Tail of the Roon Comets

"Tail of the Roon Comets" is the tenth episode in the Star Wars: Droids animated television series, and the tenth episode in season one. Written by Michael Reaves from a story by Ben Burtt, the episode originally aired on ABC on November 9, 1985.

Plot summary
Mungo Baobab, R2-D2 and C-3PO meet Krox in a cantina. Krox gives Mungo a map to the Roon system. Stormtroopers arrive to arrest them; Krox runs off, and Artoo jams the Stormtroopers' audio amplifiers so he, Threepio and Mungo can escape.

Mungo and the droids head to the Baobab Archives, where Mungo reads the holographic map. He plans to follow the Rainbow comets to find a safe path through the Cloak of the Sith to the planet Roon; this will allow him to open the first trade route for Roonstones, saving his father's merchant fleet from ruin.

Meanwhile, the Imperials, under the direction of Admiral Terrinald Screed, are exploring the Cloak of the Sith with probe droids to see if there are any planets there to conquer. The probe droid returns with a gift of Roonstones and a message from Governor Koong, who is eager to form an alliance with the Empire.

Mungo and the droids follow a rainbow comet through the asteroid field. Their ship is drawn in by a tractor beam to Umboo Lightstation, where they're mistaken for Imperial emissaries and treated to a tour of the station. They encounter a prisoner, Noop Yeldarb, who used to run the Lightstation.

Admiral Screed arrives, blowing Mungo and the droids' cover. They attempt to escape, but are captured. Mungo, who is wanted by the Empire, is thrown into a cage with Mupples, while Threepio is taken away by Gaff to be reprogrammed.

Artoo pretends to blow a circuit and escapes under the cover of smoke, freeing Mungo and Noop. They rescue Threepio and escape, leaving the Lightstation to crash. The Imperials and pirates escape, believing that Baobab and the others were in the station when it exploded.

Angered, Admiral Screeb throws Governor Koong in the brig. Mungo and the droids, with Noop's help, finally reach the Roon system.

Cast

 * Anthony Daniels as C-3PO
 * Winston Rekert as Mungo Baobab
 * Graeme Campbell as Admiral Screed
 * Dan Hennessey as Governor Koong

Behind the scenes
"Tail of the Roon Comets" was released on DVD in 2004 as part of the Treasure of the Hidden Planet feature film. It was adapted into the children's storybook entitled Escape from the Monster Ship: A Droid Adventure. The Star Wars series' trademark line of "I have a bad feeling about this" is spoken by C-3PO in the episode.

The Mupple species that appears in this episode appears to resemble the Tribble species from the Star Trek original series episode "The Trouble with Tribbles". Additionally, the scene in which the Mupples appear seems to be an homage to the final scene of that episode.

When the pirates prepare to re-program C-3PO, they ask him if he has any preference as to his new name. C-3PO replies "Well, I've always been partial to Anthon&mdash;oh dear, what I am saying?" This is a reference to Anthony Daniels, the actor who voices C-3PO in the series, and plays him in the films.