GA-97

GA-97 was an unassuming servant droid aligned with the Resistance around thirty years after the Battle of Endor. It was present in the castle of the pirate Maz Kanata on the planet Takodana when the smuggler Han Solo entered with the scavenger Rey, the former stormtrooper Finn and the astromech droid BB-8. Recognizing BB-8 as the missing droid of Resistance pilot Poe Dameron, GA-97 contacted the Resistance via their intelligence network to inform them of the astromech's location. Based on the droid's report, Resistance forces were mobilized to travel to Takodana, but before they arrived the patrons of the castle were drawn outside by the destruction of the Hosnian system by the First Order's Starkiller Base superweapon. The castle was then destroyed in an attack by the First Order, who were soon confronted by the Resistance forces and driven off Takodana.

Biography
"I believe I have successfully located Beebee-Ate! According to the information I have just received through our scattered but attentive network, Beebee-Ate is presently within the castle of Maz Kanata on Takodana."

- C-3PO delivers GA-97's message to Princess Leia Organa

GA-97 was a GA servant droid that was aligned with the Resistance during their conflict with the First Order and plugged into their intelligence network. The droid was spending time in the castle of the pirate Maz Kanata on the planet Takodana, when the smuggler Han Solo led a group of three fugitives from the First Order into the structure. Kanata, an old friend of Solo's, recognized the smuggler shortly after he entered and cried out to him, causing everyone in the castle to turn their attention to the new-comers including GA-97 and those seated at the fighting droid table he was sat against. After the crowd lost interest, GA-97 turned his attention to the Dengue sisters, a group of three Culisettos gambling on a table nearby.

The sisters' game was interrupted when the dismembered arm of the junk dealer Unkar Plutt landed on their table, having been tossed by the Wookiee Chewbacca after he tore it off defending the scavenger Rey, one of Solo's companions. The sisters tossed the arm away absently and continued with the gambling, but GA-97's attention was drawn to Rey and then her companion, the astromech droid BB-8. Recognizing the astromech as a missing Resistance droid, an internal sequence was activated inside GA-97 which triggered him to send out a compressed signal that was bounced around, coded, decoded, encrypted, and then sent into deep space. The signal was then picked up by the protocol droid C-3PO in the Resistance base on the planet D'Qar. Overjoyed, C-3PO relayed the message that BB-8 was on Takodana to General Leia Organa, who then left for Takodana to collect the droid.

Before the Resistance could arrive, the occupants of Kanata's castle were drawn outside by the sound of the First Order's Starkiller Base firing at the Hosnian system. In the castle's courtyard they stood and watched as it destroyed the whole star system, and the Galactic Senate of the New Republic with it. Almost immediately after the horrific spectacle was over, the First Order attacked the castle and quickly destroyed it. Those that survived the destruction were then spared, when the Resistance arrived and fought off the First Order's troops, driving them offworld.

Characteristics
GA-97 was an unassuming droid with masculine programming. He had a bipedal body, with a power plant in its chest and collapsible legs to allow for compact storage. It had black sensors and red, yellow and green plating. When reporting to the Resistance, GA-97 spoke in an alien dialect.

Behind the scenes
GA-97 first appeared in Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, which was released in 2015. Its lines were provided by voice actor David Acord, who also provided the voices of several other minor characters in the film including Sidon Ithano, Teedo and FN-2199. The droid was not identified in the film, but received a name in Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary, a reference book written by Pablo Hidalgo and released the same day as the film. The GA-97 model was a puppet capable of walking around when controlled by a team of three puppeteers. GA-97's vocabulator is made from a Shure 55SH microphone, with the Shure branding removed.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens
 * Star Wars: The Force Awakens novelization
 * Star Wars: The Force Awakens: A Junior Novel
 * Star Wars: The Force Awakens—Graphic Novel Adaptation
 * The Force Awakens, Part III

Non-canon appearances

 * Disney Infinity 3.0
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens