NB4 NB4 was a porter droid with masculine programming who was employed by the Rodian bounty hunter Slyder while on the starship " Star of Empire " . During the year 1 BBY , NB4 , while performing his duties as a serving droid for the " Star " , encountered Lieutenant Kyle Katarn , a recently established officer of the Galactic Empire . Believing him to be a person of interest , NB4 reported him to Slyder . A little while later , NB4 was sent after the passenger Jan Ors , whom Slyder has identified as a Rebel Alliance agent , and bugged her starship with a remote transmitter . NB4 ' s espionage eventually revealed a relationship between Ors and Katarn that ended with the officer deciding to defect from the Empire . Slyder used NB4 ' s acquired data to report the rebels to Governor Dol Donar II , who subsequently hired Slyder to capture the rebels . Biography . Working with Slyder . A porter droid with masculine programming , NB4 was hired as an assistant by the Rodian bounty hunter Slyder during the year 4 BBY , as it was during this year that Slyder had decided to make his entire living aboard the luxury liner " Star of Empire " . Although NB4 was largely unaware of Slyder ' s ultimate plan , it included the tracking down of individuals who ought to have a bounty on their head , after which Slyder would offer his services to capture them to whoever was most likely to buy — generally this ended up being the Galactic Empire . Rebel hunt . During 1 BBY , NB4 and Slyder caught wind of several Rebel Alliance agents who were aboard the " Star of Empire " . Using hidden cameras , Slyder was able to identify them as Jan Ors , Rosco Ross , Ris Waller , and the protocol droid A - Cee . Meanwhile , NB4 posed as one of the many " Star of Empire " servant droid and led recent Imperial graduate Lieutenant Kyle Katarn to his quarters aboard the ship . Katarn , having heard of the luxury ship ' s owners , the Haj family , having rebel sympathies , questioned NB4 on the matter . The droid was initially confused by Katarn ' s use of a metaphor , but eventually admitted that he didn ' t know . He did , however , brief Katarn on the layout and purpose of the ship . Having found Katarn to be of interest , NB4 reported him to Slyder . Katarn later left his bunk , and eventually ended up in the ship ' s game room , where he caught a glimpse of Ors and , having recognized her from an early mission of his , attempted to follow her . Slyder witnessed Katarn ' s action , and suspicious , had NB4 keep tabs on Ors . NB4 eventually found her in the " Star of Empire " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s hangar , where he noticed Ors struggling with the repairs she was making to her starship " Truly Sorry " . NB4 offered assistance , but Ors declined . Having nonetheless learned Ors ' first name , NB4 left to rendezvous with Slyder , but not before placing a hidden transmitter on her ship . The transmitter recorded a conversation between Ors and Katarn , during which Katarn announced his intention to defect , which was relayed back to NB4 and Slyder . It was then that Slyder explained to NB4 what his lengthy tenure aboard the " Star " was all about . Slyder thanked the droid for his assistance and competence , the latter of which NB4 claimed to only exist because of the years of experience he attained by being at the bounty hunter ' s side . Afterwards , Slyder left his cabin to meet with the Imperial governor Dol Donar II in order to sell his services to the Empire and catch the rebel agents . Slyder never returned , however , as he was killed aboard Dol Donar ' s yacht when it exploded just outside the " Star of Empire " while in pursuit of the " Truly Sorry " , thus ending NB4 and Slyder ' s long standing partnership . Characteristics . One of many service droids aboard the " Star of Empire " , NB4 was an auspicious spy that drew little attention to himself . Neither Katarn nor Ors were able to ascertain NB4 ulterior motives while in contact with him , and the droid was discreet enough to plant a transmitter on Ors ' ship without her notice . NB4 believed his abilities were to be attributed to Slyder ' s tutelage . NB4 has a keen photoreceptor for interesting individuals , being able to successfully target Katarn as a valuable target . NB4 ' s unassuming nature and appearance allowed him to get very close to his targets , which in turn aided his role as a porter droid that was built to offer assistance . As a porter droid aboard a luxury liner , NB4 encountered various alien species during his work , and happened to be very knowledgeable about the " Star of Empire " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s crew and layout . Katarn ' s use of the metaphorical term " share coordinates , " which referred to two parties secretly working together , briefly confused the porter droid until Katarn explained it to him . Pleased with having learned something new , NB4 attempted to use the same metaphor while speaking to Slyder , although the Rodian did not understand it . NB4 did not explain its meaning , however . Behind the scenes . The character of NB4 was created for the based on the William C . Dietz novella " " . NB4 himself , however , was not originally featured in the novella — Slyder seemingly worked alone in the novella . Rather , NB4 ' s purpose , as apparent from the majority of his dialogue , is to serve as a method of translating a portion of the novella ' s prose into spoken words in order to explain the backstory of certain events and characters . Part of NB4 ' s dialogue , however , directly contradicts the prose from the novella that dealt with the length of Slyder ' s stay on the " Star of Empire " . In the novella , Dietz wrote that Slyder lived on the " Star " for a total of three years . NB4 , however , claims that Slyder had been living on the " Star " for seven years . For the purposes of this article , the three year span is deemed the correct number , as it comes from the original source , as opposed to the audio drama which tried to abridge the novella for narrative purposes .