M-227

M-227, nicknamed Em-Two, was an ancient security droid owned by the pilot Sylvestri Yarrow during the High Republic Era, serving aboard Yarrow's starship, the cargo hauler Switchback. The droid was formerly owned by Yarrow's mother, Chancey, but was given to her after her mother was killed by Nihil raiders, by which time he was over two hundred years old. Several months later, the crew of the Switchback were forced to abandon the vessel after another Nihil attack.
==Biography==
Constructed at some point before the year 432 BBY, M-227 was operational into the time of the High Republic Era. The security droid was over two hundred years old by 232 BBY, at which point he was in the possession of Chancey Yarrow, owner of the cargo hauler Switchback. After Chancey Yarrow was killed when Nihil raiders boarded the hauler, her daughter, Sylvestri Yarrow, inherited both the Switchback and M-227. While Yarrow considered trading the droid away, she could not bring herself to sell M-227, viewing him as family. Yarrow continued to haul cargo aboard the Switchback, and M-227 served her alongside the co-pilot Neeto Janajana. Due to the rising costs associated with shipping and the threat posed by the Nihil, the crew of the Switchback were barely able to earn enough money to survive, owing numerous debts regardless of the profits they made.
While the Switchback was in transit—despite M-227 having planned a route that avoided sectors where the Nihil had been sighted—marauders pulled the hauler out of hyperspace, and its crew found that they had circled back into the system. M-227, who had been sitting in the co-pilot's seat, moved aside for Janajana to sit down, and Yarrow attempted to discern what had caused the issue. The crew realized what had happened when a number of Nihil vessels approached, but their attempt to make a hyperspace jump without a destination failed when their engine failed as a result of a faulty coaxium regulator.
Both M-227 and Janajana insisted that evacuating the ship was their only option for survival, while Yarrow refused to abandon the Switchback. As Janajana attempted to convince Yarrow to escape, citing the fact that they needed to inform the galaxy of the Nihil's ability to pull vessels from hyperspace, M-227 slowly moved toward the escape pod. Yarrow reluctantly agreed to evacuate, and the crew of the Switchback entered the escape pod, launching into space as the Nihil breached the airlock.
==Characteristics==
A security droid with masculine programming, M-227, nicknamed Em-Two, was aging by the time of the High Republic Era. His joints screeched of metal whenever he moved, and Yarrow often had to apply oil to them. M-227's voice was stilted due to his outdated speech box, which had not been updated for years. The droid's movements were slow, similar to those of an elderly being.
When Yarrow stressed over their financial situation, M-227 urged her not to worry. After the Switchback was attacked by the Nihil, M-227 calculated that evacuation would be the crew's best option, moving to the escape pod even before Yarrow had been persuaded to do so.
==Behind the scenes==
M-227 is a character who appeared in the novel The High Republic: Out of the Shadows, written by Justina Ireland and published on July 27, 2021. He was first revealed in an excerpt from Out of the Shadows in the novel The High Republic: Into the DarkThe High Republic: Into the Dark on February 2, 2021.
==Appearances==
*The High Republic: Out of the Shadows 
*The High Republic: Defy the Storm 
==Sources==
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*Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
==Notes and references==
Category:Droids with masculine programming
Category:Security droids