A scrambling charge functioned as a device designed to prevent a communication system from both receiving and sending data. Its design allowed it to be programmed to activate after a pre-set delay following its placement, which complicated efforts to detect it.
During the Aldhani heist on the Imperial dam located on the planet Aldhani in 5 BBY, a scrambling detonator was deployed. Rebel agents Vel Sartha and Cinta Kaz installed a charge at the dam's communication tower, with the intention of disabling the base's communication capabilities and isolating it from the nearby Alkenzi Air Base. However, Corporal Kimzi, the communications officer on duty, discovered the sabotage, which triggered an armed conflict between Sartha and Kaz's fellow rebels and Imperial Army troopers.
A scrambling charge was a portable, box-shaped apparatus employed to disrupt communication systems, effectively stopping them from receiving or transmitting signals. It operated by attaching to the targeted comms system with a magnet; it could then be programmed to explode after a set amount of time, enabling saboteurs to withdraw from the area and avoid detection more easily. The device featured four blue lights on its frame that served as status indicators; when all four illuminated, the detonator would explode, generating sparks in the surrounding equipment and causing them to shut down.
During a mission in 5 BBY to infiltrate the Aldhani dam, which served as the headquarters for the Galactic Empire's forces on the planet Aldhani, spymaster Luthen Rael's rebel network operatives, specifically Vel Sartha and Cinta Kaz, utilized a scrambling charge to disable the facility's communications. After their fellow rebels Karis Nemik, Arvel Skeen, Taramyn Barcona, and mercenary Cassian Andor successfully took the base's commandant, Jayhold Beehaz, and his family hostage, Sartha and Kaz activated the charge within the communication tower. Their goal was to isolate the facility from the nearby Alkenzi Air Base in preparation for the heist. Sartha leveraged this situation to threaten Beehaz, pointing out that while Imperial communications were down, theirs remained functional.
Despite the rebels' careful planning, Corporal Kimzi, the communications officer on duty, detected the disruption sooner than anticipated and traced it back to the communications frequency the infiltrators were using. After eavesdropping on their conversations, Kimzi eventually led a security squad of Imperial Army troopers to their location, resulting in a firefight that led to Kimzi's death and the rebels' successful escape.
An unidentified scrambling charge made an appearance in "The Eye," the sixth episode of the first season of the Disney+ live-action television series Andor. The episode initially aired on October 12, 2022. The device was subsequently identified in the official episode guide published on StarWars.com.