The Marksman-H combat remote, also referred to as a seeker droid[1] and training remote, was a remote used for military training. Manufactured by Industrial Automaton, it was equipped with non-lethal blasters to prevent injuries to the target. It was sold for 350 credits[2]
The fast-moving and unpredictable remote was commonly used by marksmen to improve reaction time and aiming skills. In order to prevent damage, remotes were usually shot at with light-only blasts. Many smugglers and bounty hunters also used remotes to perfect their quick draw skills. Most famously, Han Solo was known to own and practice with a Marksman-H model training remote.
During the time of the Galactic Republic, JediYounglings would practice Shii-Cho with these remotes. Indeed, the Younglings were using them, under supervision of Yoda, when Obi-Wan Kenobi came to them for help in locating Kamino. Later, Luke Skywalker was also seen to be practicing with one in the Millennium Falcon. Luke was impatient and could not predict what the remote would do, but then Ben Kenobi put down the blast visor on Luke's helmet. Eventually Luke saw the point of this; after a little more practice, he could block the droid at will.
The training remote Luke practices with in A New Hope was originally conceived as an automated execution droid used by the Empire. These execution droids would wander population centers and scan for enemies of the Empire based on the identities of known targets stored in their memory banks. Upon locating them, the targets would be executed on the spot.[4]