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Confirmation of Imperial Droidekas

Posted: 2007-04-23 08:00pm
by Darth Fanboy
I just picked up the seventh book in the Last of the Jedi series for my little brother. Of course, as with all Star Wars books I purchase or the little guy I have to *cough* review them for content so it is age appropriate *cough*.

Anyways, Stormtroopers are depicted as using Droidekas while attempting to apprehend fugitive Jedi on Coruscant. Whether this is a temproary stopgap measure in the aftermath of the Clone Wars or part of the integrating of Separatist droids into the Imperial Armed Forces I am unsure.

Posted: 2007-04-23 09:38pm
by Noble Ire
The NEGtD notes that Palpatine requisitioned numerous CIS droids for his personal guard on Byss and other retreat worlds, among them Annihilator droids, AT-TE sized versions of Droidekas. Of course, the article in question does not note their large-scale integration into the Imperial Army, probably due to cost. Similarly, I suspect politics would have severely limited the long-term usage of Clone Wars-era combat automatons of any class; Palpatine wanted to maintain his image of benevolence, and supplementing his flesh-and-blood Stormtrooper cores with droids that had been used in war crimes beyond number might damage that veneer.

Posted: 2007-04-23 09:42pm
by Warsie
Also, Palpatine used some of the CIS droids against CIS fortress worlds/CIS holdouts

Posted: 2007-04-24 04:13am
by VT-16
NEGtD also mentions dwarf spider droids being used as support weapons alongside Stormtroopers for much of the Empire's reign. The crab droids were used for live fire exercises on training worlds and later inspired the MT-AT in part.

Posted: 2007-04-24 08:50am
by Ritterin Sophia
In retrospect, I now understand the Mos Eisley bartender's hatred of droids, there was apparently at least one major battle on Tatooine between the Confederacy forces led by the General Sev'rance Tan and the Republic forces led by Jedi Master Echuu Shen-Jon, and looking at the scope of the war I'm willing to bet that prejudice is rather wide spread in galacy, which would account for Palpatine not equally integrating droids into his army. It would also explain, why the only human-sized combat droid they had designed looked like a more heavily armoured Stormtrooper. However, this is mere speculation on my part.

Posted: 2007-04-24 08:54am
by The Spartan
General Schatten wrote:In retrospect, I now understand the Mos Eisley bartender's hatred of droids, *snip*
Not to mention that droids take up room and don't buy drinks.

Posted: 2007-04-24 11:30am
by Cykeisme
The droids were probably used simply because of their availability: abundant, and literally free of charge, after the coded mass deactivation order was transmitted at the conclusion of the Clone Wars.
However, as Noble Ire pointed out, prolonged use of significant numbers would incur maintenance costs and such, which aren't worth it when the Empire is deliberately steering away from the use of battle droids.
General Schatten wrote:It would also explain, why the only human-sized combat droid they had designed looked like a more heavily armoured Stormtrooper. However, this is mere speculation on my part.
Speculation, but seems sound enough.
Additionally, assuming the "phases" of the Dark Trooper project are indeed phases, the final phase- and end result- of the program were armored exoskeletons that would still contain a human soldier (clone or otherwise).
If you buy into the stuff about clones having better initiative, adaptability and creativity than droids, I suppose fielding what is effectively an amalgam of the two would be ideal.

Posted: 2007-04-24 01:09pm
by Warsie
General Schatten wrote:It would also explain, why the only human-sized combat droid they had designed looked like a more heavily armoured Stormtrooper. However, this is mere speculation on my part.
The Empire did have projects to build droid TIEs, but the program was takn down by the Defiance Task Force. eventually, the program was restarted/etc with the TIE dronesand World Devadtators. I wonder how much CIS tech was used in that.

And the Dark Trooper thing, the reason Moch did it was because he enjoyed the hand-to-hand (Army) combat that tended to happen during the first months or so of the CW interestingly.

Posted: 2007-04-24 10:00pm
by Ritterin Sophia
Warsie wrote:The Empire did have projects to build droid TIEs, but the program was takn down by the Defiance Task Force. eventually, the program was restarted/etc with the TIE dronesand World Devadtators. I wonder how much CIS tech was used in that.
World of difference there, civies won't know who's flying a TIE anyhow.
And the Dark Trooper thing, the reason Moch did it was because he enjoyed the hand-to-hand (Army) combat that tended to happen during the first months or so of the CW interestingly.
Only the first phase of Darktroopers could really be called close range combatants, weilding a blast shield and vibroblade. Phase Two lost these and carried an advanced form of light repeater blasters and an Imperial Assault Cannon (Rocket Launcher/Blaster Cannon) as well as a deflector shield. In all only Phase One Darktroopers could be called a hand-to-hand combat droid.

Posted: 2007-04-25 05:49am
by NecronLord
Cykeisme wrote: If you buy into the stuff about clones having better initiative, adaptability and creativity than droids, I suppose fielding what is effectively an amalgam of the two would be ideal.
If Rebellion/Supremacy is to be believed, some kind of force sensatives were going to be using the Dark Trooper armour...

Posted: 2007-04-25 01:10pm
by Darth Fanboy
At least Semi-Force sensitive stormtroopers in bulked up armor is somewhat more believable than A droid fighter built around the brain of a fallen Imperial fighter ace and "infused with the Dark Side". (Shadow Droids)

Posted: 2007-04-25 01:38pm
by Pelranius
The Remnant apparently used Dwarf Spider Droids to man checkpoints long after Endor, if that quote from the NEGtD is correct. But those seemed to be more stationed in the Rim, which was less politically important to the Empire.

Posted: 2007-04-25 02:03pm
by Warsie
General Schatten wrote:World of difference there, civies won't know who's flying a TIE anyhow.
Okay.
Only the first phase of Darktroopers could really be called close range combatants, weilding a blast shield and vibroblade. Phase Two lost these and carried an advanced form of light repeater blasters and an Imperial Assault Cannon (Rocket Launcher/Blaster Cannon) as well as a deflector shield. In all only Phase One Darktroopers could be called a hand-to-hand combat droid.
Okay, thank you.

Posted: 2007-04-25 02:04pm
by nightmare
starwars.com wrote:Having achieved his objective of building a New Order in reaction to the threats posed by the Clone Wars, Sidious liquidated his allies. Darth Vader arrived on Mustafar and slaughtered the Separatist Council. He then ordered a command signal that shut down the battle droid military. The huge commerce entities that made up the Confederacy became the spoils of war, as the newfound Empire nationalized them and absorbed them into its growing war machine.
Didn't we know this already?

Posted: 2007-04-25 06:34pm
by Cykeisme
NecronLord wrote:
Cykeisme wrote: If you buy into the stuff about clones having better initiative, adaptability and creativity than droids, I suppose fielding what is effectively an amalgam of the two would be ideal.
If Rebellion/Supremacy is to be believed, some kind of force sensatives were going to be using the Dark Trooper armour...
In a fascinating continuity hiccup (rather, the later use of the name was ignorant of the first) Dark Troopers and Darktroopers may be two entirely different projects.
I may be wrong about this.

If I'm mistaken and they are the same, then I would surmise that even baseline Force sensitive troops (say, some measure of combat precognition) equipped with repulsorlift-equipped, heavily armored and armed powered armor would probably be expensive and rare, but veeery effective combat units.

Posted: 2007-04-25 07:08pm
by Warsie
nightmare wrote:Didn't we know this already?
No, at least not the shutdown. The Movie says that Anakin ordered the CIS commanders to shut down their droids and to surrender.

And there were numerous holdout worlds, probably very few surrendered, being suspicious of the transmission. Even if they did shutdown, before the Empire could even GET to the droids, Separatist forces, militias and pirates got to them first

Posted: 2007-04-26 09:54am
by VT-16
Isn't there a passage in Dark Lord that mentions how CIS material is being usurped by all kinds or military forces without the Empire being able to stop them?

Posted: 2007-04-26 01:15pm
by Warsie
VT-16 wrote:Isn't there a passage in Dark Lord that mentions how CIS material is being usurped by all kinds or military forces without the Empire being able to stop them?
Yes, that's a main canon reason I mentioned it

Posted: 2007-04-28 12:23am
by Tychu
In Survivors Quest Luke and Mara know what Droidekas are. They faced them twice, although they werent used by Imperial forces, the knowledge of droidekas is some evidence that people knew what they were 40 years after the "end" of the Clone Wars, so somebody well known has to have had them on "display"

Posted: 2007-05-05 10:58pm
by ColonialAdmiral
Also Survivors Quest mentioned that they are used on frontier worlds, as perimeter guards from preadeators and indiginous locals. You would think though, that the Droidekas would be in semi serviceable state, so they might still be built somewhere. There has to be a few Nemoidians lurking around somewhere, but that's pure speculation of course. :D

Posted: 2007-05-17 11:54am
by Cykeisme
Warsie wrote:No, at least not the shutdown. The Movie says that Anakin ordered the CIS commanders to shut down their droids and to surrender.
Hang on. Where does it say this?

It's a master shutdown signal that does not require the intervention of a chain of command involving living commanders.

Posted: 2007-05-18 12:57am
by Lord_Xerxes
Also in Outbound Flight, apparently the Republic commissioned some Droidekas to serve as protection against intruders to the ships and later, colony guards.

I thought it was kind of odd, considering that this was after TPM, but before AoTC.

Posted: 2007-05-18 01:41am
by Chris OFarrell
Lord_Xerxes wrote:Also in Outbound Flight, apparently the Republic commissioned some Droidekas to serve as protection against intruders to the ships and later, colony guards.

I thought it was kind of odd, considering that this was after TPM, but before AoTC.
THey comment that it was precisely because it was between this time period that it happened. Mara comments that apparently the TF played 'goody goody' for more then a few years between their "takedown" at Naboo and the kickoff of the Clone Wars at Geonisis.