R3 - series astromech droid / Legends The R3 - series astromech droid was an astromech model developed and sold by the droidmaker Industrial Automaton ( IA ) . The R3 came at the heels of IA ' s blockbuster launch of the R2 - series astromech droid as the company rushed to capitalize on their new dominance of the maintenance and repair droid market . The R3 ' s designers copied the R2 ' s general aesthetic , including the bright , contrasting color trim on a white metal chassis . The obvious difference in the factory unit was its head : the R2 ' s opaque dome was swapped for a clear dome of plastex or transparisteel . The transparency gave the droid ' s internal sensor package greater range and showcased the R3 ' s other major distinction , its newly updated Intellex V computer brain . Over time , however , some units ' original domes were replaced with opaque ones or painted over carelessly . Unlike its predecessor , the R3 was designed specifically for use by militaries and high - tech government agencies — IA developed another niche product , the R4 - series agromech droid , to appeal to a broader clientele . The R3 ' s Intellex V was capable of housing an immense amount of data ; those units bought by the Galactic Republic had a database of detailed specifications on every vessel in the Republic Navy . Armed with this information , the R3 worked in cooperation with gunnery crews , security troopers , and naval chiefs of operation aboard capital - scale warships and at battlestations . Though its primary function was as a capital ship astromech , it could still operate as a plug - in droid for starfighters , holding up to five hyperspace jump coordinates in its astrogation buffer . The R3 had a genial and chummy personality , which allowed it to coordinate easily with large crews of organic sentients . Due to the sensitive nature of the R3 ' s programming , the rather expensive model was sold only to recognized government militaries . The Galactic Republic purchased 125 million of the droids during IA ' s initial production run , and later the Galactic Empire used R3s aboard its Star Destroyers and Death Star battlestation s . Following the fall of the Empire , in an effort to maintain friendly relations with the New Republic , Industrial Automaton ' s policy restricted it from knowingly selling to the Imperial Remnant or known Imperial factions . Nevertheless , R3 units found their way into the hands of pirates , private spacers , the Rebel Alliance , and other groups through various black market channels . Description . The R3 - series astromech droid featured much of the same hardware as its predecessor , the R2 unit , lacking only the earlier droid ' s extendible video sensor . The R3 ' s chassis was largely cylindrical , appearing as an upright tube with a short , truncated cone at its base . Keeping the droid upright were two narrow legs , each of which terminated in a treaded foot shaped like trapezoidal prisms ; a third leg was housed within the droid body and could be extended when necessary to afford greater stability . Capping the unit ' s design was a hardy , rotating , plastex or transparisteel dome — although some owners modified their R3s to use an older , opaque R2 - unit dome instead . The astromech was sealed to allow for functionality in the vacuum of space . An R3 unit typically followed a color scheme with the main body white and the trim a bright color . Because the unit had the same shell as its predecessor , the R2 , R3 - series astromech droids could be slotted into standard astromech sockets used on most starfighters . A wide variety of lights , sensors , and tools adorned the R3 ' s surface or were housed within its body . A sophisticated sensor package , augmented by the droid ' s transparent dome , allowed the droids to see 360 degrees at all times . A cylindrical protrusion jutting up from high on the backside of the dome served as the droid ' s electromagnetic field sensor unit . The droid ' s large , red radar eye peered from the center of the dome , surrounded by a trapezoidal auditory sensor colored to match the astromech ' s trim . Directly below this was the horizontal datacard input slot , and below this and toward the droid ' s right was a rectangular collection of function indicator s . Above this were another set of lights in a rectangular arrangement , which served as the infrared receptor , lending the R3 infrared vision and functionality even in complete darkness . Both the function indicators and infrared sensor were housed in a rectangular piece painted to match the droid ' s trim color . Near the center of the base of the dome ' s front was another red , circular light , which served as the droid ' s processor state indicator ; this too was set into a rectangular field colored to match the unit ' s trim . A holographic projector shaped like a series to two nested cylinders protruded from its placement next to the droid ' s processor state indicator . The R3 featured a video display screen . Within the dome could be seen the astromech ' s Intellex computer and heuristic processor . Cosmetic stripes along the base of the dome rounded out the clear hemisphere ' s decoration . The top , front edge of the R3 unit ' s chassis featured a horizontal stripe that served as the droid ' s spacecraft linkage data slot . Below this were two horizontal stripes , painted to match the rest of the trim , which housed the droid ' s capital ship linkage arms . Running vertically along the sides of the R3 ' s chassis were two compartments : the one on the droid ' s left housing the retractable grasping arm , and the one on the right the computer interface and lubricant arm s . Below these and on the droid ' s right , front side was a rectangular compartment that contained the charge arm . Below this lay the interface pulse stabilizer s , a vertical band of six small rectangles set one atop the other . An upright rectangle in the center of the main droid body housed both the unit ' s loudspeaker — also known as the acoustic signaller — and system ventilation . Directly below this was the recharge coupling or high - power coupling , a circular socket set off by a square piece of trim used to recharge the droid . To the droid ' s right , beside this socket was another horizontal rectangle , which served as the R3 ' s polarity sink . Other hardware housed within the chassis included a small electric arc welder with a range of 0 . 3 meters , a miniature circular saw , a fire extinguisher , an electroshock probe , an internal comlink , and internal storage space with a capacity of two kilograms . Like other R - series astromech droids , the R3 ' s design made it easily modified to a nearly endless variety of specifications . The R3 unit ' s legs were elongated rectangles that attached to the main body via rounded swivel joints . These extended to the trapezoidal feet , which were magnetic and housed the motorized treads upon which the droid rolled about . Alternatively , R3s could walk using only the two main legs . Two wires connected each tread to a power cell , one placed directly inside each foot . As an option , purchasers of R3 units could add side - mounted rocket boosters to the droid ' s legs , which entailed the installation of a propellant rocket system . The legs typically followed the same color scheme as the droid ' s body , with white as the main color and another used for various insets and trim . An R3 - series astromech stood between 0 . 96 and 1 . 00 meters in height . Role . Like other astromechs , the R3 - series was a second - degree droid , designed for such tasks as general starship maintenance , computer repair , and data retrieval . However , unlike its predecessor , the R2 , the R3 was intended primarily for service aboard large - scale capital ships , warships , and battlestation s rather than small - scale starfighters . Its most basic difference from the R2 unit was that rather than servicing starfighter - scale craft , the R3 unit used its standard diagnostic package to perform routine maintenance and repairs on capital - ship computers , engineering and weapons systems , and external components . The unit ' s cognitive module s exceeded those of the R2 in both speed and power , and its Intellex V computer had the capacity to store intricate schematic diagrams of entire fleets of starships in memory simultaneously . For instance , an R3 working for the Galactic Republic could hold the blueprints for every ship in the Republic Navy . This level of detail allowed the R3 to interface with and assist hundreds of separate operational groups on capital ships , simultaneously aiding teams of gunners , naval chiefs , security troops , and literally hundreds of others . R3 units were often placed into service alongside military support personnel , such as astrogators , gunners , maintenance crews , and security teams . Program modules were available to allow the astromech to perform other duties . For instance , teams of R3s could work in tandem with a capital vessel ' s nav computers to speed their computational capabilities and to better organize information . Others processed data for various ship stations , such as communications , engineering , sensors , and tactics . Some ships included specialized astromech slots in key areas , into which R3s could be fitted to carry out their duties , leaving only their domes visible . Despite its commonness in military bases and aboard military starships , the R3 unit avoided combat . Should its position come under attack , the R3 ' s preferred response was to move into a safe location , plug into a nearby terminal , and either report the altercation , call for backup , or provide other support . Although its design was tailored toward large - scale vessels and battle stations , the R3 - series astromech maintained the starfighter plug - in functionality of other astromech droids , allowing the unit to serve as a capable starfighter pilot counterpart and maintenance unit . The R3 could store up to five sets of hyperspace jump coordinate s in its random access memory . Although this was half the astrogation capacity of its predecessor , the R2 , overall , the R3 was a more capable astrogator than any previous R - series astromech produced by Industrial Automaton . The R3 unit could become a capable copilot , coordinating advanced trajectories and ship coordinates even in the thick of a dogfight . The R3 - D - series astromech droid was a sub - model specifically intended for starfighter use . The droid assisted target acquisition and management on such small - scale craft , allowing the pilot to concentrate on flying . The original design of the Delta - 7 starfighter called for an R3 - D astromech . Meanwhile , R3 units employed by government agencies performed more humdrum duties . In such locations , R3s worked alongside various officials , ranging from municipal functionaries and local magistrates to Imperial moffs and assistants to the Supreme Chancellor and Emperor . Due to the R3 ' s frequent interaction with organic beings , Industrial Automaton programmed the unit to be socially adaptable and at home as part of a large crew . The R3 was thus congenial by nature , happiest when surrounded by the bustle of a crowd . As a result , some crewmembers who interacted with the droids compared their personalities to those of most protocol droid models . The R3 unit ' s heuristic processor lent it problem - solving ability and curiosity . R3 units that had somehow lost their owners often teamed up with organic beings for the sense of camaraderie they provided and to keep themselves occupied . Although the astromech was capable of understanding Basic and two other languages of the owner ' s choice , R3 - series droids themselves communicated via droidspeak , a machine language of high - density chirps and squeals . When several R3s worked together at a single station , their constant chatter filled the air , sometimes confusing incoming organic crew members unfamiliar with the twittering language . The R3 ' s use of droidspeak made the unit a natural counterpart to Cybot Galactica ' s 3PO - series protocol droid . History . Part of the R - series of droids from Industrial Automaton , the R3 was Industrial Automaton ' s followup to the smash success of the R2 - series astromech droid , a model whose popularity and sales had exceeded all expectations and catapulted IA to the top - tier of droid development companies occupied by the likes of Arakyd , Cybot Galactica , and Rebeton Kl ' ian . For their next entry in the series , IA ' s management tasked its engineers with one goal : take the R2 and improve on it . IA ' s droid designers decided to make the new model the capital warship ' s and battle station ' s answer to the starfighter - based R2 unit . The new droid received programming in gunnery repair and security protocols . The engineers paid particular attention to the model ' s Intellex computer , upgrading it from the R2 ' s Intellex IV to the more sophisticated Intellex V . Although the designers kept much of the R2 ' s basic body design to cut costs , they realized that the Intellex V would be a key selling point , replacing the R2 ' s solid dome with one of clear plastex as a marketing ploy to showcase the new hardware and boost the scope and sensitivity of its sensors . The new droid otherwise followed the R2 ' s bright - trim - on - white - metal color scheme . The new model , dubbed the R3 - series astromech droid , entered production . IA priced the droid much higher than its predecessor and produced it in only limited quantities to establish it as an elite addition to their catalog . At one point , the R3 sold for a whopping 10 , 000 credits , although prices fluctuated to as low as 4 , 500 credits . Due to its potential military applications , the R3 was considered sensitive technology , and the company accordingly restricted sales of the unit to legitimate governments and militaries . The strategy worked : the R3 sold briskly , earning IA great profits and never falling behind the company ' s sales goals . In their initial order alone , the Galactic Republic bought 125 million R3s from IA ' s first production run . R3 units soon joined the crews of all capital ships of the Republic Navy and the Republic Judicial Department . By 22 BBY , the model had proved a wide success well received by its purchasers and new crew mates . During the latter years of the Galactic Republic , IA introduced add - ons for the droid , such as side - mounted rocket boosters . They also developed the R3 - D series astromech as an R3 variant intended , like the R2 , for starfighter - based use . During the Clone Wars , IA ' s factory on the planet Nubia manufactured R3s for both the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order . Republic demand for the droids was so strong that IA shipped some units with salvaged R2 - unit domes rather than the R3 ' s characteristic clear head . The Republic ' s reliance on the droids inspired a plot by the Confederacy of Independent Systems ; agents of the Confederate General Grievous stole the unit designated R3 - S6 — one of the droids so fitted with an opaque dome — from the Nubian factory and reprogrammed it to be a spy for the Confederacy . R3 - S6 came into possession of the Jedi Order , who assigned the droid to Anakin Skywalker , whose previous astromech , R2 - D2 , had gone missing . Nicknamed " Goldie " by Skywalker ' s Padawan , Ahsoka Tano , the R3 unit was tasked with helping Skywalker find R2 - D2 and on a mission to destroy a Separatist base at Skytop Station . Nevertheless , the droid ' s programming made it difficult to follow Skywalker ' s orders , since its true master was Grievous . Thus the droid instead attempted to sabotage Skywalker ' s efforts . Skywalker recovered R2 - D2 , but R3 - S6 ' s subterfuge was discovered in the process . In a confrontation , R2 - D2 knocked the R3 droid from a catwalk , causing the unit to plummet to his destruction . Nevertheless , the R3 ' s limited availability and high price tag somewhat counteracted the reputation IA had earned for its more widely available and affordable R2 series droid . To reaffirm their image as a supplier of droids to the common sentient , IA had its engineers develop the R4 - series agromech droid , a much more affordable model tailored toward use in the Outer Rim Territories . Despite the transition from Galactic Republic to Galactic Empire , R3 sales remained strong . The Empire honored Republic contracts with the droid ' s maker to buy a steady supply of R3 units for use throughout the Empire . R3 astromechs thus joined the crews of not only Imperial Star Destroyers but also the first and second Death Stars . With the outbreak of the Galactic Civil War , the Alliance to Restore the Republic gained access to R3 - series astromechs by stealing them from the Empire . Pirate and privateer groups , too , were quick to adopt the R3 for use on their ships after taking the droids as booty or buying them on the black market . In 1 ABY Alliance Procurement and Supply purchased a shipment of R3 droids from one of their " procurement specialists " . These R3 droids were then assigned to heavy cruisers and frigates of the Alliance Fleet , freeing up many R2 units for use by local rebel cells and Starfighter Command . With the defeat of Galactic Emperor Palpatine and the rise of the New Republic , IA struck deals with the new government to supply them with R3s , nullifying contracts and sales to the remnants of the Empire to placate this new customer . Nevertheless , IA also widened its target customer base by selling to planetary governments and privately owned fleets as well . Behind the scenes . According to " The History of R - Series Astromech Droids " , R3 units lack the internal cargo space of the R2 unit . However , other sources indicate that they do indeed have this feature . The " Arms & Equipment Guide " suggests that R3s could be used as starfighter plug - in droids only after tweaks to their programming . Other sources , however , suggest that they have this functionality without any such tweaks .