Octuptarra combat tri-droid

The octuptarra combat tri-droids were advanced combat automata used by the Techno Union and the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars.

Characteristics
The stilt-legged spider-like automatons had large balloon-like heads atop their thin stalk bodies, armed with laser turrets. They were named after the eight-eyed, gasbag-headed vine walkers native to Skako.

They were equipped with three laser turrets as standard, one on each side, below each photoreceptor. However, one variant featured four laser turrets. A certain variant was filled with a gaseous virus that would be released upon the droids' destruction, which was highly effective against organic enemy troops. The virus variant were nicknamed "virus droids".

Their rotating multi-jointed assemblies allowed them to change facing almost instantly and they could fire from extended ranges, though they were vulnerable in close-quarters fighting. It was almost impossible to destroy such droids, as all sides conceivably faced the front.

The octuptarra was a smaller cousin of the tri-droid, which was used by the Separatists in campaigns on Mygeeto.

History


During the Battle of Coruscant, a group of octuptarra tri-droids used their laser beam cannons against Jedi Masters Mace Windu and Yoda. The beams could be maintained, similar to the OG-9 homing spider droid's turret, so the Jedi were able to destroy several tri-droids with one beam by deflecting it with their lightsabers.

When the battle was over, the remains of the droids fell into the Coruscant underlevels, where strains of the virus leaked out and caused an unfortunate outbreak of moulting in the city's numerous avian species.

Following the execution of the Separatist Council by Darth Sidious's new apprentice, Darth Vader, these units were de-activated, although they remained a common sight on some worlds like Uba IV.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars
 * Clone Wars Chapter 23
 * Clone Wars Chapter 25
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Notes and references
Octuptarra-Droide