If you are looking for the story of the same name see: DW: Robot (TV story).
A robot is a mechanical device with the ability to do work without the help of a living organism. The most common type of robot is an android (a humanoid robot, e.g. Kamelion, who could also shape-shift). (DW: The King's Demons). However, robots also come in various forms such as dog-like (e.g. K-9). (DW: The Invisible Enemy)
On many planets Robots were used as a servile labour force. Their appearance sometimes generated strong emotions in people, a condition known as Robophobia or Grimwade's Syndrome. (DW: The Robots of Death)
They were powered in many different ways such as by Black light. (DW: Four to Doomsday)
Although programmed with several hundred safety protocols inhibiting violence, a skilled mechanic can bypass these (see Taren Capel), allowing the robot to wreak havoc. (DW: The Robots of Death)
Although robots were mainly used for manual labour, there have been occasions when they have been used for militant purposes by a wide variety of species. The most perfected of these killing machines was the Raston Warrior Robot. (DW: The Five Doctors)
Races known to use robots for militant purposes include: Cybermen, Dominators, Time Lords (Death Zone) and Humans.
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The term robot refers to a variety of artificial, often mechanical, technologies which act with a purpose. Robots range from simple programmable artificial devices to complex self-aware artificial intelligences.
In 2266 the crew of the USS Enterprise encountered a race of Robots which had been created by a humanoid species a million years earlier. (TOS comic: "UK comic strips, first story arc")
In 2294, Beta Promethean pirates cheated James T. Kirk using robots. Kirk used those same robots later to misdirect Klingons. (TOS novel: The Fearful Summons)
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The New Gods are vulnerable to a substance called Radion. It source is unknown and its effects are toxic only in sustained amounts or after explosive exposure. The average New God can be slain by an application of Radion from a Radion blaster or bomb. More advanced beings such as Metron, protected by their mother box, armor and sheer toughness, have been known to take two hits and survive. Radion is presumed to be rare of difficult to manufacture, because if it was not, Darkseid would obviously equip more of his troops with it. Perhaps it requires the mysterious Element X to create it.
(See Also: Radion)
[top] [Edit Radion]
This was a device developed by Doctor Sivana to bloack all radio transmissions in Fawcett City. Captain Marvel, in his first fight with Sivana, destroyed the Silencer, confounding Sivana's plot.
(See Also: Whiz Comics #2)
[top] [Edit Radio Silencer]
This was a small red gemstone affixed to Raven's forehead. It helped her to control the darker passions of her soul-self. Brother Blood removed the Chakra by biting it off of her head.
[top] [Edit Raven's Chakra]
The Red is the name of an existential realm of existence that relates to the anthropomorphic field. It is a realm that is intriniscally tied to all animal life on Earth. Some individuals, such as Buddy Baker and his daughter Maxine have an acute perception when it comes to sensing the Red. The Red is analogous to the The Green (elements of the Earth) and The Clear (elements of water).
[top] [Edit Red, The]
The Master of the Gestation Chamber of the planet, Krypton maintained this database of eligible citizens to determine which individuals were genetically compatible with others for purposes of procreation.
[top] [Edit Register of Citizens]
Rennial V was a sector of space in the Milky Way Galaxy known for boasting twin black holes. The black holes were the source of power for the villain known as Blackstarr.
(See Also: DC Comics Presents #86)
[top] [Edit Rennial V]
Through an act of fission, the woman known as Harbinger can separate herself into many duplicate forms. These forms are called Replicants.
(See Also: Duploid)
[top] [Edit Replicant]
A retarius is a finely meshed throwing net originally used by Roman Gladiators during the height of the Roman Empire. Hawkman frequently employs a retarius as part of his crime-fighting arsenal.
(See Also: Brave and the Bold (Volume 1) #34)
[top] [Edit Retarius]
A Retro-screen is a transceiver device used on Apokolips. They are capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from other universes. Darkseid uses them when he wishes to monitor events taking place on Earth.
[top] [Edit Retro-Screen]
The Rings of Azarath are symbolic rings crafted by the progenitor of the Azarathian people, the first Azar. They were passed down to her daughter, who in turn, passed them down to her daughter. With the death of the third Azar, there was no heir to accept the rings, so they went to the half-human/half-demon Raven. The spirtual essence of Azar lives on through the rings, always guiding Raven and steeling her resolve against the evil influence of her father Trigon.
(See Also: Azarath)
[top] [Edit Rings of Azarath]
A robot is a mechanical or virtual, artificial agent. It is usually an electromechanical system, which, by its appearance or movements, conveys a sense that it has intent or agency of its own.
[top] [Edit Robot]
This was a highly advanced, rocket-based hydro-skimmer created by Dr. Niles Caulder and used as a vehicle by the Doom Patrol.
(See Also: Doom Patrol v.1 #102)
[top] [Edit Rocket-Foil]
As its name suggests, this device is a grappling hook propelled by a small rocket engine. Robin incorporated such a device into his crime-fighting arsenal shortly before joining the Teen Titans (though he vary seldom used it).
(See Also: DC Comics Presents #26)
[top] [Edit Rocket Grappler]
A Rothan is a Thanagarian equivalent of one Earth week.
[top] [Edit Rothan]
A Rutt Tree is a small planet indigenous to the destroyed planet, Tamaran. Starfire has a Rutt Tree growing in her garden at Titans Tower in San Francisco. When she's not paying attention, Krypto has been known to root through her garden and destroy her plants.
[top] [Edit Rutt Tree]
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Robots have often been featured in various Muppet productions over the years, as characters or as loudly whirring props. Robots, mechanical devices which can move and operate on their own, have a similar mystique to that of the puppet. In the Muppet universe, however, like other appliances, robots are generally distinguished by their ineptness and tendency to fall apart or explode. Many of Dr. Bunsen Honeydew's inventions, whether referred to as such or not, could be considered robots.
 A robot appears in Fozzie's magic hat in The Muppet Show episode 421 |
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A robot is a machine capable of autonomously completing tasks. Depending upon the robot, these tasks may be simple or complex, and may require little human intervention or complete oversight.
In the Fallout universe, robots had been constructed for many purposes, and many examples survived long enough to be a factor in the Fallout world.
Robots had been constructed by pre-War society to fill all niches and occupations. From general-purpose utility droids to full-fledged military battle machines, robots could be found in almost any environment and function.
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Typically, robots are equipped with a basic programming structure that dictates behavior and priorities. In most cases, these rules are effectively set in stone, and there's little the player can do to influence them. However, robots also develop personalities. Whether this is an intended feature present from manufacturing or the cumulative result of centuries of poorly-attended operation is unclear. Some robots, such as the Nuka-Cola shipping foreman appear to have rather harsh personalities present from their first days of activation, while others, such as the Protectron series seem to have little personality at all. At times, this personality gestalt seems to operate at odds with the fundamental core programming of the robot.
Notable examples of this discontent include Cerberus, the Mr. Gutsy robotic soldier that patrols Underworld. Despite programming to protect the ghouls of the city, Cerberus nevertheless admits quite freely that it detests the ghouls and, were it not for his combat inhibitor, would likely kill them all. Sawbones, resident medic at the Citadel, has an unhealthy interest in pain driven by his personality, while his programming clearly states he is a medic. Robots can even exhibit finicky personalities, one such Mr. Gutsy RL-3 will exhibit distaste in anyone without neutral karma.
Even robotic butlers show contrary streaks, although these aberrations are less likely to cause grievous bodily injury. The butler present in the player's home in Fallout 3 is often overheard saying with a cheery voice "How can I serve you master?" while muttering, sotto voce, "Not that I really want to" some seconds later.
Robots are often pressed into emergency duty outside their normal menu of skills, although this meets with varying degrees of success. A general-maintenance Mr. Handy will likely make a poor medic.
It may also be noted that without proper supervision, robots may handle situations rather extremely. Metro Protectron will kill an unarmed person if they do not have a ticket, on top of this they do not accept Red Pass or Blue Pass cards, meaning someone traveling on these lines may be attacked even with proper authorization. Another note is that the Factory Protectron mentioned on the computer terminal in The Pitt killed all the workers when they refused to leave the mill and their jobs. Also, Milo the Shipping Foreman, a Type II Mr. Handy robot, had trapped a group of employees in a locked closet to die, and for very minor infractions (taking a longer lunchbreak, for example). With this in mind it can be safe to say that robots of the fallout universe do not follow Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics, or if they do very loosely. It would seem that east coast robots have a naturally adverse attitude towards humans, or animated things in general- living or robotic, as all the robots feature a combat "Inhibitor" meaning that the robots all exhibit an uncontrollable urge to kill, without the inhibitor anyway.
While some robots in the Fallout wastelands are benign, most are following centuries-old programming -- or newer programming -- that classifies the player as a threat. To that end, effective anti-robot combat strategies are a must.
Most robots are highly resistant to damage from conventional weapons. Bullets do not generally affect robots as severely as they do their organic masters, and militarized robots can generally shrug off grenade shrapnel. However, like all electronics, robots are vulnerable to the effects of an EMP, making pulse weapons the ideal choice for disabling a robotic enemy.
Pulse grenades, pulse mines, and 12 Gauge EMP Shells are ideal for disabling a robot quickly, and though these munitions are typically expensive, they are much more efficient in a cost-for-effect frame of mind. Explosive weapons like missile launchers or miniature nuclear weapons are effective, but more costly to use against robots.
Players with sufficient Repair skills, or certain perks can disable inattentive robots, while players with sufficient Science skills can occasionally find control terminals that can shut down or reconfigure patrolling mechanical marauders.
A alien turret equipped with a electric cannon.
Seen in: Fallout 3
The most human of all robots, androids could easily pass as normal humans under all but the most intense examinations.
Seen in: Fallout 3
A little robot, slow, box-like moving things with two hands which probably assist Secret Vault technicians during their work.
Seen in: Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
A automatic, unmanned machine guns which are capable of sensing and attacking targets that are hostile to the faction or organization to which they belong.
Seen in: Fallout 3
An autonomous defence turret equipped with twin minigun cannons and relatively heavily armoured.
Seen in: Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics
The undisputed heavyweight king of the Calculator's army, the Behemoth lived up to its name by being able to easily obliterate its foes and survive massive amounts of damage.
Seen in: Fallout Tactics
Half dog, half robot, cyberdogs made for loyal companions, if not terribly adaptable. Cyberdogs were products of the Enclave.
Seen in: Fallout 2
Experimental Weapons Drone are a more advanced variant of the Guardian Drone and equipped with a Drone Cannon Ex-B.
Seen in: Fallout 3
Relatively benign, the Eyebot is designed mainly to spread radio broadcast Enclave propaganda. Although armed with an electric stunner, these robots have very negligable combat strength.
Seen in: Fallout 3
This weak security robot uses an electric cattle prod to coerce disobedient persons back into submission. Sturdy but unsuited to real combat.
Seen in: Fallout, Fallout 2, Van Buren
Guardian Drones are a more advanced variant of the Support Drone which carries a Drone Cannon and does a considerable amount of damage.
Seen in: Fallout 3
A security robots, three-legged orb-like walker and uses chainguns to attack possible threats to well-being of the Secret Vault.
Seen in: Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
A turret equipped with twin plasma cannon and is heavily armored.
Seen in: Fallout 2
Useful only as scouts, Hover Robots performed reconnaissance missions for the Calculator. Very weak, but considered disposable.
Seen in: Fallout Tactics
A robotic foot soldier used by the Calculator, androids were neither durable nor powerful, but they were plentiful.
Seen in: Fallout Tactics
A security robots, three-legged orb-like walker and are "suicide" attackers which creates an electrical explosion on contact with the enemy.
Seen in: Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
A security robots, three-legged orb-like walker and uses fast-shooting laser canons to destroy its enemies.
Seen in: Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
A turret with a single-barrel laser cannon and has the ability to lower down for additional cover. It cannot fire while in cover.
Seen in: Fallout Tactics
A gigantic, heavily armed humanoid robot, designed for the United States military to be used during the liberation of Alaska. It was never fully completed and remained inoperative until being activated by The Brotherhood of Steel in the Capital Wasteland.
Seen in: Fallout 3
Essentially a robotic forklift, the Loadlifter's strength lay in its size and weight.
Seen in: Fallout Tactics
A little robot, have no arms, slow, box-like moving things that do some sort of maintenance work for the Vault and was also power generators with legs.
Seen in: Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
A militarized version of the Mr. Handy, designed for use by the United States Army and Marine Corps. A capable combatant.
Seen in: Fallout 3
This general-purpose robot was built mainly for housekeeping and maintenance. Although not a combat robot, a Mr. Handy can still pose a threat as a combatant.
Seen in: Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout 3
The second-heaviest military robot in the Calculator's ranks, the Pacification Bot could launch a devastating ranged attack and required a great deal of punishment to put down.
Seen in: Fallout Tactics
Vaguely reminiscent of Robbie the Robot, Protectrons were common robots in and around the Capitol Wasteland. While many were tasked with building or Metro security, some military versions can be found roaming the wasteland.
Seen in: Fallout 3
A cyborg robot that makes use of an organic brain as its main CPU, Robobrains have been found mated with animal and human brains. A less-capable combatant in Fallout and Fallout 2, the Robobrain's military cousin can be encountered in Fallout 3. Also, a unique Robobrain exists in Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel.
Seen in: Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout 3, Fallout Tactics, Van Buren
Among the smallest of the Calculator's forces, the diminutive Scurry Bot patrolled tight confines and occasionally laid in ambush in difficult terrain.
Seen in: Fallout Tactics
Large, humanoid robots, Security Robots were weaker than their larger cousins, but when it came to exerting power in the tight confines of a building, few robots could equal its abilities.
Seen in: Fallout Tactics
Sentry Bots are bruisers, no matter what form they take. Capable of both dishing out and taking tremendous punishment, Sentry Bots represent the pinnacle of military robotics.
Seen in: Fallout 2, Fallout 3
A small robot, box or vacuum cleaner-like robots, that wash the floor in the Vault and perform small repairing tasks.
Seen in: Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
Support Drones are basic drones which are not equipped with weapons and instead they rely on melee attacks. It's likely that their primary function is maintenance aboard the alien vessels.
Seen in: Fallout 3
Though armed with a massive flail that made this robot a killing machine in close combat, the Tank Track Robots were nevertheless large and ungainly. Coupled with the inability to launch a ranged attack, they were easily countered by a prepared force.
Seen in: Fallout Tactics
A security robots, three-legged orb-like walker and uses powerful electric blasts generated by special Tesla deviece mounted on it, to attack possible threats to well-being of the Secret Vault.
Seen in: Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
Turret Robot are hidden turret underground and quickly pop-up if they see an enemy and shoot them with two powerful submachine cannon.
Seen in: Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
Designed primarily to handle the movement of radioactive waste, Agricola bots are heavily armored and durable.
Seen in: Van Buren
Massive, dog-like sentries, CRB-S units can be programmed to perform at varying levels of force to uphold law and order.
Seen in: Van Buren
A morphing gas pump equipped with a flamethrower, little is known about the Gasbot.
Seen in: Van Buren
A robotic perk, Cyborg, makes an appearance in Fallout 3.
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A bot (short for robot) is a program used to do repetitive tasks.
On wikis, bots are used to perform repetitive editing tasks, such as updating links or implementing a formatting change. See GuildWiki:Editing bots project and Wikipedia:Creating a bot for more details.
In online games, they are often used for farming and spamming, and botting is generally considered cheating. They are often used for profit by companies that sell virtual items. Bots are against the terms in the Guild Wars EULA, and will get the bot user's account banned. ArenaNet has used different techniques to counter bot farming, such as reduced drops for solo farmers, nerfing of popular farming areas, and banning of accounts confirmed to be used for bots.
"Botting" and "botter"(s) refer almost exclusively to the use of bots in online games.
Bots are harmful mainly because they make the large-scale gathering of items simple, fast, and easy. This in turn leads to flooding of the market, causing price decreases. Bots are also used by companies and people who sell gold for real money. The idea of selling gold for real money causes a price increase for items that are not commonly farmed by bots. This is because players will just buy gold online instead of working for it like a legitimate player would, and then buy the virtual items they need in the game with that gold. Bot use is greatly frowned upon by regular players.
Some bots return to cities to automatically sell items they have farmed, and are often identified by one or more of the following:
It may be a good idea to first "quiz" the bot before reporting them, although there is often a "bot master" who will respond to such queries, so this is not foolproof.
Suspected bots can be reported to ArenaNet through their "Ask a Question" form on the Guild Wars site. Instructions for doing so can be found here. Another way of reporting bots is to target the suspected bot, type /report in chat and then select botting from the list. The name of the bot can be typed after '/report' if you can't find them in the outpost. Note that after your report, you will not receive correspondence about proceedings between ArenaNet and the alleged violator.
Infrequently, henchmen and heroes may be referred to as bots. This mostly comes from players of first-person shooters, where computer controlled players are generally referred to as bots. See Wikipedia's bot disambiguation page for other possible meanings of the term.
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An extrasensory means of perception by which the brain generates electromagnetic waves which travel outward, bounce off objects, and are again picked up by the brain, which thus determines what its surroundings are.
[top] [Edit Radar Sense]
Reality warping is the ability to alter reality, and is often regarded as the ultimate superpower among comic fans. Generally, it translates as the ability to reshape matter and energy, turn a person's thoughts or desires into reality, bend time and space just as the Phoenix Force does to travel across timelines, and bend, twist or possibly even rewrite the laws of physics. The Joker, wielding the power of Mr. Mxyzptlk as "Emperor Joker", was even able to rewrite logic itself, for example, making the whole world believe that 2 + 2 equals "fish".
Some of the most extreme reality warpers, like Mxyzptlk and James Jaspers, are not even limited by their own physical bodies and can alter their own stature and appearance at will to become whatever they want to be, no matter how bizarre it might be. This ability seems to go far beyond anything that "ordinary" shapeshifters like Mystique and Morph could even think of in their wildest imagination. Most reality warping individuals, at least in Marvel comics, tend to be mutants.
Marvel's Mutant Reality Warpers Some Marvel Mutants with potential for reality warping encountered in Marvel comics are, amongst others:
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For a list of reality warpers, see Category:Reality Warpers
[top] [Edit Reality warper]
Reboot, means to discard all previous continuity in the series and start anew. Effectively, all previously-known history is declared by the writer to be null and void and the series starts over from the beginning.
This differs from a creator producing a separate interpretation of another creator's work; rather, the owner of the creation declares that the rebooted continuity is now the official version.
This term is often applied to comic books, where the prevailing continuity can be very important to the progress of future installments, acting (depending on circumstances and one's point of view) as a rich foundation from which to develop characters and storylines, or as a box limiting the story options available to tell and an irreconcilable mess of contradictory history. Such large continuities also become a barrier to introducing newcomers to the fandom, as the complex histories are difficult to learn, and make understanding the story very difficult; a reboot gives the chance for new fans to experience the story by reintroducing it in smaller and easier to understand installments.
Examples
(See Also: Canon, Retcon)
[top] [Edit Reboot]
Reincarnation is the ability to return to life after having died. Often times, this means that the soul of an individual is reborn in a new body, but in some cases, Reincarnation serves as a form of resurrection, wherein the soul is given renewed life in the person's original body. Unlike Regeneration, Reincarnation does not enable one to regrow lost or damaged tissue.
(See Also: Characters with Reincarnation)
[top] [Edit Reincarnation]
The ability to react to danger with great speed or hightened abilities. For example the Taskmaster has Photographic Reflexes and can reproduce anything he sees to aid him.
[top] [Edit Reflexes]
A Repulsor is an electronic device which uses particle beam technology to project a blast of concussive energy. Repulsor blasts may be directed by magnets and focused by electrostatic lenses, although they may also be self-focusing. One of the luminaries of repulsor design technology is Anthony Stark, who has incorporated them into every iteration of his patented Iron Man armors. Constructed using micro-circuitry, these repulsors are implemented into the palms of his battlesuit and are one of the armor's primary offensive tools.
(See Also: Anthony Stark; Iron Man Armor)
[top] [Edit Repulsor]
A retcon (short for retroactive continuity) is, in a nutshell, a storyteller's tool that adds previously unknown material to an event in a previous story. As with any tool, the quality of the finished product depends on the user's skill and intent.
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Now suppose that, months later, another writer wants to bring Doctor Doom into another story. It would strain your credulity to see him alive with no explanation. Continuity, an element of good storytelling, demands that the writer explain how Doom returned from his trip into space. The writer tells you something you didn't know at the time—"of course Doom has a jetpack built into his armor"—problem solved. With few exceptions, a writer will leave some ambiguity in these situations, precisely so that later writers can use the character again. A retcon can also solve problems created by other writers. In a serial medium such as comic books, the creative teams change from time to time, and each team has its own conceptions of the characters. If the previous team made a change that doesn't fit in with the new team's ideas, they can explain it away. In an extreme example of such a retcon, an entire season of the television series Dallas was undone by retroactively presenting it as a bad dream of one of the characters. On the other hand, a retcon can be a bad thing. The only rule in writing is that there are no rules, but there are guidelines. Guideline #1: play by the rules. All fiction depends on suspension of disbelief, your willingness to accept a story on its face. It may violate the rules of our world, but you ignore the impracticality as long as the story is internally consistent. In this type of bad retcon, someone does something out of character, or something happens that directly contradicts what previous writers have accepted as true. In other words, the retcon involves something inconsistent with the accepted "laws" of that fictional world. Guideline #2: use them sparingly. A retcon pulls you out of the story for a moment, forcing you to evaluate it in light of what you already know. If it's plausible and consistent, you'll accept it quickly and go on with the story. Further retcons keep pulling you back out of the story and ruin the experience. Guideline #3: keep it simple. A retcon adds new material to an old story. If you have read the old story, or first read it at a later time, you will feel cheated because so much was "left out." Guideline #4: show respect. Some comic-book events have become legends. Changing them retroactively cheapens them. |
For a good example of bad retcons, see the Clone Saga.
[top] [Edit Retcon]
A mechanical entity sometimes but not always possessing a humanoid configuration. Compare with android, cyborg, synthezold.
This could include androids, synthezoids, artificial intelligences and golems.
(See Also: List of Robots)
[top] [Edit Robot]
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Droids (sometimes also 'droids, short for androids), were robots: mechanical beings, often possessing artificial intelligence. They were used in a variety of roles and environments, often those considered too menial or too dangerous for Humans and other species. Droids were also used in fields that required extensive specialization and knowledge, such as medical droids and astromech droids.
Depending on the model and its corresponding purpose, droids were totally obedient, rugged, expendable, capable of vast memory recall, and mathematically precise. These characteristics made them well suited for many jobs, though the lack of independent thought in the cheaper, less advanced models limited their capability. This lack of autonomy was simultaneously a vast asset and a glaring weakness—an asset in terms of obedience and control but a massive drawback in terms of effectiveness. Designers faced a fundamental paradox—make the droids overly intelligent, and they might rebel; yet make the droids not intelligent enough and they would be ineffectual.
Customarily, droid names were an arrangement of numbers and letters.
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The words droid and robot are generally taken to mean the same thing. However, the official definition of a droid is "a mechanical being with a self-aware consciousness, as distinguished from a computer by having a self-contained method of locomotion."
Droids were divided into five basic "degrees," or "classes," based upon creativity, intelligence, and capacity for independent thought.
Droids were categorized by function, though the lines between categories were often blurred. Many droids, such as members of the BD-3000 series, served a variety of roles and purposes, making classification difficult. Other droids, especially those who were "one-of-a-kind," had unique capabilities and changing characteristics that made classification impossible. Some droids changed functions as they changed owners, sometimes many times throughout their operational life. These limitations notwithstanding, droids were grouped according to their primary factory-installed functionality.
These droids were used to kill specific targets, often those too well guarded for approach by conventional means. Typically deployed by bounty hunters, assassin droids were often tasked with suicide missions—missions with almost zero probability for successful escape. In addition to their expendability, assassin droids could be programmed with advanced targeting algorithms, allowing them to be more accurate than even the best sentient sniper. Not all assassin droids utilized traditional weaponry, however—certain models, such as the ASN-121, could be outfitted with a number of different weapons or sensors, allowing for different tactics such as brute force attacks or stealthy penetrations. Because of the higher intelligence and independence required for droids of this type, rebellions were known to occur, though not very frequently.
Droids used for interstellar starships, astromech droids, were mobile multi-role droids capable of hyperspace navigation, systems monitoring/control, damage repair, and data storage. These droids had extensive databases of stellar systems and hyperspatial coordinates, which were necessary for faster-than-light travel. Astromech droids were also used in certain starfighter models, typically those with hyperdrives. They served a similar, though expanded, role—supplementing the ship's onboard computer systems and aiding the pilot in navigation, repair, and interfacing. More advanced astromech models could often pilot a small craft by themselves, blurring the line between an astromech droid and a pilot droid. Some astromechs, like members of the R2 series, were equipped with numerous features that expanded their functionality beyond navigation and repair, allowing them to become useful in almost any situation. Because of their emphasis in technical fields, astromech droids were not equipped with vocabulators or language programming; instead communicating through a series of beeps and whistles known as binary. In addition to an astromech's factory-installed functionality, many of these droids were customizable—allowing upgrades to sensors, tools, software, and even basic hardware.
Droids were used most commonly in combat-related roles, where they offered a plethora of advantages over organic units. Droids could carry heavy weaponry and shielding, move rapidly without tiring, analyze targeting and trajectory calculations instantly, and protect crucial systems by burying them deep inside the frame of the droid (often featuring backup processing and multiple layers of redundancy). Droids could follow orders to the letter, taking risks no Human ever would yet still maintaining their calm precision. Most importantly, however, these droids were expendable—unlike sentients, the amount of time and energy it cost to assemble a droid was often a tiny fraction that of recruiting (or growing) a Human and training them. Built on massive automated assembly lines, like the ones on Geonosis, thousands of capable droids could be produced in a matter of hours. Because of these factors, droids were used extensively as military units, most famously by the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Despite these advantages, however, combat droids suffered from several drawbacks. Most importantly, in order to create total obedience and foil any chance of rebellion, droid units were often crippled with extremely sub-par artificial intelligence. This drawback was exemplified by the hideously poor A.I. of the B-1 battle droid, which rarely served any purpose other than as cannon fodder. Also, many (though not all) droid units lacked the flexibility and manipulation capabilities of Human units, especially in terms of hand and finger use.
Another prime use of droids was to question prisoners, and if deemed necessary also as instruments of torture. The use of droid interrogators as opposed to Humans made sense in a number of ways: impersonal machines often increased the subject's fear, making him more likely to be cooperative; droids offered a precise medical-based analysis of a subject's system, tolerances, and whether or not he was telling the truth; all of which could be exploited frighteningly effectively by integrated serums and other tools of torture. Additionally, subjects under interrogation by droids often directed their anger and fear towards the mechanized machines; not towards the actual captors. This was often followed up by a later visit from a 'friendly' sentient officer, offering sympathy and establishing a friend-like relationship. Once a rapport had been established, often times the subject would divulge secrets willingly, without requiring direct (and sometimes ineffective) coercion.
Droids were also used in the field of medical science. They offered advantages over Humans in that they could be programmed with a massive amounts of information, none of which would be forgotten, making them extremely cost-effective. Meddroids, as they were known, could store detailed records on hundreds of patients, in addition to exhaustive information on diseases, wounds, and infirmities. Medical droids could analyze wounds or diseases and automatically determine severity of injury, necessary medication, and possible side-effects; all by utilizing sensors and extensive databanks. The emotional detachment of these medical droids was both a blessing and a curse—an advantage because droids did not let emotions interfere with their task, but a disadvantage in that patients could often feel alienated from an impersonal machine. These droids could also operate on patients, using built-in tool extensions and surgical implements. These arm extensions were often modular, allowing rapid change from one medical specialization to another (e.g. from neurosurgery to pediatrics). Because of the high costs associated with comprehensive meddroids, some model lines (such as the DD-13 line or FX-7 models) were not as sophisticated and were usually used as assistants. These medical assistant droids offered some independent functionality but were meant to be used in cooperation with dedicated medical droids, or with organic physicians.
Droids were also used in piloting roles, both directly and indirectly. Some were used for atmospheric flight, while others were used for interstellar navigation. Droids were well-suited for piloting roles for several reasons: they could be programmed with detailed schematics of a ship, they would not panic when under enemy fire, they could maintain tight formations and execute precision attack plans, and, because of their close integration with the ship's computers, they could monitor and repair damage to the ship far more effectively than a Human. Because of their expendability, droid pilots did not require escape pods or other life support systems, saving cost and complexity on the ships they flew.
Droids that were used to handle diplomatic affairs, and aid in translation between various languages, were known as protocol droids. Like medical droids, protocol droids utilized massive databanks, being programmed with thousands of different languages and dialects. Protocol droids were equipped with aural sensors, to receive audio information, and processing units, to analyze and apply necessary programming. Because of their close integration with sentients, protocol droids were often given in-depth personality matrices, allowing for a variety of different personalities and behaviors through a process called metaprogramming.
Droids were used in exploration and scouting roles as well, providing a cheap yet effective mobile sensor platform. Probe droids, often launched by the thousands, would use a one-shot propulsion system to reach the targeted area. Upon arrival, these droids would analyze the area with their powerful sensor arrays; sending the results of the scan back to the droid's creator. Droids of this type were used in many roles: military reconnaissance, deep space exploration, and mineral prospecting (primarily in asteroid fields). Other models were atmospheric-bound, relying on repulsorlift technology to move rapidly and traverse height differentials. Most scout droids carried a similar core loadout—a multiple-spectrum photoreceptor, a magnetic imaging device, a thermal imager, and signals transmission equipment. Some models featured built-in weaponry, such as a blaster, or expansion slots that could be used for a variety of additional sensors or weapons. Some droids also included a self-destruct mechanism to prevent acquisition by others. Because of their clearly defined role and the need to keep the cost per unit down, probe droids were given inexpensive processing units and relatively "dumb" A.I. This resulted in a lack of flexibility and systemic errors when confronted with unknown circumstances not outlined in the computer's parameters. These drawbacks aside, probe droids were very effective in their native role: providing inexpensive but broad sensor capability, regardless of climate, radiation levels, or hostile presence.
In addition to the primary roles outlined above, droids served in a myriad of other, more specialized functions:
Droids were typically treated as property. More advanced droids sometimes received proportionally more respect. Some protested the status of droids as slavery. This was a contentious issue, owing in part to the difficulty of assessing levels of artificial intelligence, and determining which droids if any could be considered properly sentient. Although emancipation of droids was a radical concept, some opposed memory wipes except for very simple droids.
The Naboo considered higher level droids equal as fellow sentients. Under the Galactic Empire, no laws protected droids from abuse and those who showed them respect were looked upon as strange. During the Yuuzhan Vong War (25 ABY–30 ABY), droids were targeted for destruction by the technology-hating Yuuzhan Vong invaders who saw them as abominations.
During the Clone Wars, general dislike for droids was spoken of between clones and their generals, which would regular use such slang as "clankers" or "tinnies" to refer to them.
The father of modern-day droid language is widely held to be Yperio Baobab, whose Bab-Prime revolutionized robotic communication in 200 BBY. The following is a brief chronological list of other droid languages, previous and subsequent.
As a side note, Bab-Prime was also responsible, at least in part, for the droid tendency to develop personalities if not given frequent memory wipes. A hapless employee of the Baobab Merchant Fleet, in an attempt to create a new Bab-Prime algorithm, actually created a personality virus that ran rampant through the galaxy's droid population, exacerbating what was an apparently already existing problem. Ever since this occurrence, the administration of memory wipes to droids became a commonplace occurrence.
The word droid is derived from android which means "man-like." Of course the term is erroneously used for "second degree" droids that have nothing common with humanoids. Droid is the exclusive name for every robotic entity in Star Wars. The name "robot" appears only in primitive (Pre-Republic) droids. However, C-3PO and R2-D2 were referred to as "robots" on one occasion in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.
Droids' legal rights are often a fiercely debated topic among fans.
In one television documentary, George Lucas said that C-3PO--and thus by extension all droids--had no soul.
Early Expanded Universe material sometimes spelled droid with an apostrophe ('droid), short for android.
George Lucas holds a trademark on the term "droid." The miniature 'mech combat wargame BattleTech was originally released under the name BattleDroids, but was renamed due to trademark issues with Lucasfilm.
Pixar Animation Studios' film The Incredibles (2004) contains a reference to Lucasfilm's droid with the large weapon of destruction, the Omnidroid; an apparently unrelated killer droid of the same name also appears in Star Wars Galaxies. The credits of the film give a nod to Lucasfilm.
From Mickey News [1] (25 November 2004):
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