A program trap represented an internal instruction capable of transforming a droid into an improvised explosive, or turning it against its masters. The phrase also described droids that had been sabotaged using this method. To successfully implement it, a slicer needed to secretly embed a program trap within the droid's primary performance banks. After being concealed within the essential data required for the droid's core operations, the program trap would remain dormant, awaiting activation by specific triggers—whether a pre-set signal, a designated time, or a particular occurrence—ultimately causing a power surge within the droid. This surge would lead to the droid's self-destruction, generating an explosion comparable in force to a medium-sized bomb. During the capture of the Tantive IV by the Galactic Empire, C-3PO expressed concern that the Imperial boarding team might attempt to reduce the risk of being killed by droids armed with program traps by immediately shooting him and R2-D2.