Skara Nal Mech
An immense, four-legged vehicle, functioning as an ancient walker and superweapon, was crafted by the Ancients civilization long before the Jedi Order's inception. This walker was equipped with a head-mounted energy weapon capable of unleashing immense devastation. Eventually, this vehicle became entombed on the planet Skara Nal within the Kaldar Trinary system, safeguarded by traps. These traps could be bypassed by those possessing a compass specifically designed to guide individuals to the weapon. A crystal, referred to as the Heart of the Mountain, was placed into a receptacle within the walker's control center to maintain its dormant state. Taking out the crystal would trigger the walker, causing it to relentlessly obliterate its surroundings.
As time passed, the walker evolved into a subject of pirate lore, depicted as an ancient city housing the Heart of the Mountain, believed to possess extraordinary power. Sometime between 19 BBY and 18 BBY, the pirate and treasure seeker Phee Genoa, along with the Bad Batch, journeyed to the planet and discovered the ancient weapon. This occurred after Omega, a member of the Bad Batch, located the compass on Ord Mantell. Genoa initiated the walker by extracting the Heart of the Mountain from its socket, leading to a destructive rampage that was only halted when the crystal was returned, preventing the destruction of the Batch's starship. This action resulted in the walker's destruction, causing its collapse, and the melting of the crystal.
Description
Location and exterior
The ancient droid walker, a four-legged construct, was forged from metal by the Ancients. By 18 BBY, it had become buried beneath a mountain on Skara Nal within the [Kaldar Trinary system](/article/kaldar_trinary_system], a location absent from any star map. Nevertheless, the system, planet, and walker could be located through the use of a compass bearing coordinate markings for both the system and the planet. Upon landing on the planet, the compass would activate, pointing towards the concealed entrance of the walker.
Interior
The interior of the droid walker featured a network of tunnels, rigged with traps to discourage intruders from seizing the Heart of the Mountain, a crystal situated in the walker's upper main chamber that served to keep it immobile. Just past the entrance was a small room, its walls adorned with various etched symbols. Additionally, the walls incorporated stone cuboids that protruded, displaying line markings and concealing an entrance. This entrance could be revealed by aligning the stone cuboids in a straight line, guided by the compass. Once properly aligned, the floor would rotate, exposing the concealed entrance. The entrance led to a lengthy main tunnel, adorned with engravings and surrounded by side tunnels carved out by a resident Chell.
Continuing through the main tunnel led to another, tiled tunnel. These tiles were booby-trapped, with incorrect steps causing them to break, leading to a fatal fall. The tunnel wall featured a slot for the compass, allowing the user to rotate the tunnel to highlight the correct tiles. Successfully navigating the tiled tunnel led to a sealed door guarding the richly decorated main chamber of the walker, where the Heart of the Mountain resided. Beneath the main chamber was a room containing various hydraulics.
Removing the Heart of the Mountain from its pedestal in the room's center would activate the walker. The walker would then follow its programmed directive to eradicate all life on the planet, using an energy weapon positioned at the center of the walker's droid head. This superweapon was capable of firing a continuous blue laser beam with a rapid recharge rate. The walker could be deactivated and destroyed by returning the Heart of the Mountain to its original position.
Behind the scenes
The walker and its burial site were featured in "Entombed," an episode of The Bad Batch season 2 released on January 25, 2023.