Does anyone else but me... (slight rant)

[Crazedwraith]

As a whole I see no reason why droids are dumber then people. Look at examples like IG-88 or IG-72. Or how about the droid soldiers that the republic started using in the YV war? Some droids and their inteligence are limited, some droids are highly effective.

But not mass producable. Or at least the YVHs weren't.

[Lancer]

if droid blasters do have variable settings, then set the blasters to stun and blast away.

[Civil War Man]

At one point in AOTC, one of the Kaminoans (the Prime Minister, I believe), said, "You will find [the clones] to be vastly superior to droids."

He was probably referring to early generation battle droids. I doubt he would have known about newer models (particularly super battle droids).

Being a computer game, this is low-level canon, but whenever I run into a super battle droid in Republic Commando, I pray that I still have anti-armor rounds left, because the blaster rifle does pretty much jack shit against them.

[NecronLord]

if droid blasters do have variable settings, then set the blasters to stun and blast away.

Against Jedi? Good luck. These are turn-invisible-and-accellerate-at-sixty-gravities pre-shroud Jedi. Against the queen? Why? They'll just carry her aboard her ship after slicing you up.

[Lancer]

"Halt!"
"I'm ambassador to the Supreme Chancellor. I'm taking these people to Couruscant."
"Where are you taking them?"
"To Coruscant."
"Coruscant...uh...that doesn't compute...uh...wait...your under arrest!"
*fight starts*

[The Original Nex]

Being a computer game, this is low-level canon, but whenever I run into a super battle droid in Republic Commando, I pray that I still have anti-armor rounds left, because the blaster rifle does pretty much jack shit against them.

While that is just game mechanics, SBDs can clearly withstand more damage than a B1.

In AotC a standard B1 Sidearm cleaves off an SBD's lower arm, and it simply stumbles back, regains its footing, and resumes firing. However, when C-3PO+Battle Droid Body accidentally discharges his sidearm into a SBD (in the "accordian" midsection) it immediately falls over; deactivated.

[Lancer]

Being a computer game, this is low-level canon, but whenever I run into a super battle droid in Republic Commando, I pray that I still have anti-armor rounds left, because the blaster rifle does pretty much jack shit against them.

While that is just game mechanics, SBDs can clearly withstand more damage than a B1.

In AotC a standard B1 Sidearm cleaves off an SBD's lower arm, and it simply stumbles back, regains its footing, and resumes firing. However, when C-3PO+Battle Droid Body accidentally discharges his sidearm into a SBD (in the "accordian" midsection) it immediately falls over; deactivated.

In Clone Wars, a clonetrooper pistol is enough to take out SBD's after a few shots. Clonetrooper rifles cause internal explosions in SBD's after two shots to the chest.

[Kurgan]

On the TPM DVD commentary Lucas specifically says he intended the Battle droids to be dumb and silly because the Trade Federation purposely made them that way, for fear that droids who were too smart would turn against them.

One fan page I read recently (think it was "Lard Biscuit") speculated that the "humorous" Battle droid was searching his memory banks for authorized personel that could leave for Coruscant and simply programmed to make delaying conversation while it was searching the databases (perhaps on the Droid control ship).

[Spanky The Dolphin]

I thought that was basically a given...

[Illuminatus Primus]

Does anyone else but me find the way that the statements about clones being superior to droids are taken as gospel by both authors and fans infuriatingly irritating? Surely there is absoloutely no rational reason why a clone could ever match a droid in marksmanship, endurance, strength or senses. Why should this emempheral clone creativeness ever win battles - a selling point used by the Kaminoans, certainly, true? I don't think so.

Its not that droids are intrinsically worse, just that the Geonosians built ones that aren't particularly that good. The SBD still would appear to lack the firepower, range, versatility, tactics, and intelligence of a clone trooper, and that's the designer's fault. The droids put up against the clones suck ass.

[NecronLord]

I'm pretty sure they've got roughly equivalent firepower. just apllied through two carbineish blasters rather than one rifle.

[Stark]

Whats with that? Surely they could mount the heavier weapons on something the size of an SBD or slightly larger? Even Droidekias aren't particularly massive.

[Illuminatus Primus]

I'm pretty sure they've got roughly equivalent firepower. just apllied through two carbineish blasters rather than one rifle.

They're a lot less volumnous and we've never observed a max power shot anything like the DC-15 blasts that dismembered droideka.

[Panzer Grenadier]

Has anybody ever considered that droids, even stupid droids have an inherent number advantage over clone troopers? Even with the age acceleration it has to take at least 7-9 years for a clone to become combat ready, however I assume it would take much less time to construct a droideka on an assemby line...

[Illuminatus Primus]

They've since been using flash-learning and Spaarti cylinders were developed. Circumstancial evidence suggests that clones are coming out much quicker now.

[Kazuaki Shimazaki]

I was completely unaware that Jedi could mindtrick droids. Is this stated anywhere else in the canon?

I'm not sure. However, you can clearly see the droid hesitating over the word, pondering over it, and then realizing it is being tricked. IIRC it went something like "Coruscant .... does not compute ... YOU ARE UNDER ARREST!"

Somehow, I doubt even a dumb SW droid would take that long to ponder such a sentence. It'd be tough to believe Qui-Gon would dare enter a restricted area unless he thought his tricks could help him cover up.

[Illuminatus Primus]

I doubt its a mind trick so much as drawing energy from the droid's brain or interfering with its control signal with the Force; look at the trick that Obi-Wan could do with Grevious' servos in his arm in the ROTS novelisation.

[Stofsk]

I was completely unaware that Jedi could mindtrick droids. Is this stated anywhere else in the canon?

I'm not sure. However, you can clearly see the droid hesitating over the word, pondering over it, and then realizing it is being tricked. IIRC it went something like "Coruscant .... does not compute ... YOU ARE UNDER ARREST!"

Somehow, I doubt even a dumb SW droid would take that long to ponder such a sentence. It'd be tough to believe Qui-Gon would dare enter a restricted area unless he thought his tricks could help him cover up.

Christ, I must be the only person in the world to think that droid was being deliberately sarcastic.

I'm an ambassador for the Republic. I'm taking these people to Coruscant.

"Oh really? Where are you taking them, again?"

Coruscant.

"Well now, let me just check my databank... hmm Coruscant, did you say? That does not compute YOU'RE UNDER ARREST, DUMBFUCK."

[Kazuaki Shimazaki]

Choice A:

Use extra capacity to put in a better tactical computer.

Choice B:

Use extra capacity to put in sarcasm.

Yeah ... tough choice ... in a battle droid.

[Vympel]

Please check the AotC novelization database on the main page, please. There's a paragraph that says that one for one, a Battle Droid is almost a match for a Clonetrooper. A Super Batle Droid, more than a match (watch the AotC arena fight closely, you see a reflected blaster bolt hit an SBD and do nothing but heat up its armored carapace). But the Clones just fight better in groups.

[Illuminatus Primus]

Please check the AotC novelization database on the main page, please. There's a paragraph that says that one for one, a Battle Droid is almost a match for a Clonetrooper. A Super Batle Droid, more than a match (watch the AotC arena fight closely, you see a reflected blaster bolt hit an SBD and do nothing but heat up its armored carapace). But the Clones just fight better in groups.

I find the in-film evidence and basic realities to be more convincing. For one the sheer firepower of the clones and the fact that clones can actually scrotch or lie in the prone position, and droids just walk dumbly into the fire is a biggie.

[squidman001]

it just irks me that throughout the movies all the droids and stormtroopers miss... just because theyre fireing at "heros" gosh grrr frustration at movies...

[Stofsk]

Use extra capacity to put in sarcasm.

Yeah ... tough choice ... in a battle droid.

Droid quirks, no memory wipe (or this example is overdue for one).

I never said they were ALL purposely sarcastic; just that Qui-gon happened to encounter a sarcastic battle droid. Nor did I say it was programmed for sarcasm. Incidentally how does a mindtrick work on something without a mind? I've never heard of mind-influencing powers being employed against any droids before; indeed, I was given to believe that droids are somehow immune to such things.

[Vympel]

I find the in-film evidence and basic realities to be more convincing. For one the sheer firepower of the clones and the fact that clones can actually scrotch or lie in the prone position, and droids just walk dumbly into the fire is a biggie.

I'm pretty sure we see an SBD crouching. In any event, the film provides us only fleeting views of the ground battle, not a grand overview allowing us to really judge performance.

[Darth Wong]

Has anybody ever considered that droids, even stupid droids have an inherent number advantage over clone troopers? Even with the age acceleration it has to take at least 7-9 years for a clone to become combat ready, however I assume it would take much less time to construct a droideka on an assemby line...

The droids always did have a numerical advantage over the clonetroopers. But for any given amount of manufacturing output, any resources devoted to droid manufacturing must reduce your ability to produce other implements of war such as armour, air support, spacecraft, artillery, etc.