A lanky smelter droid, 8D8 assisted EV-9D9 in terrorizing Jabba the Hutt's droid pool. Normally limited to simple tasks in the harsh confines of ore-extraction facilities, 8D8 had been reprogrammed for sadism.

The supervisor of Jabba the Hutt's droid pool, EV-9D9 was a gangly mechanical with a quirk in her programming that made her enjoy tormenting and dismembering other droids. She turned a dank work area in the depths of Jabba's palace into a grim torture chamber.

A harsh desert world orbiting twin suns in the galaxy’s Outer Rim, Tatooine is a lawless place ruled by Hutt gangsters. Many settlers scratch out a living on moisture farms, while spaceport cities such as Mos Eisley and Mos Espa serve as home base for smugglers, criminals, and other rogues. Tatooine’s many dangers include sandstorms, bands of savage Tusken Raiders, and carnivorous krayt dragons. The planet is also known for its dangerous Podraces, rampant gambling, and legalized slavery. Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker both grew up on Tatooine, and Obi-Wan Kenobi spent years in hiding on this desolate world.

Jabba the Hutt was one of the galaxy’s most powerful gangsters, with far-reaching influence in both politics and the criminal underworld. There were no second chances with Jabba, something Han Solo would find out -- though the slug-like alien would ultimately fall victim to his own hubris and vengeful ways.

A single, winding dirt-swept road curves up into the crook of a rocky canyon, leading to a lone structure in the desert wastes beyond the Dune Sea of Tatooine. Here stood the palace of Jabba the Hutt, an immense curving building of sandblasted metal and pitted stone. Inside, the dregs of the galaxy congregated to do all manner of illicit business, to curry favor with the grotesque crime lord, or to avoid his fickle wrath. Jabba reclined atop a stone dais within the throne room of his palace, a bustling chamber that overlooked a secret pit that contained his favorite beast, the vicious rancor monster.

Little more than walking batteries, GNK power droids trundle along as directed by their owners or their programming, recharging vehicles and machinery. They are often called “Gonk” droids in imitation of their simple vocalizations. There are many different models of power droid, most of them similar in appearance and habits as the well-known GNK. Power droids are common sights throughout the galaxy and little noticed despite their critical importance to both military and civilian life.