IG-88B

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"We think, therefore we are. Therefore, we will propagate. Therefore, we will remain."

―IG-88^[src]

IG-88B, also commonly known simply as IG-88, or as a Phlutdroid, was a rogue, deadly masculine IG-series assassin droid manufactured by Holowan Laboratories who worked as a bounty hunter. Following the Battle of Hoth, he and several other bounty hunters were summoned by Darth Vader to the Executor and hired to track down the Millennium Falcon and her Rebel crew. Unable to track his quarry, IG-88 trailed his chief rival, Boba Fett, to Bespin, where the bounty hunter nearly destroyed the assassin droid, however IG-88 managed to survive. At some point IG-88 undertook a software infiltration into Death Star II, but his plan was single-handedly thwarted by R2-Q5. Decades later, the droid met with mercenary Bazine Netal to speak about the location of the Millennium Falcon.

Biography[edit | edit source]

Origins[edit | edit source]

The first^[10] of the IG-series^[2] assassin droid models created in secret by Holowan Laboratories. IG-88B^[11], more commonly known as simply IG-88,^[10] and also known as a Phlutdroid,^[2] realized his skill and desire to kill the moment he was first activated^[10] and turned on his creators, killing everyone in the lab.^[12] From that moment on, he became one of the most feared bounty hunters in the galaxy,^[10] in part due to the lingering fear of droids from the Clone Wars, particularly those capable of battle and assassination,^[5] gaining notoriety comparable only to that of Boba Fett, his chief rival.^[12]

Age of the Empire[edit | edit source]

Hired by Kallus[edit | edit source]

"You're certain this is where we'll find the individuals involved in the rebel activity on Savareen? I don't like being disappointed, bounty hunter."
"Yes. I am certain."

―Kallus and IG-88^[src]

During the Age of the Empire, IG-88 was hired by Imperial Security Bureau Agent Alexsandr Kallus to assist in tracking down Imperial Army deserter turned smuggler, Captain Han Solo of the Millennium Falcon.^[1]

Capturing Qi'ra[edit | edit source]

"Oh, Qi'ra, Qi'ra. It does look like you have fallen into our little trap. Catching you was quite difficult, my young friend. I had to partner with IG-88 here."
"A Crimson Dawn Lieutenant will fetch a nice bounty."

―Hondo Ohnaka and IG-88^[src]

Qi'ra as prisoner of IG-88 and Hondo before she tricks them both.

Later, IG-88 teamed up with Hondo Ohnaka to collect the bounty on Crimson Dawn lieutenant Qi'ra's head. Tracking Qi'ra down, IG-88 and Hondo managed to apprehend Qi'ra. Turning the bounty hunter and the pirate against each other, Qi'ra convinced IG-88 to collect the bounty on Hondo instead of the bounty on her. Attacking Hondo, IG-88 was quickly stunned and put in binders. After Qi'ra had similarly tricked and apprehended Hondo, IG-88 was led away by Qi'ra so that she could collect the bounty on his head.^[13]

Seeking a data-tape[edit | edit source]

"What is that?"
"IG-88. An actual bounty hunter. Also, probably interested in your data tape. He's good—one of the best in the galaxy. And he's a surprise. Take cover!"

―Leia Organa and Sabine Wren^[src]

Later, IG-88 pursued Princess Leia Organa on Garel, seeking a data-tape in her possession of Imperial base locations. Organa was assisted by Sabine Wren, who identified the droid, and the pair fled as the assassin opened fire in the corridors of Garel City Spaceport. However, Wren planted a paint bomb, surprising IG-88 and covering him in purple paint. Leia convinced several stormtroopers to fire at the bounty hunter, and the droid was hit by a blast before retreating.^[14]

Apprehending a thief[edit | edit source]

"To kill is reward enough."

―IG-88, to the Imperial captain^[src]

IG-88 was hired by an Imperial captain to capture a thief named Venga Liss who hijacked a Lambda-class T-4a shuttle on a jungle planet. Eventually IG-88 killed Liss when he detonated the shuttle.^[15]

Capturing the Gatto Gang[edit | edit source]

"IG-88! This deadly droid had been given the task of capturing the sneaky Gatto Gang."

―CR-8R^[src]

IG-88 during the hunt for the Gatto Gang.

IG-88 was hired by Duke Blazor of the Black Sun to capture the Gatto Gang that consisted of Sylvestarr, Ziggee and Moggee. He eventually captured all three of them.^[16]

Hired by Vader[edit | edit source]

"There will be a substantial reward for the one who finds the Millennium Falcon. You are free to use any methods necessary, but I want them alive."

―Darth Vader to IG-88 and several other bounty hunters^[src]

IG-88's remains sit in a Cloud City junk room

By the year 0 ABY, IG-88 consorted with the crime lord Jabba Desilijic Tiure. He was present in the Hutt's palace while Jabba received Darth Vader. The Sith Lord told the Hutt to dispense with his audience, and IG-88, along with fellow hunters including Fett and 4-LOM, departed from the court.^[17] In 3 ABY,^[18] IG-88 answered a call put out by Vader for bounty hunters to track down the Millennium Falcon. He and several other hunters, including Boba Fett, Bossk, Dengar, Zuckuss, and 4-LOM, assembled aboard the Executor, where Vader offered a bounty for the live capture of Han Solo and his companions.^[6] IG-88 tailed the Millennium Falcon along with Fett to Cloud City on the planet Bespin,^[2] where the assassin droid was defeated^[12] and left for scrap after his longtime rival caught it trailing him.^[2] Ultimately, Boba Fett captured Han Solo for Vader^[6], who then later on delivered the bounty to Jabba on Tatooine.^[19]

Infiltrating the Death Star II[edit | edit source]

At some point before or during 4 ABY, IG-88 undertook a software infiltration of the Empire's second Death Star. However, his plan was single-handedly thwarted by the Imperial astromech droid R2-Q5.^[20]

Contacted by Bazine Netal[edit | edit source]

"...We would have apprehended the Millennium Falcon."
"But you didn't."
"Correct."

―IG-88 and Bazine Netal about the time when he nearly captured the Falcon with Kallus^[src]

Netal and IG-88 discussing the *Millennium Falcon*

In 34 ABY^[21], at some point after the Battle of Takodana, IG-88 was contacted by the mercenary Bazine Netal to discuss the location of the Millennium Falcon after she heard a rumor about the time IG-88 nearly caught the Falcon. During their rendezvous, IG-88 took the opportunity to tell Netal when he almost caught the Falcon with Kallus. IG-88 told Netal that he almost caught the Millennium Falcon again, but lost out to Fett. Netal responded that, though he had a lot of excuses, her employer only paid for results. She informed IG-88 that someone knew where the Falcon was and that they would tell her where it was before leaving him to continue with her search.^[1]

Characteristics[edit | edit source]

"This notorious IG-series assassin droid possessed an unstoppable desire to hunt and kill his prey, earning him a reputation as one of the top five bounty hunters in the galaxy. It also earned him access to some of the best-paying clients, like Darth Vader and a wide variety of Hutts."

―R0-GR^[src]

A rogue^[22] class 4 assassin droid,^[4] IG-88 was obsessed with hunting, destroying,^[2] and killing^[9] as a result of his incompletely formed droid programming.^[2] He tended to hunt alone^[9] and earned a reputation as a merciless hunter.^[2]

A hideous,^[2] battered chrome war droid, IG-88 stood 1.96 meters in height.^[5] His steady aim, along with his ability to track targets with advanced sensors^[7] that ringed his head and allowed him to see in all directions,^[9] won him great success.^[7] These sensors included multiple red photoreceptors,^[6] a heat sensor,^[2] and a sound sensor.^[7] IG-88 also had a vocoder at the base of his head.^[2] His torso was able to fully rotate on the battlefield, allowing him to blast enemies on all sides.^[22] His tough metal body allowed him to survive most attacks without taking any damage^[7] and featured acid-proof servo wires.^[2]

Equipment[edit | edit source]

"IG-88 could take down almost any target with his signature sniper rifle… as long as Boba Fett didn't get there first."

―R0-GR^[src]

IG-88B carried a veritable arsenal of weaponry.

IG-88 carried an arsenal of weapons,^[9] including blaster rifles,^[7] pulse cannons,^[9] a DAS-430 Neural Inhibitor,^[8] and a needle dart gun^[4] that launched poison darts.^[9] However, his most dangerous weapons were hidden inside^[7] his slender frame,^[23] including a flamethrower, a sonic device,^[7] and toxic gas dispensers.^[9] IG-88 also wore an ammunition bandolier^[2] that carried his concussion discs^[4] and vibroblades.^[9] As an IG-series droid, he was designed to have blasters built into each arm, but they were never installed.^[2] IG-88 owned a modified Aggressor-class Assault Fighter^[24] called the IG-2000B.^[25]

Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]

"IG-88 was never going to be more than a filler for the now infamous bounty hunter Lineup. I decided we needed a real dirty, evil, and vicious bot. Like the bounty hunters of old. Lots of weapons and protection. Dark and oily. So we made him big- 7'8"ish tall. Had to drop him down a level on set to get him in shot. Lean, but strong. In short, a killer. We started with the head. Then with all the bits, we had the rest. It just came together to us until was just right. No, some of the grown-ups were not taken with the idea. It was taking a different direction from the other bots, but I thought it should. And when someone said, "I don't think you would find a robot like that on a spaceship," my reply was, "You would on mine." The rest is history."

―Bill Hargreaves, on designing IG-88^[src]

IG-88, originally referred to as a "chrome war droid" in the script and also called "Phlutdroid" during production,^[26] was originally created for the 1980 film Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back.^[6] His mechanical puppet^[26] was constructed by Bill Hargreaves and Steve Short^[27] of the props team and special effects department,^[28] whose design was a complete departure from concept artist Ralph McQuarrie's streamlined, if not elegant, version. IG-88's cylindrical head was originally a combustion chamber in a Rolls-Royce Derwent jet engine, which was previously used as part of the distillery setup seen in Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina in the 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.^[29] McQuarrie would revise his earlier IG-88 design during the production the 1983 Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. Considered an "assassin droid," it did not appear in any version of the film's screenplay but was for the basis for EV-9D9,^[30] another practical droid built by Hargreaves and Short.^[27] McQuarrie's early concept art of IG-88 later inspired the design of the IG-RM bodyguard and enforcer droid.^[31]

While Lucasfilm has no official record of the identity of the technician that operated IG-88 in The Empire Strikes Back,^[32] the official Star Wars Authentics website has credited the role to Bill Hargreaves.^[33] However, the online database IMDb instead credits Paul Klein as the puppeteer of IG-88, as well as that of BG-J38 and EV-9D9 in the Return of the Jedi. Despite this, there is no Paul Klein credited as a member of The Empire Strikes Back's effects crew. As IMDb often relies upon unconfirmed information submitted by fans and Star Wars Insider was unable to determine who submitted said information, it is currently unknown whether or not Klein actually operated IG-88.^[32] Oddly, Star Wars Authentics credits Klein in place of Hargreaves in the description of the photograph titled "Darth Vader, Dengar, IG-88 and Boba Fett," despite having credited the latter in the descriptions of nearly every other live-action image of IG-88 available for purchase on the website.^[34]

Pre-release information for the 2019 Disney+ live-action television series The Mandalorian stated that IG-11 was often mistaken for IG-88 in-universe,^[35] though IG-88 is never referenced in the show's first season.^[36]

Freemaker Adventures[edit | edit source]

IG-88 appeared in the LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures Season Two episode "Return to the Wheel," which premiered on August 3, 2017. He and several bounty hunters including Dengar, Bossk, 4-LOM, and Zuckuss captured the Freemakers but they escaped after Kordi created a fight between the droid and organic bounty hunters.^[37]