Geonosis droid factory

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Homeworld:
  Geonosis

• Affiliation:
  Techno Union

• 

From the Movies

Few would have reason to visit Geonosis were it not for its massive droid foundries. The hard-working Geonosian dregs piece together advanced technology in the service of the Techno Union as well as other commerce guilds. Occupying one of the immense stalagmite spires, this particular droid factory is mostly automated, with immense conveyer belts and robot arms assembling mechanical pieces into finished combat automata. Thousands of battle droids, super battle droids, droidekas and other models are built from start to finish within the factory.

From the Expanded Universe

Baktoid Armor Workshop, a key technology developer in the Techo Union, maintained factories throughout the galaxy, though increasing legislation against their wares forced them to downsize their manufacturing program. Baktoid closed down factories throughout the Inner Rim and Colonies regions, including plants on Foundry, Ord Cestus, Telti, Balmorra and Ord Lithone.

In a calculated move, Baktoid moved their operations beyond the jurisdiction of the Republic, concentrating on Outer Rim plants like the ones on Geonosis. Baktoid officials explained the increased purchase of raw materials as investment in future diversification, but in actuality, they continued churning out the same combat automata free from the prying eyes of the Republic. Those few that investigated the matter ended up conveniently disappearing.

Behind the Scenes

The droid factory was a late addition in production, having been conceived and written into the story well after principal photography had wrapped. In the original shooting script, Anakin and Padmé stealthily wandered into the Geonosian spire, and simply encountered Count Dooku. In this version, the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO never left the Naboo starship. The addition of the droid factory not only provided a new action set piece, but also gave a visual clue as to the size of the growing droid army.

Elements of Anakin, Padmé and the droids were shot during additional photography in 2001, mostly against bluescreen with very minimal sets. The Animatics Department filled in the bluescreen areas with very detailed temporary versions of the droid factory, previsualizing the environment that ILM would generate.

Ben Snow, one the film's Visual Effects Supervisors, took reference footage of a Northern California automobile factory and foundry, to get visual starting points for the motion of automated machinery and the extreme heat and steam atmospheric effects his crew would recreate.

Though much of the environment was computer-generated, certain machines and the surrounding walls of the droid factory were realized as detailed and dramatically lit miniatures.