Most of us are familiar with the B1 droids from Star Wars. Wouldn’t it have been much cooler if these droids were equipped with advanced weaponry or even a speeder?
However, that’s not the case. Like many fans, I’ve often wondered why the Trade Federation didn’t create a more impressive droid, rather than one with specific tasks.
I’ve gathered some answers to this question.
So, let’s dive right in…
Versatility of General-Purpose Droids
The Trade Federation opted for general-purpose droids capable of handling a variety of tasks.
These droids, particularly those seen in Episode 1, were essentially enhanced security droids, not designed for full-scale military operations.
This approach offered flexibility and adaptability, allowing the droids to operate a range of equipment, including speeders.
This approach offered significant flexibility and adaptability. The droids could operate a range of equipment, including speeders, which broadened their utility across different scenarios.
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The advantage of this strategy is that it eliminated the need for specific types of droids for specific tasks.
Instead, a single type of droid could fulfill various roles, reducing the need for specialized equipment or weaponry.
For instance, a droid tasked with reconnaissance one day could be repurposed for a security detail the next.
This adaptability made the droids a cost-effective and efficient solution, negating the need to produce and maintain different types of droids for different tasks.
Command and Control
The Trade Federation chose to use droids on speeders instead of making armed recon droids. This was a smart move because they wanted to control the droids very closely.
The B1 battle droids, which we often see driving speeders, didn’t act on their own.
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They followed orders from a control ship. This way, the Trade Federation could make sure the droids did exactly what they wanted, which is very important in the fast-changing world of battle.
If the Trade Federation had chosen to use armed recon droids, these droids would probably need to be able to act on their own to do their jobs well.
But this could mean the Federation wouldn’t have as much control over what the droids do, which could lead to unexpected things happening in battle.
By using droids that don’t act on their own on speeders, the Trade Federation could make sure the droids did exactly what they were told, which means less chance of things going wrong.
The speeders gave the droids the ability to move around quickly for jobs like scouting, while the droids, controlled directly by the Federation, drove them.
This way, the Trade Federation could get the job done while keeping a tight grip on their droid forces
Use of Existing Technology
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The Trade Federation decided to use droids on speeders instead of creating new armed recon droids. This choice was practical and helped them save resources.
The speeders, transports, and tanks that the droids used were probably already existing technologies, made for use by different species.
By using droids that could operate these machines, the Trade Federation could make good use of this existing technology and infrastructure.
This way, they didn’t need to spend a lot of resources to design and make specialized armed recon droids.
Instead, they could get their forces ready more quickly and cheaply by using technology that was already available.
This plan not only saved time and resources, but also let the Federation adapt to different situations by using the same droids to operate different types of vehicles and equipment.
In short, the Trade Federation’s plan showed how adaptable they were and how well they used their resources.