The Star Wars Legends continuity gave the Clone Wars era one secret, forgotten, legacy in the Imperial era. While both Star Wars continuities have countless exciting stories set in the three-year Clone Wars, the war itself was, ultimately, a ruse, with both sides of the war being controlled by Palpatine, who used the war to enact an autocratic coup and destroy the Jedi Order.

Although the Galactic Republic’s clone troopers were, by and large, superior to their Separatist droid opponents, Palpatine needed a prolonged conflict and thus, the CIS military had far greater numbers and plenty of particularly ᴅᴇᴀᴅly units. While not nearly as formidable as the IG-100 MagnaGuard, B3 Ultra Battle Droid, or Scorpenek Annihilator Droid, the Commerce Guild’s DSD1 Dwarf Spider Droid was a formidable support unit.

The Dwarf Spider Droid’s heavy blaster canon and emergency self-destruct mechanism made it a threat to Republic soldiers and vehicles alike. While the Republic, both its clone troopers and the Jedi, found ways to take them down, it was never an easy fight. The Dwarf Spider Droid proved so effective that it even had a future past the Clone Wars in the original Star Wars timeline.

The Empire Kept ONE Type Of Clone Wars Droid

In the Star Wars Legends continuity, Dwarf Spider Droids saw continued use by Separatist holdouts that survived the Clone Wars and continued their fight – now against the Galactic Empire. The recruited beings of the Empire’s Stormtrooper Corps, who gradually replaced Jango Fett clones, would quickly discover how ᴅᴇᴀᴅly the droids were in such conflicts. This led the Stormtrooper Corps to begin refurbishing and reprogramming Dwarf Spider Droids to fight for the Empire, using them to support infantry.

As revealed in Daniel Wallace’s 2006 sourcebook The New Essential Guide to Droids, one stormtrooper unit fought alongside Dwarf Spider Droids for the first time during the Battle of Ghorman, with stormtroopers using the droids against the Rebel Alliance forces. Before this, the Stormtrooper Corps would use Dwarf Spider Droids against Separatist holdouts. Although the Stormtrooper Corps was far more transient than the Imperial Army and Navy, stormtroopers would also use Dwarf Spider Droids to guard checkpoints.

The Spider Droids Are Canon, But This Legacy Isn’t…Yet

Since the Star Wars original and prequel trilogies are part of both the original Legends continuity and modern canon, Dwarf Spider Droids are also part of both timelines, since they appear in two of the prequel films. For the time being, however, no modern canon source has had the Galactic Empire use appropriated Dwarf Spider Droids. Given how often the modern canon uses the Legends continuity for inspiration, however, a future Star Wars story may show stormtroopers fighting alongside Dwarf Spider Droid in the newer timeline.

Star Wars

Created by

George Lucas

First Film

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope

Cast

Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal

TV Show(s)

The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions

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