Russo-ISC

Russo-ISC was a crime scene analysis droid who worked on behalf of the Jedi Order during the Clone Wars, a conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. In 20 BBY, he was assigned by Mace Windu to investigate the bombing of the Jedi Temple. Russo met Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka Tano in the Temple's hangar, who were also assigned the mission. Despite rumors that a Jedi was involved in the plot, Skywalker convinced Russo to bring Tano with him as he interviewed the witnesses. In the Halls of Healing, Russo and Tano interviewed the witnesses and learned Jackar Bowmani was their suspected saboteur. When Russo checked the Temple's security footage, he discovered Bowmani was fed nano-droids which went into the Abyssin's bloodstream and transformed Bowmani into a bomb, leaving only his hand unharmed. After Bowmani's wife Letta Turmond was arrested by Skywalker and Tano for feeding her husband the nano-droids, Russo rechecked the security footage. He confirmed that Bowmani carried out the bombing on his own. Therefore, based off his analysis, Russo concluded no Jedi aided the Abyssin.

Biography

Work on Coruscant

Russo-ISC was a crime scene analysis droid who worked for the Jedi Order. He was constructed^[1] on the galactic capital^[5] of Coruscant and was stationed at the Jedi Temple, where he aided Jedi Guardians and Peacekeepers, as the Jedi's role as investigators in the modern Jedi Order extended to crime-prevention and detective work.^[1]

Analysis droids such as Russo became more prevalent as the pall of dark side of the Force clouded Jedi investigators' ability to use their connection and intuition to the Force. The Jedi's reliance on Russo and the other analysis droids continued during the Clone Wars, where their services became overshadowed by their new responsibilities as military commanders; which was a role that never felt comfortable to the Jedi. As a result, Russo and his team assisted the Jedi in crime scene analysis. While the Jedi became more reliant on the technological resources available to them in the Jedi Temple, Russo and his team of analysis droids began to work alongside the investigators, assisting the Jedi in crime scene analysis and helping them solve mysteries. Resources available to Russo's team included the Temple's cutting-edge analysis facilities and equipment, which helped his team and Jedi Knights during their investigations. Jedi detectives such as Russo could also access the extensive stock of research material available to them in the Jedi Archives, which was cared for by Jedi librarian Jocasta Nu.^[1]

Meeting Tano and Skywalker

In 20 BBY,^[6] an explosion destroyed many gunships and killed many Jedi, clones, and civilians alike in one of the Temple's hangars.^[3] The shocking act of terrorism against the Jedi Temple proved how fragile the image of the Jedi as the Republic's benevolent protectors of had become.^[4] The bombing sparked near-continuous protests outside the Jedi Temple which became a daily reminder that the peoples' trust the Jedi had enjoyed for years had been used up.^[6] As a result, Jedi Master Mace Windu tasked Russo with analyzing the damage and to question any witnesses. In the Temple hangar bay, Russo consulted with Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his apprentice Ahsoka Tano on the results of his investigation.^[3] Tano and Skywalker tried to use the Force to detect strong emotions and impressions. However, the emotional shock of the bombing was so intense that it blotted everything else out.^[7] Therefore, Tano and Skywalker relied on Russo and his team's assistance while they investigated the bombing.^[3]

Despite the rising fear and paranoia, especially with the Jedi, Russo, Skywalker and Tano began looking for clues to the culprit's identity.^[7] Skywalker requested that Russo and Tano began the interviews of the witnesses together. Russo countered, requesting to interview the witnesses^[3] and survivors^[1] by himself as many of the wounded heard rumors a Jedi was responsible for the bombing and would therefore be ill will towards Tano,^[3] since they believed a rogue Jedi may have been responsible for the bombing.^[1] Skywalker disagreed and requested Russo bring Tano with him as the bombing caused the deaths of many Jedi, in addition to Temple maintenance workers and clone troopers.^[3]

Witness interviews

While they were in the Halls of Healing, Tano told Russo the distrust of the witnesses was troubling, especially since many of them had worked in the Jedi Temple for years. Russo reminded her that even the most trusting individuals became irrational when afraid. After their conversation concluded, one injured witness said he believed Jackar Bowmani was the hangar bombing culprit. While Russo looked up Bowmani on his datapad, Tano asked the Pantoran to inform them on Bowmani's identity. The witness told them Bowmani was one of the maintenance crew in the hangar. He passed Bowmani as he began his shift. Bowmani had worked all morning in the section of the hangar the blast came from, and that was the last location the Pantoran saw him. When Russo showed the Pantoran his datapad, revealing an image of an Abyssin, the Pantoran confirmed the picture was of Bowmani. In response, Russo asked the Pantoran witness if he had seen Bowmani since the explosion. The Pantoran replied he had not seen Bowmani or anything else after the explosion.^[3]

As Russo and Tano prepared to depart the Hall of Healing, Tano told Russo their next mission was to find Bowmani. At the doors, they conversed with Skywalker, who informed them the rumor the perpetrator was a Jedi was continued to grow. Skywalker told them he sensed increased confusion and anger throughout the Temple. In response, Tano told Skywalker she and Russo had a lead. She told Skywalker they were looking for Bowmani, as she showed Skywalker the holographic information of Bowmani on an imagecaster. Russo informed Skywalker one of the witnesses saw Bowmani in the hangar before the bomb exploded and Bowmani had been unaccounted for since the explosion. Skywalker responded that no one just disappears and Russo replied the bombing must have therefore been well planned out. Skywalker angrily told Russo and Tano a well-planned out attack was the only explanation for Jedi being unable to detect the bombing. While Tano and Russo continued their investigation, Skywalker left the Halls of Healing to talk with^[3] Chief of Security^[8] Cin Drallig.^[3]

A shocking revelation

Through painstaking work,^[7] Tano,^[6] Russo and his analysis droids reconstructed the trajectory and original position of each piece of bomb debris.^[7] They completed the process by using advanced holographic displays that used the data they had uncovered.^[6] Russo and Tano then scanned the holographic crime scene reconstructions of the explosion and studied the remains of the gunships and other debris. Tano used the trajectory of the debris to conclude the blast's precise origin-point. In response, Russo questioned why the hologram showed no bomb residue.^[3]

After Skywalker arrived, Tano informed her master that she and Russo were under the assumption whoever blew up the hangar triggered a ship to explode. While Russo used the shrapnel to see if it could help identify the perpetrator, Tano speculated that based off the Pantoran witness's first-hand account, Bowmani could have quietly planned the hangar bombing on his own. Russo then informed Skywalker and Tano that he discovered an anomaly in the hologram recording that should not have been there. Moving the holographic display around, Russo revealed pieces of debris from the origin of the blast. The debris contained nano-droids, which where^[3] explosive military-grade^[6] microscopic droids of a highly volatile nature. After Russo revealed the nano-droids, Skywalker instructed Russo to analyze the security footage and see if Bowmani went anywhere else in the Temple.^[3]

Bowmani's background revealed

In the Jedi Temple security station, an analysis droid gave Skywalker a datapad, that displayed the file on Bowmani. The file revealed that Bowmani specialized in nano-weaponry and he was the foreman of all the Temple's gunships, weapons and bombs. On the other side of the room, Tano and Skywalker met Russo, who was rapidly scanning the security monitors. Skywalker questioned the droid if the security monitors were going too fast for him to process. Russo replied it was simple data for him and at that pace, he was capable of viewing hundreds of hours of footage. When Skywalker asked Russo if he found Bowmani, the droid to lifted up^[3] his visor^[4] and informed the Jedi he had not. As a result, Skywalker told Russo he would gather some Jedi to search the Temple, adding if Bowmani was still in the Temple, he may have another attack planned. Gesturing to the other SP-4 analysis droids, Russo replied that his team of droids could complete the task far quicker than any Jedi. As Tano and Skywalker left the security station, Russo turned to the other droids and gave them their next task.^[3]

Later, Russo reported to Skywalker on a hologram that he had found Bowmani. Skywalker and Tano had just finished their latest report to the Jedi High Council and Skywalker instructed Russo to lock down all exits to prevent Bowmani from escaping. When Skywalker and Tano arrived at Russo's location, they scanned the room, confused on why they could not find Bowmani. When Skywalker asked Russo where Bowmani was, the droid replied part of him was in the room, which caused Skywalker to quickly retort it was a bad time for jokes. Russo led Tano and Skywalker to a table where he revealed to them that only Bowmani's hand remained. The rest of Bowmani's body had exploded as he physically was the bomb. Russo passed Tano a handheld sensor, which revealed Bowmani's hand was covered in nano-droids.^[3]

After Tano asked how the droids got in Bowmani's bloodstream, Skywalker told Russo and Tano they had to search Bowmani's home for evidence. While Skywalker and Tano searched Bowmani's home, Tano discovered traces of nano-droids in the food disposal, confirmation Bowmani had consumed the droids. Soon after, Bowmani's wife Letta Turmond arrived at her home. Skywalker told Turmond they needed her to come with them to answer questions. However, Turmond fled down an alleyway, before she was cornered by the Jedi and was pressured by Skywalker to confess that she fed her husband the nano-droids.^[3]

Aftermath

After Turmond was arrested, Tano and Skywalker reported to Windu and Yoda that Turmond was being held in cell in the Jedi Temple detention center while she waited for further questions. When Russo contacted Tano on an imagecaster, he reported no other nano-droids were found in his search of the Jedi Temple. He added that based off the security footage, Bowmani had acted alone, which meant no Jedi was involved in the bombing. Tano thanked and congratulated Russo for his aid in the crime scene analysis.^[3]

Once Russo ended the transmission, Windu told Skywalker and Tano that despite the hangar bombing having no indication of Jedi involvement, he was concerned the event would fuel anti-Jedi sentiment amongst Coruscant's citizens.^[3] Turmond was later put under military custody and imprisoned at the Republic military base, where she revealed to Tano a Jedi had persuaded her to feed her husband the nano-droids. However, Turmond was strangled to death before she could reveal the culprit's identity to Tano.^[9] In the end, Skywalker proved that Tano's close friend Barriss Offee was the Jedi behind the bombing of the Temple hangar.^[10] Offee had directed Turmond to feed the nano-droids to Bowmani, and she later framed Tano for the bombing and the Turmond's death.^[9]

Characteristics

Personality and traits

Russo-ISC was a crime scene analysis droid,^[1] with black sensors, as well as metal plating that was predominately blue and silver, with gold plating on his head, as well as his limbs and fingertips. The symbol of the Jedi Order was displayed on the left side of his chest plate.^[3] Russo was a non-nonsense analysis droid.^[4] He was also a team leader and took command over the other analysis droids who were plugged into the Jedi Temple's sensor and security networks. Russo's detectable sense of pride, strong independent streak and keen perception enabled him to take on some of the hardest cases the Jedi faced.^[1] While Russo was efficient in his analysis, his personality was quirky to say the least.^[6] Russo punctuated his speech while he habitually flipped his visor^[11] up and down as he said brusque and over-dramatic revelatory statements.^[3]

Skills and abilities

Russo was a reliable assistant to Jedi investigators as they worked together to solve mysteries at crime scenes.^[1] As an ISC unit, Russo was capable of conducting in-depth questioning of witnesses and suspects. From there, Russo would relay his findings to the appropriate judicial authorities, which ensured no jurisdictional issues.^[2] As a result, Russo wanted to interview witnesses of the Temple bombing by himself. However, he was persuaded by Anakin Skywalker to bring his Padawan Ahsoka Tano with him to interrogate witnesses in the Halls of Healing. The visored detective and crime scene investigator led other SP-4 analysis droids as they worked with Tano and Skywalker to solve the hangar bombing case.^[3] Russo also could tap into the Temple's security systems, and review the holographic security footage far faster than any Jedi could review them^[4] and as a result, used the security footage to conclude that Jackar Bowmani had acted alone in the bombing of the Jedi Temple hangar.^[3]

Equipment

Russo wore a visor which he could flip up and down. He also carried a datapad and used handheld sensors to help him analyze information uncovered in the crime scene.^[3]

Behind the scenes

Russo-ISC first appeared in "Sabotage,"^[3] the seventeenth episode of the fifth season of the animated television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which premiered on February 9, 2013.^[7] He was voiced by Dee Bradley Baker,^[3] who also voiced all the clone troopers in the series.^[12] Russo's name, speech pattern and habit of flipping his visor to punctuate his speech all allude to David Caruso's character Horatio Caine from CSI: Miami.^[11] A character illustration of Russo was drawn by David Le Merrer and posted in the Concept Art Gallery for "Sabotage."^[13]

Appearances

• Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Sabotage" (First appearance)

Sources

• "Sabotage" - The Clone Wars Episode Guide on StarWars.com (original link is obsolete)
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Episode Guide
• Letta Turmond in the Encyclopedia (original site is defunct)
• Russo-ISC in the Encyclopedia (original site is defunct)
• The Official Star Wars Fact File Part 42 20 BBY 51-54: Jedi Temple bombing
• The Official Star Wars Fact File Part 55 ANA 1-2: Jedi Temple analysis droids

Notes and references