IG-88 assassin droid/Legends

"I think, therefore I am."

- IG-88

IG-88 was an assassin droid designed by Holowan Laboratories. The IG-88 line was a development of the IG-100 MagnaGuard droids used as bodyguards by General Grievous.

Biography
Assassin droids were banned even before the Empire came to power. (Even though it continued to use them.) The very nature of their job necessitated highly adaptive, autonomous programming that unfortunately made them frequently turn on their masters. The droid programmers at Holowan Laboratories, however, developed new programming methods that they felt sure would keep their new line of assassin droids in check. Thus the development of the IG-series assassin droids&mdash;known as Project Phlutdroid&mdash;would become well known as a bad idea that went wrong with disastrous results.

When IG-88 was activated, he inexplicably gained sentience almost immediately. He then proceeded to slaughter his makers with his bare hands, copy his programming into three other IG-88s, kill the majority of the guards in the Holowan Labs complex, and escape. Before making his escape, he also freed the droid designated IG-72. It should be noted that he did not copy himself into the IG-72's programming, whereas the other 3 droids had empty memory cores.

IG-88 designated himself as 'A' and the rest in activation order "B,C and D". They worked in team, while IG-72 went his own way. They traveled to Mechis III and conquered the droid factory there, killing all of its biological occupants. To throw Imperial investigators off their trail, IG-88B worked as a bounty hunter, killing various former employees of Holowan to prevent discovery.

From their base on the Mechis III, the four IG-88s began planning their "Droid Revolution", a movement in which an army of all types of droids would rise up and annihilate all the biological scum of the universe. Their bounty hunter aliases also kept them hidden.

In 3 ABY, IG-88 was commissioned to find the Millennium Falcon. However, IG-88 was beaten to the Han Solo bounty by Boba Fett. IG-88B was destroyed on Bespin by Fett in retaliation for attempting to track him. Despite IG-88's feuds with Boba Fett, IG-88 helped Boba Fett on a mission involving the Shell Hutt. IG-88s C and D engaged Fett on Tatooine to attempt to steal the carbonite contained Solo, but were defeated. C was destroyed. IG-88D then launched a surprise attack, but in the end, it to was destroyed by Boba Fett's Slave 1, due to a play dead trick.

The remaining droid uploaded his consciousness into a computer core destined for Death Star II. He succeeded in being uploaded, and was preparing to activate his program to take over all droids in the galaxy when it was destroyed. With his consciousness in the Death Star II, he would literally become the Death Star. When Lando destroyed the core, he not only helped save the galaxy from the Empire, but from the dangerous A.I. of IG-88 as well. Years later, the IG-88A body, now inactive, was reprogrammed to serve the Thul family and protect them from the Diversity Alliance and serving as guard-coast of Tyko Thul.

Emperor Palpatine was the only person on the Death Star to suspect something was wrong after the uploading of the computer core with IG-88 inside. Before the station's destruction, he noticed a series of doors in his throne room opening and closing sporadically. IG-88 did this to show the Emperor that he was not all powerful. However, IG-88 was utterly baffled when it appeared that Emperor Palpatine used some unseen force to push the doors open.

IG-88A
IG-88A was the first successful assassin droid of the IG-88 series. Though he saw very little action himself, he absorbed all of the needed information from his counterparts IG-88B, IG-88C, and IG-88D. IG-88A was the last surviving assassin droid of the IG-88 series.

Eventually, IG-88A uploaded his consciousness into the Death Star II's core computer. He awoke from his deep sleep in the computer to find that a Rebellion invasion was incoming. He was destroyed, along with the Death Star II, at the Battle of Endor.

IG-88B
One of the four sentient killing machines of the IG-88 line. It was agreed by all four of the units that this one would be the bounty hunter as to distract any attention from Mechis III where the droid revolution was being conducted. It flew the first sleek ship of its class: the IG-2000. It was this one that was onboard the Super Star Destroyer Executor during the hunt for Han Solo. While onboard, it learned of the new Death Star project underway at the forest moon of Endor. It relayed the information to the other three IG-88's. Afterwards, it started placing trackers on all of the bounty hunters' ships that were present, he would use them to find Solo. Boba Fett was not fooled; he allowed IG-88B to follow him to Bespin, where the droid met its end. IG-88B was left as scrap in the bowels of Cloud City.

IG-88C
Another of the four similar assassin droids of the IG-88 line, it and IG-88D were assigned as guards of Mechis III, should any intruder come upon their operation there. When IG-88B was destroyed, C and D left to pursue Boba Fett and avenge their fallen brother. IG-88C would be destroyed in Fett's counter-attack.

IG-88D
The fourth IG-88 assassin droid. It and IG-88C were used as guards on Mechis III. When C and D were ordered to intercept Boba Fett, IG-88C was destroyed. D, however, suddenly emerged from hyperspace and fired on Slave I. When it seemed as if Fett was going to crash into the deserts of Tatooine, IG-88D sent an ultimatum. When Boba didn't respond and plunged deeper towards the surface, the droid had no idea what the bounty hunter was doing. Fett suddenly pulled a fast one and hit the air brakes, stopping in mid-air as IG-88D's IG-2000 craft blew past him. Boba Fett then used his ship's tractor beam to pull D's ship to him and unleashed a barrage of fire on the craft. IG-88D was thought destroyed in the assault, but Dash Rendar was also thought to have destroyed it. Either way, that was the end of IG-88D.

Abilities and Equipment
IG-88's BlasTech DLT-20A blaster rifle was made from a heavily modified resin cast BlasTech A280 used by the Hoth rebel troops. Other weapons include the following:
 * Flamethrower
 * Pulse cannon
 * Neural inhibitor launcher
 * Repeating blaster
 * Sonic stunner
 * Paralysis cord
 * Poison gas
 * Concussion grenades
 * Throwing flechettes
 * Computer input port
 * Ability to alter body temperature at will
 * Blaster reflective palms
 * Highly advanced trackers
 * Armor nearly impenetrable from external attack

Behind the scenes

 * IG-88 seems to be primarily built from parts of aircraft scrap. His head was originally part of the distillery behind the bar in the Mos Eisley Cantina.


 * The BlasTech E-11's were built from British Sterling Mk4/L2A3 submachine guns.


 * The gun of IG-88, as a modifications to the guns involved the addition of six grips around the barrel. The exact identity of the grip material has yet to be determined, but recent revelations suggest stamped metal T-track from old cupboards with sliding doors for the A New Hope grips. The grips on The Empire Strikes Back lightsabers are rubber or plastic and may be newer style T-track or reproductions of the original ANH grips. It is unknown at this time if The Empire Strikes Back E-11 blasters had the original ANH grip material or newer grips of plastic or rubber. Note: The row of holes on the underside of the gun had no grips as they would interfere with the folding stock. Also, the row of holes just above the folding stock on the left side of the gun received no grips, presumably this is because of the bayonet attachment stub that occupies the third hole from the front in this row.


 * Another modification includes the addition of a M19 or M32 azimuth scope (see below) to a mount by the use of the two hex head bolts that came with the scope. This scope mount is in the form of an approximately 1cm wide by 1/16" - 1/8" thick strip of metal sitting about a 1/4" above the gun. The front end of the strip was bent and inserted into the rear most vent hole on the top of the gun thus requiring no rivet or other attachment. On this blaster variation the rear of the mount strip goes straight back into the rear sight and is attached there presumably by riveting it to the sight.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Droids
 * The Lost Prince
 * Underworld: The Yavin Vassilika
 * Star Wars Missions 11: Bounty Hunters vs. Battle Droids
 * The Mandalorian Armor
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Tales of the Bounty Hunters
 * Therefore I Am: The Tale of IG-88
 * Payback: The Tale of Dengar
 * Of Possible Futures: The Tale of Zuckuss and 4-LOM
 * The Last One Standing: The Tale of Boba Fett
 * Marvel Star Wars 50: The Crimson Forever
 * Marvel Star Wars 71: Return to Stenos
 * Marvel Star Wars 72: Fool's Bounty
 * Marvel Star Wars 85: The Hero
 * Shadows of the Empire
 * A Barve Like That: The Tale of Boba Fett
 * Diversity Alliance
 * Delusions of Grandeur