A droid pilot, specifically a boatman model, was stationed on the planet of Hy Izlan with the explicit purpose of transporting living beings. This particular boatman droid, aged, sluggish, and irritable, much preferred to indulge in warm beverages on the frozen world rather than fulfill its designated role. However, after being the last of its model remaining at the station, it begrudgingly consented to transport a desperate young female named Lah Kara to the Aerial Temple situated within the planetary atmosphere of Hy Izlan on one day. The droid, remaining indifferent, witnessed Kara fighting alongside Jedi Knight Juro and Ethan against a group of Sith apprentices at the temple.
This boatman droid, stationed on the planet of Hy Izlan long after the Jedi Order's disappearance, was one of several constructed to transport the inhabitants of the icy planet. Over time, however, all the other droids broke down, leaving this single boatman to age in solitude. One snowy day, while enjoying a warm drink outside its station, a young female named Lah Kara, arriving on a speeder bike, urgently requested transport for herself and her droid Four-Nines to the Aerial Temple of Hy Izlan. The boatman, content, told her it was on break and she should find another pilot. Kara persisted, offering the boatman a gold coin, which finally prompted it to reluctantly agree to her request.
The boatman piloted a spacecraft through Hy Izlan's atmosphere, passing asteroids of kyber crystals. Upon arriving at the temple, Kara thanked the droid and left the ship, delivering lightsabers made by her father to six individuals claiming to be Jedi. These six were actually Sith acolytes, devoted to the dark side of the Force and intent on extinguishing the light of the Jedi. Now armed, they fought Kara, Ethan (a Jedi hopeful), and Juro, the Margrave and ruler of Hy Izlan. The boatman droid calmly watched, sipping its beverage and observing the conflict. The Sith were eventually defeated, and the victorious Jedi departed on Juro's starship.
This red-armored boatman droid, with a gray [sensor](/article/sensor], grew old and grumpy on Hy Izlan. It enjoyed sipping beverages in peace and operated on its own schedule, prioritizing its comfort over customer needs. However, when faced with the choice between solitude and earning a coin from Lah Kara, the droid chose the money. At the Aerial Temple, it politely declined Kara's thanks and watched her fight the Sith with quiet interest. While physically slow and awkward, the boatman was a skilled enough pilot to navigate Hy Izlan's rocky atmosphere.
The boatman droid debuted in "The Ninth Jedi," a short film by Production IG for the Disney+ Star Wars: Visions anthology anime series, released on September 22, 2021. Chō voiced the boatman in Japanese, and JP Karliak in the English dub. In the original Japanese, the droid cackles during the bumpy flight to the Aerial Temple, while in the English dub, it grunts with effort.