ND-5 for the location of a shuttle, which he said was near a landing pad.

While Vess was working with the Rebel Alliance to disrupt the Imperial operation involving viper droids designed by Gedeek, ND-5 arrived to assist Vess in taking down nearby Imperial forces at their base. After helping to repel the Imperial attack, ND-5 sustained some damage but assured Kay that he was fine and should keep moving. He then stayed with Gedeek to help wipe the viper droids' data while Vess and the reprogrammed viper droids went to assist the rebels. With the Imperial base and Gedeek secured, ND-5 and the crew boarded the Trailblazer to escape the Empire and jumped into hyperspace.

In search of the heavy for the heist, ND-5 and the crew jumped to Tatooine to recruit the gunslinger known as Hoss. Upon arrival, Vess noticed a space battle between the Pyke Syndicate and the Hutt Cartel, which ND-5 explained was part of the territory war between the two factions on Tatooine. Although Jaylen considered Hoss a legend, ND-5 doubted his legendary status. He then instructed Vess to find and make a deal with the sheriff. After Vess discovered that Sheriff Quint had cornered Hoss at a nearby moisture farm, she asked ND-5 what a moisture farm was, to which he replied that it was people's survival method of harvesting water from the atmosphere. They also discussed Hoss's endgame of hiding on Tatooine and raiding homesteads. After Vess discovered Hoss being captured by Tusken Raiders and that he could only be freed for a Krayt Dragon pearl, she informed ND that she might die in a cave, which he assumed was because Hoss was in the cave. After Hoss was secured, ND-5 asked Kay why she had previously broken into Sliro's vault despite the low odds, to which she replied by explaining her desperate situation at the time, not wanting to end up like Hoss.

Even though Hoss was secured, Nix was captured by the Hutt Cartel after Hoss used him as payment for a lost Sabacc game. Vess, determined to retrieve Nix, requested the location of Jabba's palace from ND-5. Despite ND-5's warning that Jabba the Hutt was extremely dangerous to cross, he provided Vess with intel on a back entrance to the palace. After Vess arrived at the palace, ND-5 warned her to be careful, as no one could rescue her from the Hutts if she was captured. ND-5 was later informed by Bib Fortuna that they were grounded on the planet, due to how Vess could keep Nix, but had to work for Jabba in uncovering a Zerek Besh spy by infiltrating an Imperial base. Afterward, ND-5 found Vess and the bounty hunter Vail Tormin pinned down by Imperial forces, whom he rescued with the Trailblazer. The crew then decided on their next step for the heist.

With the crew members recruited, ND-5 and Vess began searching for a suitable slicer. However, ND-5 suddenly began to malfunction, vibrating uncontrollably. Gedeek Obaz informed the others that he was experiencing cascading systems failure and needed a Compound Regulator, which would be difficult to find due to his age. ND-5 reported that he was losing his vision and awareness of his surroundings. Obaz suggested to Kay that she had an opportunity to get rid of ND-5, who was programmed to attack her if anything went wrong, but Vess refused. Obaz then instructed the crew to visit Temmin Waxley for an old factory from the Clone Wars. After visiting Temmin's shop, the crew found Waxley threatened by a hired gun, whom ND-5 blasted, reverting to the standard voice of a BX-commando droid due to his malfunction. After navigating the catacombs to reach the factory, ND-5 began experiencing hallucinations, attempting to contact deactivated B1-battle droids and attacking after claiming to see clone commandos, before entering transport stasis but maintaining consciousness with Obaz's help. The group decided to split up, with ND-5 staying with Obaz while Kay tried to clear a path for them.

After making their way through the factory, ND-5 and Obaz were met by rebel forces, whom Vess later confronted. Although Vess initially refused to work with rebels again, she was convinced after Obaz reminded her that it might be one of the last BX-droid factories in the Outer Rim, with ND also attempting to contact General Grievous and blast Deyn, mistaking him for a jedi. Vess helped the rebel Asara Deyn rescue some captured allies while they repaired ND-5 in the factory. After completing the job, Vess inserted the necessary parts into ND-5, causing him to violently tremble and knock her down. He was successfully saved by the process, meeting Vess after she woke up on the Trailblazer, apologizing for causing her so much trouble. ND-5 later followed Vess, who met her long-lost mother, Riko Vess, the recruited slicer for the job, with the rebel Asara Deyn also being selected as the heavy for the heist.

In the cockpit, Vess told Vrax that she did not want her mother working with her, due to her abandonment at the age of twelve. Jaylen responded that his family was torn apart because of the Empire, with ND-5 being the one keeping him alive, unlike the rest of his family, and that Vess needed to put her past behind her. ND-5 informed Kay that Riko had secured a lambda shuttle and had sent the coordinates for a space station containing the security codes for Sliro's mansion.

After the Vesses secured the codes, they headed back to Cantonica to meet the rest of the crew, with ND-5 and Vrax planning to pick up the crew after they completed the heist. ND-5 later spoke to Vess, asking if she wished to speak to any of the other crew before beginning the heist. When Vess asked if he would get a cut, he revealed that as a droid with a restraining bolt and the property of Jaylen Vrax, he would not receive any payment from the job. Although Vess suggested using Obaz's freedom spike, ND-5 quickly denied it, threatening to blast her if she deviated from the plan.

After rescuing the crew from the Canto Casino with the Trailblazer, ND-5 and the crew successfully escaped, and the heist was completed. After Riko Vess opened the container, it was revealed to contain Sliro's databank of information on Imperial clearance codes, operational planning, base schematics, and his personal collection of blackmail on Imperial officers, which Deyn deemed to be even better than credits. However, Vrax then commanded ND-5 to stun Deyn and aim at the rest of the crew. It was revealed that Vrax had always planned to take over the Empire-controlled Zerek Besh by handing over Deyn's rebel network and returning the valuable information to convince the Empire to replace Sliro Barsha. Although he offered Vess a clean slate, Vess refused, realizing that Asara would be captured, and pulled out her blaster, which was interrupted by Riko Vess. After Riko convinced Kay to give her the blaster, Jaylen then forced ND-5 to stun Kay. Together with Vrax, ND-5 was then brought to the bridge of the Imperial star destroyer Revelator, where Vrax revealed himself to be Sliro's brother and to have made a deal with the Empire, taking control over Zerek Besh in exchange for the Akivan rebels and the sensitive information, as revenge for Sliro reporting his family for plotting against the emperor for a promotion, whereas they could have built thousands of destroyers and become the richest family in Corellia. Sliro replied that he envied his brother for having their father's favor over him, and he would have gotten nothing but scraps. Vrax then ordered ND-5 to kill him. Immediately afterward, Kay Vess revealed herself, disguised as a stormtrooper, and came to save ND-5. However, the attempt failed, and Vess escaped after Deyn created a distraction, causing ND-5 to hunt for Vess.

After chasing Vess, ND-5 eventually followed her to the power cores of the deflector shields for the destroyer. Noticing that Vess was attempting to restart the power cores, ND-5 chased her as she attempted to set a trap to stun him, telling her that she should give up. Ultimately, ND-5 was lured between the power cores and was stunned after a power discharge. However, he regained consciousness and grabbed Vess, but was knocked out after Nix delivered Vess her blaster, which she immediately used to blast ND-5. However, Vrax arrived, holding Deyn hostage, with ND-5 also recovering from the blast. Vrax informed Vess that BX units were made tough, commanding ND-5 to blast her. Then, it was revealed that ND-5's restraining bolt had been removed by the shot, allowing him to deny the command and kill Vrax. Freed from Vrax's control, ND-5 escaped with the rest of the crew aboard the Trailblazer. When ND-5 spooled up the hyperdrive, Kay told him to cancel it. After she noticed Asara attempting to contact the evacuation of the rebel forces, Kay sent a distress beacon and let Asara contact the rebels on Akiva before the Revelator began an orbital bombardment. After holding out against Imperial forces, Asara was able to contact the rebels, who sent in X-wing starfighters as reinforcements. ND-5 also informed the crew that a syndicate friendly to Kay Vess had answered the distress beacon. Together with the reinforcements, Vess and ND-5 destroyed the Revelator's shield reactor, causing a chain explosion that destroyed the entire ship, and then jumped into hyperspace.

With his restraining bolt removed and the death of Jaylen Vrax, ND-5 was no longer under control. Later, he met Vess in the cockpit of the Trailblazer. After Vess asked where they should go next, she replied that they could go anywhere they wanted.

ND-5 was a BX-series droid commando with gray plating, standing at 1.91 meters tall. He had a visible scar across his chest and wore a green trench coat to conceal other damage. ND-5 possessed a voice distinct from most BX droids. However, a glitch could cause his voice to temporarily revert to its original timbre, making him believe the Clone Wars were still ongoing.

ND-5 was a highly skilled commando droid and an effective soldier during the Clone Wars. However, by 3 ABY, droidsmith Gedeek Obaz considered him to be a very old droid.

A custom-made restraining bolt was placed on the right side of ND-5's chest, prior to its destruction in 3 ABY. The bolt activated when ND-5 perceived a threat to Jaylen Vrax or a task assigned to him by Vrax. Once aware of the threat, he would attempt to eliminate it to the best of his ability, regardless of his personal wishes. Although the restraining bolt completely controlled his actions, ND-5 could still speak according to his own will.

ND-5 was created for the 2024 video game Star Wars Outlaws. Jay Rincon portrayed ND-5, stating that playing the character was "an absolute joy." To promote Outlaws at Gamescom, Ubisoft displayed a life-sized ND-5 model at their booth.