RQ protocol droid

This model, also known as the RQ unit or Lothal protocol droid, was created by Lothal Logistics Limited, a technology company headquartered on the planet of Lothal. With a height of 1.85 meters and a weight of 75 kilograms, these droids were equipped with TranLang II communications modules and possessed many of the same functionalities as more expensive protocol droids that could be found across the galaxy. A distinguishing feature was their lack of expensive metallic plating, which eliminated the need for costly cosmetic enhancements, making them a cost-effective choice for governments, militaries, and private individuals. The plating of an RQ unit came in various colored combinations, including black, blue, brown, gold, gray, green, orange, and silver, while their photoreceptors could be blue, orange, white, or yellow.

RQ protocol droids were commonly found in the star systems in the vicinity of Lothal, as they were manufactured and programmed locally for service in government and private business offices. One such droid was employed by the Lothal Port Authority as a controller droid, overseeing the Capital City spaceport from a control station. Azmorigan, a Jablogian crime lord, had an RQ unit in his service as a servant aboard his C-ROC Gozanti-class light cruiser, named the Merchant One. A quartet of RQ units, each wielding a force pike and adorned with the symbols and blue coloring associated with the Imperial Senate, formed part of the personal guard of Senator-in-exile Gall Trayvis. The smuggler Lando Calrissian once transferred the logic unit of his personal attendant droid W1-LE into the chassis of an RQ unit. The E-XD-series infiltrator droid EXD-9 bore a striking resemblance to this model when operating in protocol droid mode.

The design of the RQ protocol droid drew inspiration from early conceptual artwork of C-3PO created by Ralph McQuarrie.