B1 battle droid/Legends

"Useless things. A greater danger to us than to Jedi."

- General Grievous

B1 battle droids were battle droids that made up the backbone of the Trade Federation Droid Army and the Separatist Droid Army. It was the successor of the hunter-killer droid.

B1s were perhaps the most numerous&mdash;and expendable&mdash;soldiers in galactic history, and, unlike most organic soldiers, they were capable of action in hostile environments like underwater or in space. They were designed to swamp their enemies with sheer numbers.

Design
"Roger, roger."

- Typical response of a B1 battle droid



B1 battle droids' heads were designed to imitate the shape of a dead Neimoidian's skull. In this way, they were intended to strike fear into an enemy's heart. In addition, their bodies vaguely resembled those of the Geonosians.

B1 battle droids were physically identical to their direct predecessor, the OOM-series battle droid; unlike OOM models, however, they were not color-coded according to function, if any. However, some were painted with different colors to blend into a certain environment.

B1s were usually slaved to a central control mainframe located on a remote starship or some other well-defended facility. However, this could lead to massive failure if the central control mainframe was destroyed, such as during the Battle of Naboo, in which Anakin Skywalker destroyed the Droid Control Ship. The monumental defeat at Naboo spurred interest in independent battle droids, and this technique gained ground following the battle.



In extreme cases, the droids would deactivate the electromagnets that kept their limbs attached. During the Clone Wars, clone troopers learned to aim at the hips, torsos, and arm joints of the B1s to quickly destroy them.

B1s were designed for cheap mass-production. As a result, they were very flimsy and vulnerable, but were capable of swamping an enemy with their hugely superior numbers. Other models, like the droideka, B2 super battle droid, grapple droid, and air battle droid, were more expensive.

Battle droids used E-5 blaster rifles, blaster pistols, and thermal detonators in combat. They spoke with a monotonous, slightly high-pitched mechanical voice. The voice varied between units around the time of the Battle of Naboo, but by the end of the Clone Wars, the voices seemed to be standardized.

Combat performance
B1 droids seldom employed sophisticated tactics in battle. Massed parade ranks or simple swarms were used, and they rarely displayed a concept of cover. During the Clone Wars, however, there was the inevitable development of wartime, and B1 programming began to show some improvement. Nevertheless, their in-battle reactions were often slow, and such initiative as was shown was slight.

Invasion of Naboo and aftermath
"Stupid droid!"

- Jar Jar Binks

B1s were used extensively during the Invasion of Naboo, where they overwhelmed the Naboo security forces. Their weaknesses were highlighted by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn when they arrived, namely their slow reaction times and poor aim. Eventually, they were deactivated and the Trade Federation's plans ruined when Anakin Skywalker took out the orbiting Droid Control Ship.

Following the Naboo crisis, the Galactic Republic enacted strict legislation that prohibited the use of droid armies and the development of military hardware. The Trade Federation, however, relocated its droid foundries and laboratories to remote territories far from the Republic's jurisdiction like Geonosis. The Trade Federation also developed a new generation of B1s with enhanced intelligence and independence. Some, towards the end of the war, even began to express more emotional traits such as sarcasm.

Clone Wars
"Send more droids against the Jedi Knight! Their bodies are making a pile so high that he will never be able to cross it!"

- Sentepeth Findos, speaking of Kit Fisto

After the Trade Federation joined the Confederacy of Independent Systems, they became a part of the Separatist Droid Army. B1s would be the Confederacy's most common soldiers, with quintillions churned out on countless CIS factory worlds. However, their uselessness frustrated Confederate commanders, such as General Grievous.



They participated in many battles including, but not limited to, the Battle of Geonosis, Battle of Muunilinst, Battle of Coruscant, and Battle of Kashyyyk. "Send a message to the ships of the Trade Federation: All droid units must shut down immediately."

- Darth Sidious to Darth Vader

Following the execution of the Separatist Council by Darth Sidious's new apprentice, Darth Vader, most, if not all, of the B1s were de-activated. However, some would be re-activated to serve in the various Confederate Remnants.

Post-Clone Wars
During the Galactic Civil War, B1s left over from the Clone Wars were discovered on Geonosis by Rebel pilot Wedge Antilles after crash landing in his X-wing. Several stormtroopers that landed on the planet in escape pods managed to destroy many droids by using E-web blasters, but they ultimately fell to the battle droids' blaster fire.

Other B1s that weren't deactivated were used in the Death Watch Bunker, known crash sites on Tatooine, Stone Wall Labs and Borvo's Vault on Naboo, and even on Kashyyyk.

Impact on galactic society
Toy versions of the B1 battle droid were known to have been manufactured, as Boba Fett had some of his own during his youth on Kamino. It is unknown if the Trade Federation approved this.

The extensive use of B1s by the Confederacy also contributed to the general distrust of droids in society during the Imperial era.

Notes and references
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