BT-16 perimeter droid
- "You seen that new VT-16?"
"Yeah, some of the other guys were telling me about it. They say it's… it's quite a thing to see…" - ―KE-829 and his partner aboard the first Death Star
The BT-16 perimeter droid, also known as the VT-16, was a bulbous, spider-like droid manufactured by Arakyd Industries.
Characteristics
The BT-16 came equipped with highly sensitive sensor packages, including a Fabritech seismic reader and a Carbanti motion detector. It was armed with a Taim & Bak repeating blaster cannon. The droid also featured a TranLang I Communication module and a vocabulator, though it was only able to speak droid languages.
History
These droids were used by the Galactic Republic and later the Galactic Empire.
Early production runs reused the chassis of the TS-Arach series Pest Control Droid before the six-legged design was introduced. The B'omarr Monks used these droids to carry brains of those who had achieved "enlightenment" and for this they were sometimes called Brain walkers.[4] The droids were occasionally equipped with vocoders, and lived in Jabba Desilijic Tiure's Palace until his death. The walkers generally went unarmed while carrying a brain, and had trouble doing anything beside walking.
A used BT-16 perimeter security droid was utilized by the Katarn family of farmers on Sulon, a satellite of Sullust. The droid, programmed to hunt vermin, possessed a faulty sensor package which caused it to fire upon and kill Patricia Katarn.[5]
Behind the scenes
In Cynabar's Fantastic Technology: Droids, the picture of the BT-16 is a mirrored version of the TS-Arach series Pest Control Droid image from the same guide. Contrary to the idea that the 'brain walkers' were a single model of droid, The Essential Guide to Droids ("B'omarr Brain Walker") states that 'the brain walkers do not follow a single overriding design pattern'.
Appearances
Sources
- Galaxy Guide 7: Mos Eisley
- Star Wars Technical Journal of the Planet Tatooine (As "perimeter droid")
- Star Wars Technical Journal (As "perimeter droid")
- Shadows of the Empire Planets Guide
- Cynabar's Fantastic Technology: Droids
- Mos Eisley Adventure Set
- Star Wars: Behind the Magic
- The Essential Guide to Droids ("B'omarr Brain Walker") (Indirect mention only)
- Star Wars: The Action Figure Archive
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Rebellion Era Campaign Guide
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 Cynabar's Fantastic Technology: Droids
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
- ↑ Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire audio drama
- ↑
"The Dark Forces Saga, Part 1" (original article link) on Wizards.com (content now obsolete; backup link)