Pistoeka sabotage droid/Legends

"They're shutting down all the controls!"

- Obi-Wan Kenobi during the Second Battle of Coruscant

Pistoeka sabotage droids, better known as buzz droids, were insect-like automatons deployed in swarms for numerical superiority, wreaking havoc on starfighter squadrons. Approximately 0.25 meters in diameter and well armed, they were typically delivered by discord missiles from droid tri-fighters and Vulture droid starfighters.

Design and function
"Release the buzz droids!"

- A StarViper pilot



The mechanical counterparts to Grutchins, Buzz droids were intended to disable, not destroy, their targets, and since they were so effective on tri-fighters, the CIS retrofitted some Vulture droids to carry them.

The buzz droids also had simple maneuvering jets helping it move while in sphere mode. Once they came into contact with an enemy ship, they would use a magnetic pad to get a foothold. The outer shell was coated with a heat dissipating alloy allowing it to penetrate enemy shields; it was also made out of shock absorbing materials.

They apparently communicated through chattering, as shown when a group of buzz droids cut off R4-P17's dome head during the Second Battle of Coruscant.

History
"Buzz droids."

- Anakin Skywalker



During the Second Battle of Coruscant, Obi-Wan Kenobi's Jedi interceptor was covered in a swarm of buzz droids, which destroyed his astromech droid, R4-P17. His former Padawan, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, tried to save him by blasting the buzz droids off, which only resulted in the loss of most of Obi-Wan's left wing. Anakin then tried to scrape the droids off, which destroyed most of the buzz droids still active. However, a lone buzz droid came over to Anakin's interceptor. His astromech, R2-D2, destroyed the buzz droid by hitting it in its central eye with an electric pike. The buzz droid bounced over Anakin's fighter and was jetted away when it fell behind the engines. Buzz droids became a very deadly weapon after Darth Sidious gave the plans of Republic starfighters to the CIS and proved effective at destroying Republic fighters.

Following the execution of the Separatist Council by Darth Sidious's new apprentice, Darth Vader, these units were de-activated.

The billions of buzz droids left behind at the end of the Clone Wars were later utilized to great effect in junk yards, while others were taken to droid gladiator rings. The next time they would be seen in combat was within the hands of the Zann Consortium, which utilized large quantities of these droids during the Galactic Civil War to bring havoc to enemy ship systems during combat. These droids would be deployed from StarViper starfighters.

Weapon systems
"Artoo, hit the buzz droid's center eye."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi to R2-D2



Although individual tools might vary for each mission, the little buzz droids that were used in the Second Battle of Coruscant carried the following weapons: drill heads, plasma cutting torches, circular saws, prying hooks, and picket and pincer arms. The buzz droids' three sensor eyes included multiple filters and X-ray sensors.

Darth Sidious provided the manufacturers of the buzz droid with design schematics of Republic starfighters for maximum efficiency.

Behind the scenes

 * According to StarWars.com, the origin of the buzz droid was in the World War II legends of gremlins, which originated from British RAF pilots who claimed these strange creatures caused damage to their Spitfire planes. These fiendish sprites were often described as tearing aircraft apart in flight.


 * There were plans to introduce a buzz droid generator in the Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith video game. It was to be a mobile machine that would constantly produce buzz droids. Although this was not included in the final game, concept art for the generator was available on the game's official website and on the video game itself.

Appearances



 * Star Wars: Obsession
 * LEGO Star Wars: Revenge of the Brick
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith game
 * The Last of the Jedi: A Tangled Web
 * Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption