As franchises go,Star Warsis definitely one of the most beloved and culturally significant that the world has ever seen. Spanning decades,Star Warshas churned out a multitude of books, comics, films, TV shows, and video games, and the sci-fi behemoth shows no sign of slowing down. Things really started to pick up in terms of media output when Star Wars was acquired by Disney – itself already another cultural powerhouse – in 2012, and many incredible Star Wars games have been released since then from various developers like Respawn Entertainment’sStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderand TT Games’Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.
The Star Wars universe is absolutely bursting with compelling characters and fascinating aliens, withinfamous Sith Lordsand deadly bounty hunters vying for space in the expansive narrative canon. Alongside the myriad of sentient species, a variety of droids have also carved their own niche, becoming in a few cases some of the most popular and recognizable characters in Star Wars' crowded hall of fame. While droids can be anything from friendly companions to formidable foes, there are a few that seem a lot stronger than the majority of their mechanical counterparts.
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Astromech droids
Astromechs are probably not the first ones that come to mind when thinking of strong and powerful droids. Created for mechanical repairs more than for combat, astro droids serve an important function on starships but aren’t really the models that people would think to send out on the battlefield. However, there’s more to strength than just firepower, and these little droids have proven themselves time and again in tricky situations. The most famousastro droid is undoubtedly R2-D2, the resourceful and incredibly resilient droid that becomes an integral part of the Skywalker saga. R2 shows up in games likeStar Wars Battlefrontand its sequel.
IT-O Interrogator
Like the astromech droids, the IT-O units are not built for combat. Nevertheless, IT-Os are still formidable foes for any prisoner unlucky enough to come up against them, and they have a range of torture devices hidden within their spherical frames to facilitate their deadly methods. With tools to trigger like electroshock probes and even flesh peelers, as well as drugs to help with mental torture techniques, IT-Os are not to be messed with. Probably most famous for its threatening presence in Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope when Leia has been captured aboard the Death Star, IT-Os alsoshow up inStar Wars: The Force Unleashed.
Droideka
Another droid that’s prominent in the prequel trilogy is the droideka. The destroyer droid is a rolling ball of death that was regularly deployed on battlefields and even gave Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon a bit of trouble. These rounded mechanical killing machines were incredibly deadly, and they were designed to cause maximum damage to enemies while not giving up until they were destroyed. In addition to their weaponry, droidekas were also equipped with deflector shields and strong armor plating that made them as defensively formidable as they were offensively. They appeared inmobile games likeStar Wars: Galaxy of HeroesandStar Wars: Galactic Defense, as well asStar Wars Battlefront 2DLC.
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B1-Series Battle Droids
Heavily associated with the Clone Wars, the B1-Series battle droids may not be taken that seriously by some fans due to their occasional comical idiocy and flimsy design. Jedi were able to slice them to pieces with ease, but they were still used extensively on the front lines as part of the Trade Federation’s mechanized army. They were instrumental in the occupation of Naboo’s capital Theed, and regardless of their glitches and their less-than-tactical antics, they are still built for combat. Battle droids are mainly associated with the prequel trilogy and theStar Wars: The Clone Warsanimated series, but they made an appearance in games likeStar Wars: Force ArenaandStar Wars Battlefront 2.
KX-Series Security Droids
K-2SO was a popular addition toRogue One: A Star Wars Storyand showed how effective and useful the KX-Series security droids could be. The lanky droid was manufactured for the Empire, and its towering stature and impressively agile movements helped to set it apart from other more cumbersome models. While not technically a ‘battle droid,’ these security droids aren’t programmed with any restrictions when it comes to harming sentient lifeforms and were often deployed to protect Imperial installations. Even capable of using blasters, the KX-Series is definitely not one to be underestimated, and they were anintimidating enemy inStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
IG-88
The IG-88 were assassin droids, which speaks volumes about their skillsets. One of their number, IG-88B, was independently programmed and eventually became a feared and respected bounty hunter who was hired by Darth Vader at one point tofind the Millennium Falcon. Droids typically had a bad reputation in the galaxy and were the subject of a lot of fear and prejudice. Some models didn’t deserve this dangerous reputation, but others were specifically designed to be as lethal as possible. With their varied arsenals of both external and internal weapons including flamethrowers and toxic gas dispensers, the IG-88 droids definitely fall into the latter category and showed off their skills in games likeStar Wars: Force Arena.
IG-100 MagnaGuards
These fearsome battle droids often acted as bodyguards, including to the cybernetically enhance warlord General Grievous. MagnaGuards were even specifically equipped to handle Jedi and wielded powerful electrostaffs to counter lightsabers, and could continue to fight on even if their heads became detached from the rest of their bodies, making them pretty hard to kill. They could pilot starfighters and use blasters, adding to their already long list of deadly skills. MagnaGuards were inStar Wars: Force Arena, and are rumored to appear in theupcomingStar Wars Jedi: Survivor.
HK-47
Most of Star Wars' storytelling takes place over a few short decades, butStar Wars:Knights of the Old Republicand its sequel took players back thousands of years before Luke, Leia, and Han took on the Empire. The incredibly beloved RPG series offered a new take on theStar Warsworld, but that didn’t mean that there weren’t any droids to be found.HK-47, the former Sith assassin droid, became one of the most popular companions and had its own unique personality alongside a deadly skillset.
