super battle droid

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Size:
  1.93 meters

• Weapon:
  Built-in arm blaster; blaster rifle

• Affiliation:
  Techno Union, Confederacy of Independent Systems

• Type:
  Super battle droid

• Manufacturer:
  Baktoid Combat Automata

• 

From the Movies

The infantry used by the Trade Federation had several major shortcomings that were carefully revisited by the battle droids' designers. From that research came the super battle droid, a bulkier, stronger, and more advanced version of the standard mechanical soldier.

The super battle droid requires no overriding command signal to operate, and thus has a limited degree of independence. Delicate componentry that was clearly visible in the standard battle droid design is now protected by a hardened armored body-case. Mounted on its right manipulator is a double-laser cannon built into the droid's design.

Super battle droids, like their inferior predecessors, have very rudimentary programming and are poor at formulating attack plans. They are, however, fearless and tireless, and will run at full speed into combat, their cannons extended, firing until they have reduced their targets to smoldering ruins.

From the Expanded Universe

The super battle droid design incorporates many existing components from the standard battle droid, but packages them in a much sturdier shell. The droid's signal receptor and cognitive unit is built into its bulky upper chest. The droid's high center of gravity is balanced by programmed movement algorithms.

Though the droid has a built-in weapon, it can use standard infantry rifles with its limited manipulators. The armored monogrip hands have built-in signal emitters that trigger the firing mechanism on specialized blaster rifles, allowing the droids to squeeze off shots even though they lack fingers.

A super battle droid's strap-on foot tips can be replaced with climbing claws or buoyant pods to better handle exotic terrains.

Behind the Scenes

The super battle droid design was a beefier, blockier iteration of the original battle droid concept. Designer Doug Chiang notes that the aesthetic approach was to exemplify the droid both as a machine and as a weapon, incorporating knife-like surfaces on its leading edges.