What if - Droid Rebellion on the Death Star (ANH)

[Solauren]

While Luke, Han, and Chewie are rescuing Princess Leia, Artoo calls up an old program while on a mission in the Clone Wars (and has been tinkering with over the last 20 years), and uploads it to the Death Star's central computer, using Grand Moff Tarkins password (which he hasn't changed since the Clone Wars). That program then spreads to every computer and droid on the station.

Every droid that is capable of using a weapon then moves as near an armory as possible. Security droids prime their weapon systems.

Then, when the alert comes in from Detention block AA-23, every droid and automated system on the Death Star rebels. Both in the expected "they start shooting every Imperial officers and stormtrooper they find" and in other, unexpected ways.

Examples include -

Maintenance droids in Star fighter hanger bays dropping atmospheric containment fields
Mouse droids ramming people in the ankles at high speeds, or tripping them
Labor droids attacking crew
etc.

Unfortunately, there are no droids in the detention area to help out with the rescue attempt.

Fortunately, when ordered to open the magnetic seal on the Trash Compactor, R2 also sends instructions to the rebelling systems not to hurt those particular humans, and in fact keep a route clear to the Falcon.

The Falcon escapes (possibly with Kenobi reaching it, because let's face facts, the Death Star and it's droids and systems trying to kill everyone is probably a higher priority then revenge), but the droid rebellion goes on. (R2 also locked out the stations hyperdrive and engine controls, and then wiped their operating systems, to keep the Death Star stranded for a while)

What happens?
Assume if the Empire manages to secure the station, they have to replace every computer and droid on board to remove R2's little infection.

[Gandalf]

Assuming the Death Star's OS goes down, doesn't that wipe out every system including life support for the various Imperial dignitaries and the like aboard?

The droid rebellion may be the least of anyone's problems.

[chimericoncogene]

Wasn't this a thing for IG88 and the second Death Star?

[bilateralrope]

Assuming the Death Star's OS goes down, doesn't that wipe out every system including life support for the various Imperial dignitaries and the like aboard?

The droid rebellion may be the least of anyone's problems.

Life support might not me the most urgent issue. It all depends on how the reactor handles the loss of the computer systems keeping it operating safely.

[phred]

Life support might not me the most urgent issue. It all depends on how the reactor handles the loss of the computer systems keeping it operating safely.

There's tons of space in there, so you probably have oxygen for a couple days.

If the reactor goes off, anything in the general vicinity is toast. Including our heroes if they don't get out in time.

[Batman]

You'd hope that vital systems like that are hardwired or at least sufficiently isolated from the rest to be unaffected. But then you'd hope Wars computer security would be better than 'pretty much every sentient astromech droid can hack everything' and 'facial recognition means if you have a face you're authorized'

[Solauren]

For the purposes of this, assume that the Hypermatter containment systems (et al), and Life Support are not affected, even after the Falcon departs.
(R2 didn't have enough time to get into them)

However, once the Falcon left, he did send a signal that launched all escape pods.

[Vance]

double posted

[Vance]

You'd hope that vital systems like that are hardwired or at least sufficiently isolated from the rest to be unaffected. But then you'd hope Wars computer security would be better than 'pretty much every sentient astromech droid can hack everything' and 'facial recognition means if you have a face you're authorized'

Yes quite.
Well, they can open & close random doors, and maybe hack some security doors with greater effort, but the superlaser at least does require boots on the ground and hands pushing buttons & pulling levers. Same thing with weapon turrets usually requiring manpower.

So I didn't really like this idea that an IG or AI could hack the death star and take it over. He could upload himself in there and become a ghost in the machine, sure, in theory.

A good astromech or a ghost in the machine could do things like open doors and perhaps play with the regional life-con, however propulsion and guns seem to be hands on. Unless the hacker does anything too crazy/offensive, they may go on undetected, like R2 seemed to on the Death Star.
But plotlines that revolve around ai taking over ships just should not be used in SW imo, outside of maybe specific CIS ships that were IIRC actually droid brained, such plots don't make a lot of sense.

[Marko Dash]

Isn't this very thing one of the reasons given for why the Empire has so many low-tech looking analog systems, not much of anything is networked.

[Solauren]

You'd hope that vital systems like that are hardwired or at least sufficiently isolated from the rest to be unaffected. But then you'd hope Wars computer security would be better than 'pretty much every sentient astromech droid can hack everything' and 'facial recognition means if you have a face you're authorized'

Yes quite.
Well, they can open & close random doors, and maybe hack some security doors with greater effort, but the superlaser at least does require boots on the ground and hands pushing buttons & pulling levers. Same thing with weapon turrets usually requiring manpower.

So I didn't really like this idea that an IG or AI could hack the death star and take it over. He could upload himself in there and become a ghost in the machine, sure, in theory.

A good astromech or a ghost in the machine could do things like open doors and perhaps play with the regional life-con, however propulsion and guns seem to be hands on. Unless the hacker does anything too crazy/offensive, they may go on undetected, like R2 seemed to on the Death Star.
But plotlines that revolve around ai taking over ships just should not be used in SW imo, outside of maybe specific CIS ships that were IIRC actually droid brained, such plots don't make a lot of sense.

Remember, Artoo got in using Grand Moff Tarkins password (that hadn't been changed since the Clone Wars). That was deliberate in this scenario

#1 - Tarkin is high enough rank he can tell the techs 'fuck your security protocals, this is my password, deal with it'. And then execute them for pushing back
#2 - There is evidence Tarkin never changes his password from old EU canon. Admiral Daala had it in the Death Star novel.
#3 - There is evidence that password changes are not required for high level officials. Specifically, the 'Jedi Academy trilogy'. Daala and her Chief Admin both had each others passwords

In theory, someone like Tarkin would want the ability to control all security systems, if only to prevent rebellion by high level officers that got ideas in their heads (or if he did it himself), or to try to slow Darth Vader down if he decided Tarkin had to die. However, I agree that most of the other systems would be 'boots on the deck'

All you really need for this scenario to go is for the droids to be able to march to tool storage and armories (which they probably already could), grab weapons, and start shooting.