FLO

"You ordered the cream of fleek eel, right? Careful, hon, the plate's hot. And the fleek eels bite."

―FLO^[5]

FLO, also known as WA-7, was an antique WA-7 waitress droid owned by Dexter Jettster, the owner of Dex's Diner on the planet Coruscant. While she worked at the diner, she feuded with the Human head waitress Hermione Bagwa over getting more tips and mastery of the customer areas. At some point, FLO turned her beloved dishwasher at the diner into spare parts after it gossiped about her to the other kitchen appliances. In 22 BBY, FLO served Jettster and the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi after the latter stopped at the diner to ask about a saberdart found during an attempted assassination.

Biography

A used,^[1] antique^[3] WA-7 waitress droid,^[2] FLO was purchased by Dexter Jettster, a Besalisk miner on the^[3] planet^[6] Subterrel.^[3] Jettster's possession of FLO inspired him to go into the restaurant business, and he eventually owned Dex's Diner in the CoCo Town district of the planet Coruscant^[3] some point during or after 28 BBY.^[7] She spent a lot of her time trying to prove to Jettster that she was a better waitress than^[2] the Human head waitress^[8] Hermione Bagwa.^[2] The two feuded with each other^[8] every day,^[9] competing with each other over getting more tips^[3] and getting mastery over the customer areas of the diner.^[8] At the diner, she loved and flirted with a dishwasher unit,^[4] though it was turned into spare parts by FLO after it gossiped about her to the other appliances in the diner. The components of the dishwasher were used to create the circuit cider served at the diner.^[10]

FLO after serving Dexter Jettster and Obi-Wan Kenobi

In 22 BBY,^[11] the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi entered the diner seeking out his friend Jettster to help him identify a saberdart found during the attempted assassination of Senator Padmé Amidala. FLO was cleaning the diner booths when Kenobi entered and was initially unhelpful when the Jedi asked for the owner. After Kenobi told her that he was not in trouble and that it was personal, FLO gave him an evaluating look and then called out for Jettster, identifying Kenobi as a Jedi while doing so.^[12] FLO made her way to diner bar and asked the Jedi if he wanted some Jawa juice, which he yes to. After Jettster sat at the booth, she rolled over and gave Kenobi his juice and Jettster a drink.^[13] Two years after the visit in 20 BBY,^[14] FLO was working at the diner, holding a tray with a steaming consumable when Jedi Padawan Nuru Kungurama visited looking for the swoop biker Gizman.^[15]

Characteristics

Personality

Even after years of catering, the efficient FLO was still functional and capable, though her spirited character and attitude programming may have suffered deterioration. She disliked low tippers,^[16] treated the regulars of Dex's Diner with coldness, disdain,^[4] and officious precision^[17] and felt herself equal to Jettster. Her attitude with the customers and her treatment of Hermione Bagwa were a mystery, though some had always said she was officious and cantankerous. WA-7 droids were usually programmed with subservient attitudes,^[4] but FLO had a sassy attitude and a problem with authority.^[8] This tone indicated that someone was changing her programming.^[4]

FLO was barely tolerant of Jettster, though he thought he added character to his diner.^[4] She had waged war and started^[8] an apparent battle of supremacy with Bagwa,^[4] spending most of her time trying to prove to Jettster she was better than the Human.^[2] FLO was the only thing Bagwa did not like about working at the diner, and she appeared to be jealous of the woman. The bossy droid did not take kindly to the inexperienced and organic presence of the head waitress^[8] and treated her with hostility.^[4] The pair constantly feuded with each other^[8] each day^[9] over mastery of the diner's customer areas,^[8] and competed over who could get the most tips,^[3] with Bagwa leaving hidden traps around the diner and FLO enjoying nothing more than running over Bagwa's toes with her wheel, causing her to wear heavy-heeled boots.^[4] They viewed each other as their subordinates in the hierarchy of the diner, leading to colorful words exchanged between the two, which customers found delightful.^[1]

Though she did not have positive interactions with others in the diner, there was one in the diner whom FLO softened to and loved, the humble dishwashing unit. She flirted with it^[4] shamelessly^[17] and outrageously. It was possible that her misplaced affection for the unit was a result of her glitches that caused her other behaviors, as she was meant to flirt only with the diner's customers. As far as FLO was concerned, the only thing right about the diner was her, and perhaps the dishwasher as well.^[4]

Appearance

FLO was streamlined, sleek, and built to have a look resembling a humanoid female.^[17] The sharp-eyed, ambidextrous^[3] service droid stood at 1.7 meters^[1] and had feminine programming.^[2] She had a shiny durasteel frame,^[4] yellow sensors^[2] and a dark-red livery battered and worn over the years from catering. Her head housed her main sensors and was covered with a^[4] finned^[1] metal bonnet. FLO's charming character came from her main processor, housed in her upper body.^[4] An order transmitter,^[1] a device that could relay customer orders from the dining area to the kitchen, was also located here.^[4] On the left half of her chest was an^[1] imprinted Aurebesh^[3] nametag reading "FLO."^[1] Connected to her body were two slim and graceful limbs, not meant for strength or heavy labor.^[4]

A bending central joint was contained in FLO's slim waist. Lower down her body was a decorative,^[4] metallic^[17] dark-red skirt that protected a motor unit and a repulsorlift generator.^[4] Even lower down inside the body was gyro-balance circuitry that kept FLO perfectly upright.^[1] The motor unit powered a singular^[4] drive wheel,^[1] edged in high-grip polymer that allowed FLO to gain speed and perform nifty maneuvers around the diner's kitchen. Just above the wheel were two repulsor stabilizers and old-fashioned suspension units. The stabilizers could assist her motor and help give FLO more speed, though she never reached her top speed within the diner.^[4]

Behind the scenes

FLO was created for^[17] the prequel trilogy film Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones,^[13] which released on May 16, 2002.^[18] Prior to her film appearance, she first appeared in the film's novelization written by R. A. Salvatore,^[19] and in its junior novelization written by Patricia C. Wrede.^[12] Both books were released on April 23, 2002.^[20]^[21]

Susie Porter, who portrayed Hermione Bagwa, delivered the dialogue seen in the film both for Bagwa and FLO, but it was only FLO who ended up with all the lines in the final film script.^[9] The name FLO is a reference to the character Florence "Flo" Castleberry from the 1970s sitcom Alice, based on the 1974 film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, which was directed by George Lucas' friend Martin Scorsese.^[22]

FLO is a non-playable character in LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game. She only rolls around the main room, and can be attacked, but has infinite health.