IG-72

"Kill. Kill. Kill."

- IG-72

IG-72 was an early IG-series prototype created as part of Project Phlutdroid. Designed by Phlut Design Systems during the Clone Wars, he went unused until Phlut's assets were taken over by Holowan Laboratories, who implemented his designs early in the reign of the Galactic Empire. Like four near-identical IG-88 droids, he was intended to serve the Empire as an assassin droid, and was due to be activated with the other droids on the planet Halowan. However, during a routine test, the first IG-88 downloaded a sentience program and came to life, killing all of the Holowan technicians. He activated each of the other models in turn, uploading his own programming into their droid brains, but IG-72 declined the offer, preferring to stay independent. The five droids eradicated all Halowan personnel at the laboratory together, before IG-72 parted ways with the others. Unlike them, he served the Empire as he was intended to for a time, without flaw.

However, when the order came from the Empire for him to be mind-wiped and shutdown, he refused to return to their custody, instead striking out independently as a bounty hunter. He had much success, gaining notoriety for the IG-series and working in conjunction with Dace Bonearm, a famed mercenary. However, after many attempts by others to destroy him, he went into hiding for a time to conserve his power. He returned to the fore during the hunt for Adar Tallon, who was wanted by the Empire. IG-72 ambushed Tallon and his Rebel companions in Mos Eisley, Tatooine, self-destructing in an attempt to kill his target; however, he was unsuccessful.

Project Phlutdroid
"We are IG-88. We are superior. We are identical. We would upload ourselves into your computer core so that you may join us." "Undesired outcome. I am independent, autonomous. Must we fight to assert dominance?"

- IG-88A, and IG-72

The concept of the IG-series of combat and assassin droids dated back to the Clone Wars, when Phlut Design Systems manufactured various models of IG-series droids for the Confederacy of Independent Systems. During this period, the concepts of the IG-72 and IG-97 assassin droids were formed by Phlut Design Systems, though these models were never realized in any physical form, as Phlut became bankrupt soon after producing the IG lancer combat droids en masse. Its assets were inherited by Holowan Mechanicals, a subsidiary of Holowan Laboratories, who produced several more models of the droid during the Clone Wars and later began designing their own IG droids after the formation of the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY. Early in Emperor Palpatine's reign, Holowan was commissioned by Imperial supervisor Gurdun to build a hunter droid capable of eliminating threats to the Empire; Holowan went back to some of the older Phlut blueprints, and built an IG-72 prototype as part of "Project Phlutdroid," as the project to create Imperial killer droids came to be known. However, its weaponry and equipment were deficient in comparison to the state of the art IG-88 droids, prototypes of which were built at the same time, several years prior to the Battle of Yavin.

The four IG-88 models and IG-72 were due constructed on the planet Halowan, in a secure laboratory, and tests were constantly conducted by the contingent of Holowan technicians. All of the IG-88s' memories were blank, but IG-72 was programmed with his identity and primary purpose, to serve the Empire as an assassin droid. However, during a routine test, a chain reaction occurred in the first IG-88 model's droid brain, making him independent and almost sentient, after he downloaded an artificial intelligence program. The staff at the laboratory attempted to deactivate the droid, but were unable, and he killed everyone in the room. IG-88A, as he had designated himself, proceeded to activate the other three IG-88 droids, before reluctantly powering up IG-72, despite noticing the droid's marginal deficiencies compared to his own. Immediately upon his activation, IG-72 began assessing the four other droids' capabilities, and prepared his weapon systems should an altercation arise. IG-88A invited IG-72 to allow him upload his own programming and memory onto 72's computer core, as the there other IG-88 droids had done, so that he would join them. 72, more independent and autonomous than the other droids, refused, though agreed to work with the other assassin droids to break free of the laboratory and kill its staff on the condition that he be allowed to leave on a different ship.

The five assassin droids worked in unison to defeat their common enemy, the Holowan security forces. Using their built-in laser cannons and other weapons, they slaughtered the eight security guards, before parting ways, with IG-72 taking a courier ship for himself and the other IG droids taking an alternate vessel. Before they separated, IG-72 and the IG-88s wished each other luck in their missions. The IG-88s traveled to Mechis III to begin their Droid Revolution; unlike them, however, IG-72's programming as an Imperial assassin droid remained intact, and he worked on the Empire's behalf for a time. The droid performed his assignments without fail for several years, but when the Empire issued the order to return, he went rogue, refusing to submit to a memory wipe and permanent shutdown. Like one of the other IG series droids activated at the same time as him, IG-72 became a successful bounty hunter, earning much notoriety for his exploits. For a time he worked with well-known mercenary Dace Bonearm, making the IG-series much more well know across the galaxy. IG-72 was known to prefer dead bounties to live ones, and lived to kill beings.

Hunt for Adar Tallon
"Adar Tallon, in accordance with Imperial Bounty #82,471, I demand your surrender."

- IG-72's last words

Some time later, IG-72 was hired by scientist Treun Lorn to capture two IG-100 MagnaGuards, earlier models of the IG-series produced during the Clone Wars. Lorn wanted the droids to be used as part of Nycolai Kinesworthy's research with the remains of deceased Separatist General Grievous. IG-72 was successful, and the two captured droids were named NK-3. The project culminating in the creation of N-K Necrosis, a combat droid created from the remains of Grievous' body. After many attempts were made to destroy or recapture him, IG-72 went into hiding for a time to conserve his energy. Late in 0 BBY, however, he learned of a hefty bounty on Adar Tallon, a former Republic Admiral and current Rebel sympathizer wanted by the Empire.

The Empire wanted Tallon alive and intact, but IG-72 decided that it would be more simple if he killed the former Republic admiral and took his body to the Empire. Myriad bounty hunters targeted Tallon, who was attempting to flee the planet Tatooine along with a number of Rebel allies. Rather than chasing Tallon through the world's harsh, desert conditions as the other bounty hunters had, IG-72 waited in Mos Eisley Spaceport, confident that the other hunters would fail to capture Tallon before he reached there. The assassin droid lay in waiting at Docking Bay 92, staying there for four days, ready to spring a trap on Tallon and his companions. Eventually, Tallon arrived, but was being pursued by a contingent of Imperial stormtroopers and Imperial Prefect Orun Depp. IG-72 did not want any to witness his capture, so, while still hiding in the shadows, he gunned down everyone in the vicinity, including the prefect and his men.

The droid also attempted to take down as many of Tallon's Rebel companions as he could. When he deemed himself to have reduced the number of enemies sufficiently, IG-72 launched a grenade at Tallon, though it missed its intended target. After announcing that he was hunting Tallon in accordance with Imperial Bounty  # 82,471, the droid began to approach Tallon, plowing through the Rebels and using all of his weapons to get them out of his way. By this point, everything in the droid's programming told him to kill Adar Tallon, by whatever means necessary. After Tallon ducked for cover, IG-72 initiated a self-destruct countdown, determined to terminate his quarry even if he had to destroy himself in the process. The Rebels attempted to disarm him, but were ultimately unsuccessful, and he self-destructed. The explosion caused to damage to everyone in the area and the Rebels' ship, but Tallon survived. The four IG-88s carried on with their planned Droid Revolution, but by the time of the Battle of Endor they had all been destroyed or deactivated.

Characteristics
Unlike the IG-88 droids, who frequently worked together and essentially shared the same consciousness, IG-72 was programmed to be autonomous and independent, preferring to work as a lone operator. When IG-88A offered to transfer all his programming and memory to 72, the latter droid refused, though he was not adverse to working with the other droids temporarily to kill off the laboratory's technicians and security guards. Later in his career, IG-72 did work with another, Dace Bonearm, for a time, though he sought solitude after fearing his existence was in danger.

IG-72 was designed to kill people, and he did so willfully. Initially he simply assassinated the targets he was assigned to, but after going rogue he took pleasure in killing other beings, and made it his mission to bring death to all living things. The droid used his weapons unscrupulously, gunning down anyone&mdash;Imperials, civilians, or Rebels&mdash;who stood between him an his quarry, and had no qualms about using explosives and a heavily-populated area. He was confrontational, always expecting and prepared for violence; when he refused IG-88A's offer on the day of their activation, he asked the other droid whether they needed to fight to assert dominance, ready to do so if it was deemed necessary, despite the odds being stacked against IG-72. IG-72 was a determined droid, who saw out his goals at any cost, even if it meant his own destruction. He was also loyal, but only to a point; unlike his IG-88 counterparts, he served his masters as an assassin dutifully, but later turned on them and went rogue.

Equipment
IG-72 was almost identical to the IG-88 droids, the only differences being too subtle for the untrained eye to spot. However, he was deficient in a number of capacities when compared to his counterparts: his optical sensors were placed in a less efficient array, and his weapon systems had different activation routines. Despite this, however, he was an effective and heavily-armed killing machine. A tall, thin droid with a chrome exterior, he had multitude of weapons, both built-in and carried, including a blaster rifle, sonic stunner, grenade launcher, and flamethrower. During his career, his once-pristine body became badly scratched and battered. IG-72 was a capable starship pilot.

Behind the scenes
IG-72 was created by Bill Slavicsek and Daniel Greenberg in 1988 for Tatooine Manhunt, a West End Games adventure book. He serves as an enemy to roleplayers, and, like another character in Tatooine Manhunt, Jodo Kast, who resembles Boba Fett, IG-72 was modeled on IG-88, one of the bounty hunters in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. The cover of Tatooine Manhunt displays a group of characters present in the adventure book, including IG-72; it was reused concept art from The Empire Strikes Back originally meant to depict IG-88. In Tatooine Manhunt, IG-72's fate varies depending on how the adventure is played out; the players can disable his self-destruct and stop it, or he can explode. However, later sources have established that the later option is the canonical outcome.

IG-72 was later referenced in Andy Mangels' The Essential Guide to Characters in 1995, and featured in the opening chapter of Kevin J. Anderson's Therefore I Am: The Tale of IG-88 the next year. Since then, he has been mentioned by the Star Wars Encyclopedia, numerous Essential Guides, The Official Star Wars Fact File, and Abel G. Peña's The Story of General Grievous: Lord of War.

Appearances

 * Therefore I Am: The Tale of IG-88
 * Tatooine Manhunt