Unidentified probe droid (Hoth)

A Viper probe droid served the Galactic Empire as part of its search for the Rebel Alliance's hidden base following their Evacuation of Yavin. Along with thousands of other Viper probes of its model, the droid was developed for the Empire by Arakyd Industries in a project overseen personally by Darth Vader. Its construction occurred on Mechis III, a major droid manufacturing planet that, unknown to the Empire or most other organic beings, was under the control of IG-88, a quartet of assassin droids. The IG-88 droids' mastermind, IG-88A, altered the Viper probe droids' programming so that, even while they carried out the Empire's mission, they also gathered intelligence for a great droid revolution that the assassin was planning.

In 3 ABY, an Imperial Star Destroyer of Death Squadron launched the probe droid. It flew in its Predator I hyperspace pod from the Ione to the Hoth system and crashed down on the frozen surface of the planet Hoth. The probot emerged from its crash site and began to explore the planet. Before long it located the newly-built Echo Base and transmitted its data to the command ship Executor. The Rebels soon discovered the probe droid, and Han Solo and Chewbacca engaged it in combat. The droid, realizing that it had been discovered, activated its self-destruct mechanism. Its mission had already been successful: after seeing its transmitted data, Darth Vader ordered his entire fleet to the Hoth system, launching the Battle of Hoth and the destruction of Echo Base.

Biography

Thousands of Remote Probes

The probe droid that would travel to Hoth was one of thousands serving the Empire. Following the Battle of Yavin, the Empire commissioned a new line of Viper probe droids from Arakyd Industries to scour the galaxy for hidden Rebel bases. In particular, the Empire wished to corner the elusive, mobile Alliance High Command,^[2] while Darth Vader obsessively sought the hiding place of Commander Luke Skywalker.^[3]

Arakyd fulfilled the Imperial order at its droid manufacturing works on Mechis III. However, no one in the company, the Empire, nor any other organic being was aware that the IG-88 assassin droids had taken over the works in the Mechis III Uprising. IG-88A decided to use the new line of Imperial probes to further his long-term goal, a galaxywide Droid Revolution that would seize power from organic beings. The Viper probots would serve as IG-88's scouts while appearing to serve only the Empire. Even Gurdun, the Imperial supervisor overseeing the Arakyd order, remained unaware that the probots had been co-opted. Darth Vader oversaw the operation from its beginning, personally visiting the droid works; the Sith Lord's visit was the closest the conspiracy ever came to getting discovered. The IG droids masked their purpose so well that Vader only sensed a slight disturbance whose source he could not pinpoint.^[1]

When the droids' construction was complete, they were delivered to Death Squadron. The Star Destroyers Avenger and Stalker detached from the Squadron to travel to the Ione system,^[6] where they launched probe droids to search the Hoth, Allyuen, and Tokmia systems, along with other nearby parts of the Galaxy.^[7] Just before the destroyer group launched their Viper probes, Vader sent an order that additional commands be added to their programming to prioritize two targets: Luke Skywalker and the starship belonging to Han Solo, the Millennium Falcon.^[8]

Hitting the Ground

After launching from its Imperial II-class Star Destroyer near Ione, the Arakyd Viper flew inside its hyperspace pod to the Hoth system.^[6] Its reentry rockets fired, bringing it down hard onto the surface of the ice planet of Hoth in a region near the North Ridge and Lanteel Glacier. While the probot did not know it yet, it had found the planet where the Rebels were building their new stronghold, Echo Base. Its crash-landing appeared to the casual onlooker, and even the base's sensor readings, as one of many meteorites streaking toward Hoth's surface.^[2] Luke Skywalker and Han Solo were just then riding tauntauns on a routine patrol of the frozen wastes. Skywalker decided to ride alone to inspect the crash site, telling Solo to go on without him.^[3] Before he could reach the site, Skywalker was attacked by a wampa ice creature and never saw what had really crashed to the ground. Thus, the Hoth probe droid was free to continue on its programmed mission.^[2]

The probe droid emerged from its pod and levitated on its repulsorlifts from the still-smoking crater.^[5] It detected a faint comm signal on non-Imperial bandwidths: the signal made by Skywalker's comlink as he spoke with Solo and Echo Base. To the probe droid, this indicated the presence of an unregistered, possibly Rebel, settlement. Since it had not yet gathered enough evidence to report, the droid moved away from the signal to stay hidden and protected until it could learn more.^[2]

The probe droid continued in the direction of the signal's probable destination point. While searching, it encountered what it first took to be an unusually warm mound of ice. The droid understood that this indicated the presence of a creature astoundingly well-adapted to the cold climate.^[5] Standard scans would not have been able to detect a wampa in this environment,^[9] but the probot was equipped with advanced sensor technology beyond the reach of almost anyone but the Empire.^[2] It fired a probing laser into the mound, awakening and angering the wampa sleeping beneath it. The droid now understood the enraged creature to be a threat; it turned its laser to its maximum intensity and fired, vaporizing it.^[5]

Already the droid had not gone undetected. Solo had placed new sentry markers near the crash site, and with them Echo Base was able to pick up the Viper's energy signal, though it was not possible to identify it. The Rebels could not investigate further because a blizzard was beginning to surge throughout the area.^[10] The same storm made conditions difficult for the probe droid. It settled to the ground and activated its modified power-intensive particle shield to protect it from the thick snow. It ceased normal operation, shunting all energy to its shield.^[2] From the outside, it appeared as nothing but a snow-covered dome.^[5]

It isn't friendly

The droid resumed its search when the sun rose, entering Zone Twelve outside Echo Base.^[3] There, it detected the presence of a large deflector shield generator. It began recording this crucial data and transmitting it, via its HoloNet transceiver, to Vader's personal flagship, the Star Dreadnought Executor.^[2] IG-88 on Mechis III simultaneously received the data on a secret channel. He hoped to use it to learn about the Empire's plans and its weaknesses.^[1]

After sending this first report, the probot continued on its mission. It mapped the defenses of Echo Base, including the surrounding trenches, artillery, the anti-orbital ion cannon, and troop movements and positions. This invaluable, though fragmentary, information would be available to Imperial General Maximilian Veers as he planned his assault on the base.^[2]

At this point, the droid was ready to move beyond reconnaissance and begin to sabotage and disrupt Rebel operations; but it was spotted before it could make the attempt.^[2] A Rebel scout trooper positioned in Echo Station 3-8 detected a metal object on the far side of a ridge, transmitting something in an unknown code.^[5] Before the trooper could see the droid or confirm what it was, the probot opened fire and destroyed the outpost with its blaster cannon, reducing it to a smoldering ruin and killing the scout inside.^[11]

Not Much Left

As the probe droid continued to transmit its data, Echo Base commander Carlist Rieekan reviewed the findings from Station 3-8. The Rebel translator droid C-3PO, upon hearing the unknown signal, concluded that there was a high probability that it was an Imperial code.^[12] Han Solo volunteered himself and his first mate Chewbacca to go on foot to investigate the mysterious machine.^[3] Rieekan also dispatched Rogues Ten and Eleven to patrol the air in snowspeeders at a low altitude and be alert for trouble.^[12] The Rogue Flight pilots, Tarrin Datch and Tenk Lenso,^[7] brought Solo and Chewbacca to a spot near the droid in Hoth's Ceyan Range.^[13][14]

Solo reported that the object was a droid and was moving quickly in the direction of the base. Rieekan wanted to order the snowspeeders to attack it, but Solo believed that he and Chewbacca could take care of it more quickly.^[12] The probot detected the enemies' approach and began to take evasive maneuvers.^[2] Chewbacca managed to outflank it and act as a decoy behind a nearby rise. While the probe, distracted, shot at the Wookiee, Han Solo shot it from the other direction. To Solo's surprise, what was meant to be a disabling shot triggered an explosion that destroyed it.^[3] The probe droid, to protect its sensitive data and programming, set off its self-destruct mechanism.^[2]

The self-destruct was not entirely effective, due either to the cold or to damage suffered during its landing. Solo and Chewbacca were able to bring part of it back to base, where a team of technicians under Voren Na'al conducted a scan of the intact portions of its memory circuits. Na'al used this data to help compile his subsequent reports on the history of the Rebellion during this period.^[2]

The Rebels Are There

Though the probe droid was destroyed, Imperial Captain Firmus Piett received its scans on the Executor and believed them to be a promising lead. His superior, Admiral Ozzel, was highly skeptical that the fragmented data proved anything, but Vader, through the Force, was confident that this probe droid had found the sought-after Rebel base.^[3] He ordered the entire Death Squadron fleet to go to the Hoth System and prepare for a full-scale ground assault.^[2] Responding to the same signal, IG-88B, the bounty hunter of the IG-88 quartet, left Mechis III for Hoth to observe Vader's actions from a distance.^[1]

Vader's intuition was correct: the probe droid's intelligence, though incomplete, brought him and his fleet directly to the Rebels' new base. In the battle that followed, General Veers led Blizzard Force to occupy the base and drive the Alliance from the system. The surviving Rebels scattered across the Galaxy. Both Skywalker and the Millennium Falcon again slipped past Vader. He continued to pursue them, finally capturing Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO and Leia Organa on Cloud City and challenging Skywalker to a lightsaber duel.^[3] IG-88B also pursued Solo on Cloud City but was destroyed in a surprise attack by Boba Fett.^[1]

Characteristics

Like others of its model, the Viper probe droid sent to Hoth carried out its mission with a mechanical detachment, inquisitive but without emotion.^[5] Yet it was fully self-aware, carrying the same sentience programming as IG-88 and his would-be partners in the droid revolution.^[1] It was singularly focused on its mission to find its target, and a new program ordered by Darth Vader caused it to fixate on any clues leading to Luke Skywalker and Han Solo in particular.^[8] For all that, its ultimate, secret purpose was to gather information to further the cause of the droid revolution. It harbored a sense of respect for IG-88 as the revolution's leader.^[1]

The probe could approach challenges with flexibility, varying its methods to suit the situation, from stealth, to confrontation, to deadly force.^[3] This allowed it to evade threats and collect enough data to send back to Death Squadron, which enabled the Empire to find and destroy Echo Base.^[2] The probot had sufficient firepower and combat skills to defend itself, killing a wampa and making quick work of Echo Station 3-8 before its trooper could relay a full report to base.^[11] Nevertheless, when the droid faced Solo and Chewbacca, it fell for their decoy maneuver and found itself outsmarted. When the time came, the probe droid initiated its self-destruct mechanism without a second thought.^[3] It knew from the start that its mission might be one of suicide.^[1]

Equipment

The droid was covered in light armor, colored black. It measured 1.6 meters in height and had five manipulator arms extending from a central pod, which worked together with several retractable sensor arms to gather samples.^[2] One of the arms was high-torque.^[15] High-resolution receivers and sensors covered its domed head—including motion, acoustic, sonic, and seismic sensors, a radiation meter, magnetic imager, and holocamera. It had an atmosphere sensor capable of determining a planet's atmosphere class within one half-hour.^[2] The probot was equipped with a floodlight on its head.^[15]

The probe droid relayed information to its superiors via a high-frequency HoloNet transceiver. When making transmissions, it emitted a audio encrypted imperial code set. It moved on a repulsorlift generator equipped to operate over any terrain and move at a speed up to 40 km/h. Like other Vipers, it was delivered to its target planet through a single-use custom built hyperspace pod.^[2]

Behind the scenes

The probe droid in the Hoth system first appeared in the Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back novelization, where several sections are narrated from the droid's point of view. The droid was designed for Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. Ralph McQuarrie created its concept art, basing it, evidently, on a small robot appearing in a comic by the artist Moebius.^[16]

For The Empire Strikes Back, two models were used to depict the probe droid on film. The first was life-size and was used for the scene in which the droid engages in a firefight against Han and Chewbacca. The model ran on tracks hidden in the snow;^[17] this together with long shots allowed the crew to make the droid appear to float in the air.^[18] This scene was shot in Finse, Norway on March 10, 1979, with Harrison Ford playing Han and Peter Mayhew as Chewie. The droid's meteoric landing was accomplished in Finse by a dynamite explosion.^[17]

The second, smaller model was used for the scene in which the probe droid emerges from its crater.^[18] The model was prepared by art director Joe Johnston. To film the the scene, shot at Industrial Light & Magic, the model was slowly raised through a miniature set representing the snowy surface of Hoth.^[17]

According to Ben Burtt, the film's sound designer, the iconic audio of the droid was actually the electronically-altered voice of "a well-known Shakespearean actor," though he did not identify the performer.^[19]

The droid played a major role in the plot of the movie and its adaptations in other media. Nevertheless, it was never given a designation or name within the Legends continuity. In Canon, it first received a designation in the 2018 reference book Star Wars: Droidography, which showed the text "XJ9-CS14" written in Aurebesh.^[20]

Continuity

In the the radio dramatization of The Empire Strikes Back (1983), dialogue between Captain Lorth Needa and a subordinate indicates that the Star Destroyer Avenger launched the Viper probe droid that discovered Echo Base.^[8] The Second Edition of Galaxy Guide 3 (1996) confirmed this account. However, the Star Wars Customizable Card Game (also 1996) gave a contradictory version, introducing the Stalker as the Star Destroyer that launched the droid. After this, some Legends sources identified the probe droid with the Avenger, others with the Stalker. The Essential Atlas (2009) harmonizes the accounts by stating that both ships were responsible for deploying probe droids without stating which ship is seen in the film.^[6]

Appearances

• "Therefore I Am: The Tale of IG-88" — Tales of the Bounty Hunters
• Introductory Adventure Game
• "Galaxywide NewsNets" — Star Wars Adventure Journal 14
• Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
• Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back junior novelization
• Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back novelization (and unabridged audiobook) (First appearance, in book)
• Star Wars (1977) 39 (recolorized in Star Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 3: Resurrection of Evil and Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back)
• The Empire Strikes Back: A Storybook
• Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
• The Empire Strikes Back radio drama — "Freedom's Winter"
• The Empire Strikes Back radio drama — "The Coming Storm" (Indirect mention only)
• The Empire Strikes Back radio drama — "A Question of Survival"
• Star Wars (1977) 40 (recolorized in Star Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 3: Resurrection of Evil and Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back) (Mentioned only)
• "The Probing Eye of the Empire" — Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back (reprinted in Second Edition and The Movie Trilogy Sourcebook)
• The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader (Mentioned only)
• A New Hope: The Life of Luke Skywalker (and audiobook) (Mentioned only)

Sources

Notes and references