NON-3, also called Nonnie, was a NON unit assigned to Padmé Amidala, the senator representing Naboo in the Galactic Senate, during her initial six-week training period. Amidala quickly developed a strong aversion to the droid, due to its faulty vocabulator that garbled its speech. Despite numerous maintenance requests, the issue remained unresolved. Towards the orientation's conclusion, NON-3 was secretly reprogrammed to lure Amidala into an assassination plot, which was ultimately thwarted by Bail Organa. Following this incident, the Naboo delegation never encountered it again.
NON-3 was a NON unit protocol droid that provided service to the Galactic Senate during the latter part of the Republic Era. In the year 28 BBY, Padmé Amidala assumed the role of Senator for Naboo, succeeding her time as the planet's Queen. Upon Amidala's arrival on Coruscant to begin her senatorial duties, NON-3 was assigned to her as she prepared for a standard six-week introductory program. Amidala swiftly grew to dislike the protocol droid, using it as an outlet for her frustration with the required customs she was obliged to follow during the orientation. NON-3 also suffered from a defective vocabulator, rendering its speech nearly unintelligible. Despite repeated attempts to have it repaired, the problem persisted, with Amidala consistently being informed that no fault could be found.
As Amidala's orientation neared its end, NON-3 underwent reprogramming with the intention of leading her into an assassination attempt under the guise of a "private tour" of the Senate Building's lower levels. Suspicious, Amidala, along with her handmaidens and security personnel, decided to seize the opportunity to evaluate handmaiden Cordé's impersonation skills for the first time. The Senator herself accompanied them, disguised in handmaiden attire. NON-3 was completely deceived and escorted Cordé and Amidala to a section of the Senate Building scheduled for demolition that day. However, Senator Bail Organa noticed Amidala's speeder descending below safety limits and pursued them, discovering the group as Amidala and Cordé were trying to instruct the droid to vacate the area due to the power being out. After Cordé, in disguise, informed Organa about NON-3's malfunctions, he successfully directed the droid to report for maintenance, marking the last time any member of the Naboo delegation saw it.
The incident, portrayed as Amidala's apparent incompetence leading to a near "accident," became a source of sensational news stories. Only the initial report from a credible source even mentioned the malfunctioning droid in its concluding paragraph, while less reputable publications depicted Amidala as foolish. Amidala and her team suspected the vengeful Trade Federation, known for their affinity for droids, of orchestrating the assassination attempt. Six years later, in 22 BBY, after her marriage to the Jedi Anakin Skywalker, Amidala welcomed the protocol droid C-3PO into her service. Reflecting on her previous unfortunate experiences with protocol droids, she expressed hope that C-3PO would prove a successful addition to her staff.
NON-3 was a protocol droid of the NON unit variety. It was extremely strict about following protocol, and repeatedly pushed Senator Amidala to participate in various orientation events. However, it also was plagued by a faulty vocabulator that caused the droid to slur its words, making it difficult for Amidala and her staff to understand it, which contributed to their dislike of the droid. The vocabulator was never fixed despite NON-3 being sent to maintenance multiple times. The droid behaved similar to normal when it was reprogrammed to lead Amidala into an attempt on her life in the lower levels of the Senate Building.
NON-3 made its debut appearance in the young-adult novel titled Queen's Shadow, penned by E. K. Johnston and released in 2019. Johnston disclosed on her Tumblr blog that she selected the name NON-3 and the nickname Nonnie as an allusion to the slang term "nonnie," which refers to users who submit questions anonymously through the website's Ask feature.