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The Q7-series astromech droid was an experimental astromech droid, designed specifically for use in the Galactic Republic's V-wing starfighter during the Clone Wars.
Characteristics[]
A spherical Q7-series in a V-wing starfighter.
Unlike the R-series, the Q7-series droids were spherical. The upper hemisphere contained the regular dome, while the lower hemisphere housed repulsorlift engines which allowed the Q7 to get itself in and out of a V-wing fighter, as well as taking up less space while jacked into the fighter itself.
Industrial Automaton designed several prototypes, labeled Q1 through Q6, before finally producing the Q7. They based the upper dome on the R2-series, both to save money on production and due to the success of the largely popular R2-series. This was where the similarities ended, as the lower part of the droid was another dome making the droid under 1 meter in diameter.
Problems arose with the Q7s, due to the frequency in which their repulsorlifts broke down, more often than the treads of their larger cousins in the R-series line. It was also more expensive to repair a repulsorlift engine than the more simple treads. The Q7 also lacked any kind of back-up option for locomotion, rendering them useless if their repulsorlifts did fail.
History[]
As the Galactic Republic was transformed into the Galactic Empire, and the V-wing was replaced by the TIE Series starfighter in the Imperial military, Q7 astromechs were phased out and production ceased on the line. In the decades before the Battle of Yavin many Q7s found their way into the hands of smugglers and merchants in the Outer Rim Territories. Due to the higher cost of repairing the repulsorlifts, many owners abandoned their droids for easier-to-maintain models. Other Q7s were converted to R2 models or R4 models, and still others had their programming and personality transferred into completely different droid models.
By the time of the Galactic Civil War, it was rare to see a Q7 in its original form.
Behind the scenes[]
The incorrect portrayal of a Q7-series astromech droid. It is actually an R7 astromech droid.
A Q7-series droid was accidentally called an 'R4 series droid' in the LEGO 6205 V-wing Fighter.
The image for the Q7 in The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide contradicts the description of the droid as being a hovering, spherical droid. It appears to depict an R7-series astromech with its distinctive triangular sensor, as opposed to the rounded sensor the Q7 borrows from the R2 unit.
Appearances[]
- Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith (First appearance)
- Dark Times 2
- Dark Times 3
- Star Wars: Battlefront II
Sources[]
- Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Incredible Cross-Sections
- Star Wars: Complete Cross-Sections
- The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia (as Q7 droid)
- Stay on Target