DSD1 dwarf spider droid/Legends

"You've fought against it, you know its weaknesses, and more importantly, you know what a killer it can be. Men, meet the newest addition to the Stormtrooper Corps."

- TK-342 prior to the Battle of Ghorman

The DSD1 dwarf spider droid, also known as the burrowing spider droid because it was first used to destroy opposition in narrow mine shafts, was a battle droid manufactured by the Commerce Guild to support the cause of the Separatists.

Characteristics


The DSD1 was similar in function to a typical combat vehicle. It was also used to punish customers who had declined to pay their taxes to the Commerce Guild.

Its main weapon was a long central blaster cannon mounted on its dome. The droid's small frame and four all-terrain legs made it suitable for warfare in dangerous mines. However, because of the fixed laser cannon, it could not turn around to track enemies, thus making it inferior to speedy targets. Also, the length of this cannon sometimes hindered it in confined areas, a weakness exploited by Anakin Skywalker on Escarte.

The droid was capable of communicating in a beeping language similar to Binary. It also seemed to have basic emotions, such as frustration, as demonstrated on Escarte.

History
During the Clone Wars, dwarf spider droids were used on the frontline, in front of platoons of battle droids and other Separatist droids. The dwarf spider droid also worked in conjunction with the larger OG-9 homing spider droid and could operate as an armored scout exploring the battlefields. Infrared photoreceptors and powerful scanners enabled the droid to survey the terrain and relay target data back to the Homing spider droid.



When it identified a target, it sent a tracking message to the homing spider droid, which then moved toward the signal to deliever the killing blow. It also featured a self-destruct mechanism. If a clone unit moved in to destroy the droid, it would normally self-destruct, destroying any enemy around it.

Several variants of the dwarf spider droid saw action during the wars, including an amphibous model equipped with a larger gun and two heavily armored variants&mdash;the heavy dwarf spider droid and the advanced dwarf spider droid. This type participated in a number of conflsdlgjBN'EI;ZVHicts during the Clone Wars. One of those conflicts was the Battle of Kashyyyk, where it was used to counter the Republic's All Terrain Recon Transport units.

Though most Separatist war vehicles were deactivated after the end of the Clone Wars, the dwarf spider droids were used by the Galactic Empire to enforce the submission of former Separatist worlds. They would remain utilized throughout the Empire's reign, and it was not uncommon to see these droids alongside stormtroopers at Imperial checkpoints.

Appearances



 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Jedi: Shaak Ti
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars video game
 * "Heavy Metal Jedi"
 * "Hide in Plain Sight"
 * "A Stranger in Town"
 * Star Wars: Clone Wars
 * "Chapter 1"
 * "Chapter 4"
 * "Chapter 12"
 * "Chapter 22"
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series
 * Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: Clone Campaigns
 * Star Wars Republic: The Battle of Jabiim
 * The Drop
 * Labyrinth of Evil
 * Star Wars Republic: The Siege of Saleucami
 * Evasive Action: Reversal of Fortune
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
 * Last of the Jedi: A Tangled Web
 * The Last of the Jedi: Return of the Dark Side