The Nerfworks emblem (as seen on the Crusader XX-777 prototype droid frigate.)
The Nerfworks, officially known as CEC-L Shipyard Lab 6671-x42, was a think tank jointly operated by the Corellian Engineering Corporation and the Loronar Corporation. The name "Nerfworks" came from the assumption among those that worked there that the lack of funding or visits from corporate executives they received meant that they 'smelled bad' to higher-ups.
Jointly funded by the Corellian Engineering Corporation and Loronar Corporation, the Nerfworks were responsible for over a dozen droid starship designs, some of which actually saw production. Among these were the YQ-400 Monitor droid patrol ship, the Ycaqt droid cargo ship, and the Crusader XX-777 prototype droid frigate although only the prototype for this model saw production and was destroyed after its initial test runs, due to designers using a reconditioned military protocol droid brain as a time-saving measure instead programming a fresh droid brain. Rumors persisted, however, that the Crusader prototype escaped destruction and fled into hyperspace.
The ships were a modest success, but suffered from the problems that plagued most droid starship designs: vulnerability to ion weapons, long learning times for the droid brains to 'settle in' to their programmed routes and tasks, and so on. In the end, the Nerfworks was decommissioned, though rumors existed that they still continued their work in secret, designing experimental stealth ships.
Sources[]
- Star Wars Gamer 10 (First mentioned)
- Far Horizons