The Science of Star Wars: The Scientific Facts Behind the Force, Space Travel, and More!

by Mark Brake

Exhibit A: Star Wars leisure droids Over time, droids became ubiquitous in the everyday life and operations of the galaxy. They were trusted with a legion of tasks, ranging from the running of basic diagnostic systems to performing complex surgical procedures. Droids were even trusted to fly starships. Depending on their function, droids were categorized into classes. Medical droids, for instance, were categorized as class one, security droids as class four, and construction droids as class five. Exhibit B: Star Wars battle droids More ominously, during the pan-galactic war (also known as the Clone Wars) the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS) employed a Separatist Droid Army, led by the infamous Kaleesh cyborg, General Grievous. The Army was comprised almost exclusively of droids and numbered in the quintillions. The troops were created and tooled up by Baktoid Combat Automata, a manufacturer of battle droids owned by the Techno Union, an unholy alliance of corporate giants who feigned neutrality in the wars, but in deeds actually armed and supported the CIS. When the Clone Wars ended, the Techno Union was absorbed into the Galactic Empire. Under the new regime, many people in the galaxy were afraid or otherwise distrustful of droids, due to their memories of bad droid behavior during the war. But what does planet Earth currently have to offer in the way of droids?