Spy ray A spy ray was a sophisticated surveillance device developed by Doctor Nasan Godera for the Galactic Republic during the Great Galactic War with the Sith Empire . By projecting beams of particles that would pass through or reflect off of matter depending on the object ' s density , the spy ray was able to generate high - resolution images of targets across an entire star system , and it saw great use in the hands of the Strategic Information Service , the Republic ' s primary intelligence agency . Characteristics . The spy ray was built with a square base that supported a long , rectangular section that could pivot and rotate to focus on the target . It was controlled by a panel on the side of the base , which allowed the user to adjust the settings and view the ray ' s target through an apparatus similar in shape to electrobinoculars . When activated , the spy ray projected a beam of particles that would either reflect off the target or pass through it , depending on the intensity of the beam . The particles that were reflected would be translated into high - resolution images of the target by the spy ray ' s base , allowing the user to view objects as small as the mouth of a shyrack across an entire star system . While it was not designed as a weapon , the spy ray ' s beam could be adjusted to bring its frequency with ranges that weaponized it . Additionally , the spy ray had a minimum safe distance of 500 kilometers , as objects subjected to the beam at a distance less than were likely to disintegrate . The materials necessary to build a spy ray were enough for three humanoids and an astromech droid to carry in large backpacks , though it took at least two days for three people to build one . History . The spy ray was originally created by Doctor Nasan Godera , a scientist who served as the chief designer for the Galactic Republic ' s Advanced Development Laboratories during the Great Galactic War with the Sith Empire . Godera finished the device sometime before the end of the war in 3653 BBY , when he resigned in disgust over the Republic ' s acceptance of the Treaty of Coruscant . The spy ray was considered to be the best reconnaissance technology of its time during the subsequent Cold War , where it saw use by the Republic ' s intelligence agency , the Republic Strategic Information Service . SIS agent Theron Shan was trained in the construction of the spy ray , and he kept the necessary materials aboard his ship , the " Sojourner " , in case he needed to use it . On a mission to the Imperial - held Vesla system to investigate what the Dark Council or Darth Mekhis was doing there , Shan constructed a spy ray on an outlying planet with the help of the Twi ' lek smuggler Teff ' ith ; the Jedi Master Ngani Zho ; and his astromech , M - 6 . After two days of construction , Shan used it to examine the planets Vesla Two and Vesla Three — only to find that Mekhis had tested superweapons against the worlds , and that the Imperials were using a space station known as the Sun Razer to harvest the energy of the system ' s sun and construct superweapons . However , the spy ray was left behind when Shan realized the Empire was capable of seeing through the scanner interference caused by the Sun Razer , and the trio was captured aboard the " Sojourner " by the " Harrower " - class dreadnought " Valor Prevails " as they tried to leave the planet ' s atmosphere . Behind the scenes . The spy ray first appeared in Part 3 of " " , a story arc in the , published in August 2011 . In keeping with the rest of the arc , which introduced a number of characters and locations that would later appear in the video game " " , the issue used the spy ray to introduce Doctor Nasan Godera , the weapon ' s designer and a character who would play a major role in the game ' s Jedi Knight and Imperial Agent class storylines . A reference guide for the game released in 2012 , the " " , included the spy ray in a list of Doctor Godera ' s projects in the entry on him .