Spider Droid



During the last decades of the Republic, the Jedi order had replaced any need for a unified military for protection. Instead, private interests maintained their own armed forces in local territories, and the engines of commerce could afford the most powerful and most effective armies.Despite legislation designed to curb the potency of any one private army, the massive corporations were able to build sizable droid forces. Though no one droid army would pose a threat to the Republic, the Separatist movement pooled these resources into a frightening military power.

The Commerce Guild provided their dwarf spider droids into the Separatist ranks. The four-legged dome-shaped mechanical arachnid featured a powerful, centrally mounted laser cannon.

From the Expanded Universe
Though shorter than a standard battle droid, the dwarf spider droid is much more rugged and packs much more firepower. The Commerce Guild often dispatched the multi-legged enforcers into mines owned by guild members negligent on their dues. These small droids, also called burrowing spider droids, can enter the mines often used as hiding places and track down evading operatives. The droid's large infrared photoreceptors can detect most fleeing fugitives with accounts in arrears.

Behind the Scenes
Early in production, the plan was for the various commerce guilds to employ the same type of battle droids used by the Trade Federation, only with different color schemes to differentiate allegiance. It was instead decided to provide a greater visual diversity by designing wholly unique droids for the Commerce Guild, Corporate Alliance, and InterGalactic Banking Clan.