The Separatists didn’t often put their own lives on the line during the Clone Wars. Instead of recruiting or cloning human soldiers, they manufactured droids by the thousands. The B1 battle droid model was often used for infantry purposes. They followed orders and overwhelmed the enemy with their seemingly endless numbers, but their programming wasn’t exactly sophisticated. They weren’t supremely intelligent and often realized danger in any given situation a moment too late.
The prequel trilogy gave us a peek at the effectiveness of B1 battle droids, but also their shortcomings and the somewhat tragic nature of their existence. Star Wars: The Clone Wars revealed even more of Separatist operations, and we saw the battle droids face Jedi and clone troopers again and again. Though it wasn’t intentional, battle droids became some of the most humorous characters in the universe with their clueless one-liners and mishaps. Here are seven times battle droids were particularly amusing.
1. Good-bye, shield.
In the Star Wars: The Clone Wars film, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Ahsoka, and the clones found themselves facing battle droids in vast numbers on Christophsis. A shield moved just ahead of the Separatist’s forces, keeping them safe. In one of the first moments that indicated Anakin and his new Padawan Ahsoka would get along, the duo decided to blast the shield generator. Their efforts succeeded, and when the droids noticed, one of them couldn’t help but mutter, “Uh-oh.”
Uh-oh indeed.
2. Which controls?
Staying in The Clone Wars movie, the droids had control issues when they had to break into a room Anakin and Ahsoka barricaded themselves in to keep little Rotta the Hutt safe. Two B1 droids argued over whether to cut the red or blue wires on the door control before the impatient Asajj Ventress took matters into her own hands and slashed all of them. One of the droids followed her action with, “That’ll work.”
3. Minding manners.
Battle droids aren’t above insulting their superiors. In The Clone Wars episode “Destroy Malevolence,” droids assigned to General Grievous noticed the escape vehicle they were about to board had an equipped, ready-to-blow self-destruction system. When Grievous heard the assessment, he pushed the battle droids out his way so he could make a hasty exit. After being pushed, one of them exclaimed, “Hey, that’s just rude.” He’s not wrong.
4. Left alone.
The battle droids might not have had complex thought processes, but by season two of The Clone Wars, they’d picked up on the fact that the Jedi were fierce foes and their presence meant bad news. In “Cargo of Doom,” droids working with Cad Bane on a Separatist command ship lamented their role when they were left behind to guard the helm of the vessel, with one stating in a dejected tone, “We’re defending the bridge alone against the Jedi? I hate this job.”
5. Taking a fall.
One of the best things about battle droids is that each droid thinks he’s the smartest one in the room. After a battle droid in charge handed off an important package to one of his counterparts and watched the droid trip and drop the box after he was specifically cautioned not to do so, he muttered to another cohort, “Those 631s are not the brightest lights on the ship.”
6. All about initiative.
An intense skirmish on Ryloth wasn’t a laughing matter, but a conversation between battle droids brought a moment of levity. When droids found the destroyed remains of a missing patrol of another battle droid that was part of a missing patrol, they said they weren’t surprised he got blasted since he was an older model programmed by a central computer. One of the droids proudly proclaimed, “Not us. We’re independent thinkers.” To which all of the nearby B1 droids responded with a chorus of, “Roger, roger.” 
7. Captain Obvious.
In one amusing — but also sad — instance, a group of battle droids met their end thanks to explosives tossed at them by the Onderon rebels in “A War on Two Fronts.” As the incendiary device landed at their feet, one droid said, “It looks like an explosive.” Another responded, “How can you tell?” right as the disruptor bomb went off. Still, they blow up real good.
Which B1 battle droid foibles make you laugh? Tell us in the comments below!
Amy Ratcliffe is a writer obsessed with Star Wars, Disney, and coffee. Follow her on Twitter at @amy_geek.
