3B6-RA-7

3B6-RA-7, nicknamed "Threebee," was a personal-assistant droid that worked as a spy, care-giver, and farmhand, serving masters diverse as Moff Dunhausen and Sholh Dorr. Originally in the possession of the Imperial Security Bureau, 3B6-RA-7 was programmed to work as a protocol and spy droid simultaneously, resulting in mass incompetence while fulfilling the former duties. Hoping to keep tabs on the Moff, the Bureau presented the droid to Dunhausen, who quickly tired of 3B6-RA-7's incompetency. Rumors about the RA-7 line being used as spies persisted, and soon enough Dunhausen sought to dispose of the droid.

On Tatooine, 3B6-RA-7 was captured by the Jawa Jek Nkik, and constant attempts were made to sell him off to the customers of the scavenger race. The attempts failed, and 3B6-RA-7 would become a mainstay of Nebit's Sandcrawler, deriding and mocking any newcomers the Jawas managed to steal. Eventually, he was sold to aging farmer Sholh Dorr at the annual Droidfest. Over time, 3B6-RA-7 began to genuinely care for Dorr, but was nonetheless passed on once more, when the farmer decided to sell him at Eport. By that stage, 3B6-RA-7 was a collectors item, since most of the other droids of his make had been destroyed at Yavin, when the Death Star had been destroyed.

Imperial service
Initially in the possession of the Imperial Security Bureau, 3B6-RA-7 was programmed to serve as a spy. To mask his true purpose, the droid was made to appear incompetent and clumsy. His programming was intentionally overtaxed by having to deal with both spy and protocol duties. 3B6-RA-7 was presented to Moff Dunhausen as a "gift" by the Bureau, so they would be able to keep tabs on the Governor. The droid served Dunhausen as a personal assistant, though his tendency to forget important engagements and his inability to record certain dictations exasperated the governor. Stories of the RA-7 model's inadequacy spread throughout the ranks of Dunhausen's colleagues, coupled with the rumors that they were working as spy droids.

Hoping to get rid of the droid, Dunhausen took a "vacation" to Tatooine. 3B6-RA-7 was sent on errands to Mos Eisley, without any kind of guard or companionship whatsoever. Thirty minutes into his trip, the droid was attacked by Jek Nkik, a Jawa scavenger. Hit by a shot from Nkik's Ion blaster, 3B6-RA-7 was stolen and returned to Nkik's Sandcrawler. Realizing what Dunhausen had done, 3B6-RA-7 planned to contact the Security Bureau and report the governor, but Nkik removed the droid's data transmitter before he could do so.

Captive of the Jawas
The droid was kept in the same sandcrawler as C-3PO and R2-D2, and suffered the further indignity of having its classic black shell stripped to its undercoat to prevent overheating in the desert suns. The droid developed a sour and bitter disposition, often squawking insults at any unfortunate newcomers in the droid hold. The droid felt no remorse when stormtroopers blasted every single one of the Jawas holding him captive, though he was shocked to discover he was not the droid they were looking for.

Serving Sholh Dorr
Left behind again, the bitter Threebee was claimed as salvage by a related Jawa clan, and put up for sale at the annual Droidfest. He was purchased by Sholh Dorr, a moisture farmer crippled while pursuing Tuskens decades before. Threebee became his care-giver, and helped the old man run the farm. Threebee came to genuinely care for "Master Dorr," and felt as much at home on his farm as any droid could, and looked forward to when his program priority cycle would allow him to fully forget his past and he could provide Dorr with years of service.



Dorr saw Threebee as a wise investment—especially after he discovered that since most of the RA-7 series had been destroyed on the first Death Star, his unit was a rare collector's item. Threebee was sold at an auction on Eport for over a thousand times what Dorr had originally paid.

Behind the scenes
The backstory for 3B6-RA-7 was established by Hyperspace member Adrick Tolliver, a.k.a. TalonCard86, as part of the What's the Story? campaign on StarWars.com.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Notes and references
3B6-RA-7