rolo-droid

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Type:
  Surveillance droid

• Manufacturer:
  Cybot Galactica

• 

From the Expanded Universe

With sales of their cheap and durable line of PK droids remaining constant, Cybot Galactica turned to R&D officer, Naftrat Odarr, to push the model into new territories. Odarr, a Sullustan recently headhunted from SoroSuub, began to consider the intelligence-gathering capabilities of the innocuous little droid, and set about filling much of its cranial unit with audio/visual sensor equipment. Word of the effectiveness of the recon-PK series (R-PK) spread, and the models were sought after by company operatives and mercenaries alike. Ultimately, a handful made their way via a shady Hutt deal to Tatooine, where they were soon sold to slave dealers and owners in Mos Espa who realized that these little droids were a perfect way to keep tabs on their property, and were hardy enough to weather out the harsh conditions of the dusty planet.

Nicknamed Rolo-droids for their single uni-wheel locomotion, the R-PKs served their nefarious masters well, until a small boy, the son of a slave, encountered one stuck beneath a reclining dewback, and took it home to tinker with. This boy was six-year old Anakin Skywalker, skilled enough to reprogram a simple droid unit. Upon discovery of the R-PK's purpose, Anakin set about capturing as many as he could, reprogramming them so that the droids would fail to disclose the information the slave owners sought. Young Skywalker's modifications resulted in the escape of seventeen slaves from Mos Espa over the years and would have helped many more had he not been taken from the planet by the Jedi Council, thus ending his ability to maintain their reprogramming.

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This entry was developed by Hyperspace member nob01.