Droid laser turret

Droid laser turrets were a type of turret-droid^[1] armed with turbolasers.^[3] They consisted of a gray oblate spheroid body with two barrels protruding from it and a trunk ascending from the top of the spheroid to the surface that the turret was attached to. A droid laser turret was concealed within the ceiling of a hangar within the Trade Federation's^[2] modified Lucrehulk-class LH-3210 cargo freighter Saak'ak.^[4]

During the blockade of the planet Naboo^[2] in 32 BBY,^[5] the turret descended and fired upon the Galactic Republic Consular-class space cruiser Radiant VII on the orders of Viceroy Nute Gunray. The turret targeted the cruiser's cockpit, destroying the vessel and killing its crew, Captain Maoi Madakor and pilot Antidar Williams.^[1]

Behind the scenes

A droid laser turret first appeared in the 1999 prequel trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. In the new Star Wars canon it was first identified in the 2018 reference book Star Wars: Complete Vehicles.^[1] The identification originated in the Star Wars Legends continuity, where it was first used in the 2013 reference book of the same name.^[6]

Appearances

• Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace (First appearance)

Sources

• Republic Cruiser in the Encyclopedia (original site is defunct)
• Star Wars: Complete Vehicles (2018) (First identified as droid laser turret)
• "The Heroes of Naboo and Other Characters of the Galaxy" — Star Wars Encyclopedia
• Republic Cruiser in the Databank (backup link)

Notes and references