Nomad Droids

The strange journey of C-3PO and R2-D2 continues its course. After being compelled to flee a Separatist assault aboard a Y-wing fighter, the droids find themselves visiting the world of the Patitites, the strange planet Balnab, and the interior of a pirate warship, where they are made to participate in a gladiatorial combat.

C-3PO and R2-D2 are in a chamber on Adi Gallia's starship, recounting their recent and highly unusual experiences on Aleen to Senator Amidala. Their conversation is abruptly interrupted when three Separatist capital ships, led by General Grievous, initiate a sudden offensive against their vessel, causing severe damage and necessitating an immediate evacuation. With no escape pod available, R2 takes control of a Y-Wing, and the two droids narrowly escape the conflict and their collapsing cruiser, reaching the nearby world of Patitite Pattuna just before a pursuing vulture droid shoots them down. Following an emergency landing on a grassy field, they are ambushed by the small inhabitants and, underestimating their strength, are quickly rendered unconscious.

Upon regaining consciousness, the droids discover they are bound to the ground, surrounded by hostile Patitites who declare that, under the orders of their leader Hay-Zu, all outsiders are considered enemies. Hay-Zu soon arrives, revealing himself to be a corpulent and tyrannical figure. C-3PO successfully negotiates their release, but when R2 retorts to Hay-Zu's hostility, C-3PO scolds him with a slap, causing R2 to fall and accidentally crush Hay-Zu. Surprisingly, the other Patitites celebrate the demise of their oppressive leader and proceed to assist the two droids in repairing the Y-Wing. When the Patitites offer C-3PO leadership over them, he declines, suggesting three popular candidates from among the natives instead. However, the situation quickly deteriorates as the three newly elected leaders begin to fight over leadership and vote counts, prompting the droids to leave quickly, allowing the Patitites to resolve their issues independently.

Once in space, the two droids quickly realize that their Y-Wing's power system is compromised and failing, so they prepare to land on the closest planet available. Balnab is a young planet with a developing biosphere, yet it still has intelligent life; a group of Balnabs quickly finds them and captures them in a stun net. The two droids are presented to the Balnabs' "great leader," Albee Dewaw, who electrocutes the Balnab that brought them to him. C-3PO attempts to negotiate, but R2-D2 notices a disguised wall and reveals several rogue pit droids, showing the Balnabs that their leader is a hologram. The enraged Balnabs attack the crashed cruiser to get revenge on the pit droids, resulting in a large explosion which presumably kills all but one of the pit droids.

However, a new and more pressing issue forces them to abandon their search, as their own power reserves begin to deplete. Eventually, they both shut down and are discovered by a group of Weequay pirates who take them aboard their ship and recharge them, only to use them for a gladiatorial contest. The current champion, K0-5D, destroys one of the droids. When C-3PO expresses horror, the pirates throw him and R2-D2 into the arena. However, Grievous' ship soon arrives, and he decides to use the pirate ship as "target practice" for the droids. The cannon fire tears a hole in the ship's hull, sucking several Weequays and most of the droids out of the ship before it explodes.

C-3PO and R2-D2 manage to board the Separatist ship, where they are greeted by a group of B1-series battle droids. At R2-D2's suggestion, C-3PO tells them they are pirate droids, and the battle droids send them to the incinerator to be repurposed into spare parts. Several other droids captured from the pirate ship are also sent to the incinerator; one attempts to escape but is shot and destroyed by the battle droids. Another droid falls into the incinerator, terrifying C-3PO.

However, just before they are plunged into the incinerator, a fleet of Republic cruisers under the command of Master Plo Koon emerges from hyperspace and launches an attack to rescue Master Gallia, who is held captive aboard Grievous' ship, forcing the droid general to flee once again. The Republic captures Grievous' ship, and after a brief skirmish, C-3PO and R2-D2 reveal themselves to the Republic. Much to Commander Wolffe's annoyance, the golden droid begins to recount their recent adventures.

The central theme of this episode is a direct quotation from Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope after Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, Han Solo, R2-D2, and C-3PO avoid being captured by stormtroopers by hiding in the Millennium Falcon's smuggling compartments.

During the incinerator scene, two RA-7 protocol droids are present. However, when the one in front tries to run away and is shot, the second one disappears, leaving only the power droid. In the following scene, the second RA-7 droid reappears.

When C-3PO and R2-D2 reveal themselves to Plo Koon and the clones, Plo Koon asks Wolffe if he knows the droids. Plo Koon, however, had previously encountered R2 in both "Rising Malevolence" and "R2 Come Home."

The design of the Patitites was inspired by the Brownies from Willow. C-3PO and R2-D2 being tied up by the Patitites is a reference to the book Gulliver's Travels. In the book Gulliver travels to four places, while the droids only travel to three: the planet Aleen, the planet Patitite Pattuna, and Balnab. The Patitites' reaction to the death of Hay-Zu is a reference to The Wizard of Oz, in which the munchkins are happy when Dorothy accidentally kills the wicked witch of the east with her house. The droids' adventure on Balnab is another Oz reference, this time to the "Great Wizard" of Oz, up to and including the exposure of the pit droids. One final reference is to Gulliver's Travels; just as Gulliver is attacked by pirates as he leaves for his third adventure, the same happens to the droids upon leaving after their third adventure.

A droid gladiatorial contest was first depicted in the 1979 novel Han Solo at Stars' End.