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- "Put your hands up!"
- ―A police droid
The GU-series "Guardian" police droid was a model of police droid utilized by the Coruscant Security Force (CSF) to assist with law enforcement on the galactic capital planet Coruscant during the waning years of the Galactic Republic. The blue-gray droids had masculine programming and were humanoid in shape, with a head that formed into a cylindrical helmet. They patrolled Galactic City and responded to calls either on foot or in RapidResponse police speeders and Coruscant police speeders. Most often, the police droids were the first responders to situations. They created perimeters, questioned witnesses, and collected evidence before handing the cases over to organic police officers and investigators. Police droids were armed with blaster pistols and batons. The police droids were involved in several cases, including the investigation of the kidnapping of Che Amanwe and Chi Eekway, the daughters of Chairman Notluwiski Papanoida of Pantora. They also assisted Lieutenant Tan Divo during the homicide investigation of Rodia Senator Onaconda Farr. They collected evidence, secured the crime scene, and assisted in arresting the murderer. By 19 BBY, the police droids began to be phased out, though they saw continued general use.
Description[]
- "Drop your weapons and come with us quietly!"
- ―A police droid
The GU-series "Guardian" police droids[6] were used by the Coruscant Security Force (CSF) on the capital planet Coruscant to assist organic police officers in maintaining order on the ecumenopolis world over the generations leading up to and during the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems.[7] Specifically, the police droids were deployed on the upper levels of Galactic City, while the rougher underworld police officers patrolled the lower levels.[8] While given combat programming, their primary function was to prevent people from being harmed.[9]
Police droids with weapons drawn
The police droids were humanoid in shape, with long, dexterous arms and five-fingered hands, legs, a central torso, and a head. The top of the head were capped by a tall, cylindrical shako-like helmet that housed sensors and a comm suite.[1] The nondescript face of the droid sported two glowing, gold photoreceptors and a tiny mouth, which allowed the droids to intake fluids for testing.[5] The units were painted in a blue-gray color scheme and wore the CSF symbol painted on their helmet, as well as the upper left section of the breastplate. They were programmed as masculine and could speak Basic.[7] When shut down, the droids could be activated remotely through devices such as a datapad.[4] The droids could also intake fluids through their vocabulator.[5]
Police droids were equipped with SS-410 Police Special blaster pistols and a simple truncheon to defend themselves and others. They could also use stun batons, grenade launchers, riot shields, and blaster rifles depending on their assignment.[1] Their duties included setting up a perimeter, collecting evidence, preliminary interrogations, and holding and arresting suspects. When on patrol, the police droids either traveled on foot or used RapidResponse police speeders[4] and Coruscant police speeders.[5]
History[]
Police droids apprehend Ione Marcy.
- "That is a stolen vehicle. Put your hands in the air!"
- ―A police droid, to Padmé Amidala
Manufactured by Cybot Galactica on contract for the Galactic Republic, the Coruscant Security Force employed thousands of the GU-series droids for generations before the eruption of the Clone Wars. The droids were used to patrol Coruscant's upper levels, gaining a reputation as sold and levelheaded enforcement of law. Programmed for patrol, peacekeeping, crime scene investigation, detective work, and riot control, the GU-series was reliable if not unimaginative.[1]
Around 22 BBY,[10] Jedi Master Tera Sinube and Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano discovered the lifeless body of a Trandoshan named Nack Movers at his apartment. Police droids were dispatched to assist the Jedi with the investigation. After the two suspects, Ione Marcy and Cassie Cryar, fled the apartment, the police droids gave Sinube a RapidResponse speeder to assist him in tracking the fugitives. The two Jedi found Marcy and Cryar a short time later at a train station, and the police droids took Marcy into custody. Cryar was able to slash two police droids with Tano's lightsaber and escape from their clutches. However, after a brief hostage standoff, which Tano was able to end, the police droids also arrested Cryar.[3]
After Davu Golec of the Republic Ministry of Intelligence was killed by a Death Watch assassin during a secret meeting with Duchess Satine Kryze of the planet Mandalore, a police probe reported to other CSF and Coruscant Guard forces that the duchess had been the murderer, since she was the only one near the body. The duchess fled from the scene, and the arriving police droids and Coruscant Guard riot troopers chased after her. However, Kryze ducked into an alley to avoid capture. Flying out of the same alley, a driver of a speeder bike was wearing a hood in a similar way to Kryze's outfit. Believing that Kryze was the driver of the speeder, police droids in RapidResponse speeders also joined the chase after the speeder. With the attention of the police on the speeder, the duchess escaped the area.[11]
Police droids assisting Lieutenant Divo
Police droids assisted CSF Lieutenant Tan Divo in the investigation of the abduction of Che Amanwe and Chi Eekway, the daughters of Chairman Notluwiski Papanoida of Pantora. During the inspection of Papanoida's apartment on Coruscant, Divo and the droids failed to discover that the Papanoidas' Icon of the Moon Goddess statue had been moved from its original location. Not noticing anything amiss, they overlooked a bloodstain belonging to the bounty hunter Greedo underneath the icon. Amanwe had hit Greedo with the icon during the kidnapping. Papanoida, upon discovering the blood and identifying it as Greedo's, was able to track him down and rescue his daughters.[12]
During a political debate in the Galactic Senate over a Republic military spending bill, several Republic senators were attacked in an attempt at intimidation. One attack was against Naboo Senator Padmé Amidala by the bounty hunters Chata Hyoki and Robonino, whom the Separatist Head of State Count Dooku had hired to kill her. Two police droids, seeing Amidala being attacked outside of Senator Christo's apartment, interfered, although the thugs shot them and destroyed them by beating their heads on the ground. Amidala escaped in a speeder, with the two assailants in pursuit. Two other police droids noticed the speeding Amidala and also took after her, as the speeder was officially stolen.[5]
By the time they caught up to Amidala, she had already shaken off Robonino and Hyoki. Thus, the police droids only saw the senator and no one else; accordingly, they stopped her for the theft of the speeder. Amidala was released from their custody after the situation had been explained, but the two thugs had already escaped. Later, Hyoki and Robonino attacked Alderaan Senator Bail Prestor Organa in the Senate Building parking area. Organa called for help, and his Alderaan Guard engaged the attackers in a firefight. Police droids responded to the scene, and one of the police droid–driven speeders slammed into Robonino, knocking him unconscious. After the firefight between Hyoki and the Alderaan Guard and CSF droids ended, Hyoki was also taken into custody.[5]
Police droids examining a crime scene
During Lieutenant Divo's investigation of the murder of Rodia Senator Onaconda Farr, police droids assisted the inspector by searching for evidence and providing a backup police presence. Later, several police droids were the first responders at the Coruscant docks after Amidala and Organa were attacked by Farr's assistant, Lolo Purs. Though unknown at the time, Purs was the culprit for Farr's murder. When they arrived, the police droids secured the scene, looked for evidence, and questioned witnesses, including the two senators. After the additional murder of Senator Mee Deechi, the police droids secured the scene and began collecting evidence. Then they turned the evidence report over to Lieutenant Divo. As the investigation continued, Divo believed that Senator Halle Burtoni was the killer and had her placed under arrest. While questioning her in the Chancellor's Suite, the real murderer was revealed to be Purs, who promptly took Amidala as a hostage. However, as Purs arrived at the suite's doors, Divo remotely activated two police droids stationed outside the office. The droids entered the room, startling Purs and allowing Amidala to subdue her. The droids then took Purs into custody.[4]
When bounty hunter Aurra Sing attempted to assassinate Ambassador Yong Dolor, she was captured by Jedi Jyl Somtay. Sing was taken away by several police droids and placed in a restraining container. However, she made the police droids believe that she was unable to breath in the confined space. When the droids opened the container, Sing slammed their heads together and escaped.[13]
By 19 BBY and the end of the Clone Wars, the now aging police droids were generally phased out.[7] However, police droids in general saw continued usage on Coruscant, including in the underworld.[14] Surplus GU-series droids were sold off by the Empire, or moved to other worlds in lower-priority sectors, if they weren't scrapped completely. Because they did not often get memory wipes, the droids active across the galaxy were prone to developing distinct personalities.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
A police droid in a police speeder drinking a fluid.
Police droids first appeared in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series episode "Lightsaber Lost," where their voices were performed by Tom Kane. The "Senate Murders" episode commentary states that the police droids had been used by the CSF for a long time when the Clone Wars began, and that they were phased out by the time of the events of Revenge of the Sith. They also appeared and played a prominent role in the episodes "Senate Murders" and "Pursuit of Peace."
The police droids were based on the Keystone Cops, a series of silent film comedies about an incompetent group of policemen.[7] In "Pursuit of Peace," a droid sitting in a police speeder is seen drinking a liquid before spilling it when spotting the speeding Padmé Amidala. Whether this was meant to factually describe the need for the droids to intake fluids or if it was simply comic relief has not been clarified.[5] A blog by Leland Chee on May 7, 2013 identified the full name of the droids as "Guardian police droids."[6]
Appearances[]
Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Lightsaber Lost" (First appearance)- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Duchess of Mandalore"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Lethal Trackdown"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Sphere of Influence"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Pursuit of Peace"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Senate Murders"
- "Jedi Masquerade" — Star Wars: The Clone Wars Comic 6.28
- Under a Black Sun
Sources[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Endless Vigil
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3
police droid in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2
Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Lightsaber Lost"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Senate Murders"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Pursuit of Peace"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chronicling The Clone Wars #10 on StarWars.com (article) (backup link)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "Senate Murders" - The Clone Wars Episode Guide on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- ↑ Coruscant underworld police in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
- ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Episode Guide
- ↑ The Essential Reader's Companion
- ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Duchess of Mandalore"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Sphere of Influence"
- ↑ "Jedi Masquerade" — Star Wars: The Clone Wars Comic 6.28
- ↑ Under a Black Sun
External links[]
- Drawing a Police Droid on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)