R7-series astromech droid

For other uses, see R7.

The R7-series astromech droid was an astromech droid produced by Industrial Automaton during the Galactic Civil War. The R7-series was designed specifically for use with the Rebel Alliance/New Republic E-wing escort starfighter.

Description

Industrial Automaton's R7-series astromech was designed in conjunction with FreiTek Incorporated.^[1] The astromech was specifically created to interface with FreiTek's newest starfighter, the E-wing, which was being produced exclusively for the New Republic.^[2]

Physically, the R7 resembled the R2-series^[3] including three wheeled legs.^[2] The main visible difference was the R7s had a triangular main sensor on their domed head rather than a circular one.^[3] R7 droids were fully armored against power surges, and were capable of withstanding a near-direct hit from a class one ion cannon.^[1]

The traditional Intellex computer used in the R-series was replaced with a dedicated FreiTek system, allowing the R7 to achieve a high counterpart interactivity ratio that was better than the R2/X-wing configuration had ever obtained.^[2] At the time of its release, the R7 was the most sophisticated astromech on the market. It was capable of performing multitasking operations at blinding speeds, and its computer memory could hold fifteen sets of hyperspace coordinates.^[1]

Standard equipment installed on the R7 included an acoustic signaller, arc welder, circular saw, a 0.3 meter long extendible video sensor with a full 360-degree rotation, a fire extinguisher, a holographic projector/recorder, retractable fine worker arm, retractable heavy grasper arm, and a video display screen.^[2]

Role

R7 astromechs were specifically designed to interface with FreiTek's E-wing starfighter, augmenting the craft's flight performance from a sealed astromech socket set behind the cockpit.^[1] The droid was fully capable of flying the E-wing itself in combat, freeing the pilot up to act as a gunner.^[3] Due to the specificity of the droid's design, it did not interface well with other starfighter models. Industrial Automaton were fully aware of that downside, but considered it an acceptable trade-off for the droid's near-perfect compatibility with the E-wing.^[1]

The droids were expensive, making it too costly for the New Republic to deploy R7s in anything other than frontline E-wing squadrons. Although they were not technically a military droid, they were generally not sold to the public as R7s were of little use or interest to anyone who did not have access to an E-wing.^[3]

History

Development of the R7-series was top secret, commissioned by the New Republic in the wake of the Battle of Endor. During the design and conception phase, Industrial Automaton worked closely with FreiTek. With only final testing of the droid to be completed, the R7 was rushed into service when E-wings were deployed to combat the reborn Emperor's World Devastators laying waste to the planet Mon Calamari.^[1]

A pirated version of the R7's advanced droid brain was also incorporated into the Imperial XR-85 tank droid.^[5]

Notable Units

R7-T1

Main article: R7-T1

R7-T1 was an R7-series astromech that crewed aboard an E-wing starfighter loaned to Jedi Master Luke Skywalker during the Black Fleet Crisis in the Koornact Cluster. After the crisis had ended, Skywalker ceased using the fighter and droid, not feeling comfortable with either of them.^[1]

Behind the scenes

The astromech droid R7-A7 who appears in the The Clone Wars series has been designated as an R7-series droid. The Clone Wars Character Encyclopedia confirms that R7-A7 is indeed a prototype droid, but does not say whether the droid is a prototype of the post–Battle of Endor R7 model.

R7-D4 has the nickname "R7," but he was created prior to the release of the R7. However, the initial two symbols of a droids name do not always connote the model series, as they are part of a longer name, so this may not be a continuity error.