Star Wars Insider – July 2019

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BACTA BASICS

apart without droids. Programmers
can input the anatomy of any known
being into a droid’s memory banks,
and design medical droids with tools
and enhancements that serve specifi c
purposes for specialized care. Think of
the midwife droid that helped deliver
the Skywalker twins on Polis Massa—it
had specially shaped paddle attachments
made for cradling infants from many
species. Droids can perform repetitive
tasks with precision, and without the
need to pause for the kinds of breaks
organics require for sleep and sustenance.
They are invaluable.
In times of confl ict, medical droids

are particularly important to soldiers,
but they can help civilians, too. Because
they can be loaded with so much
information, they are well suited to
analysis. For example, the GH-7 analysis
droid, usually found in medical facilities,
can record biological readings from
blood tests and physical examinations,
document a patient’s symptoms, run
them through its database, and diagnose
its patient’s condition.

Medical Professionals
Since it’s harder for an organic to
learn as many different anatomies as
a droid, medical droids and automated
treatments abound, but biological
beings still provide services even if
their remedies are perhaps more limited.
Establishments such as the esteemed
medical school Prasteen Braak on
Utapau train those interested in
learning how to heal.
We’ve seen a few different doctors
in Star Wars, such as Nala Se, the chief
medical scientist on Kamino in charge
of the clones. And, in an example

In times of confl ict,
medical droids are
particularly important
to soldiers, but they
can help civilians, too.

01


General Practitioners
Manyseriesofdroidsaredesignedforhands-onministrations.Somenotablemedicaldroidsinclude:

2-1B
First seen treating
Luke Skywalker in
Star Wars: The Empire
Strikes Back (1980),
2-1B droids are
commonplace in the
Star Wars galaxy.
Like an all-purpose
doctor, this series
of bipedal medical
droid has an extensive
memory bank, and was
created to diagnose
a myriad of diseases,
illnesses, and ailments.
2-1B droids could
also execute intricate
surgical procedures with
a dizzying array of tools.

FX-series
Where there’s a 2-1B
droid, there’s often an
FX-series droid. They
operate as medical
assistants, with multiple
arms at the ready to
operate equipment,
complete tests, and
generally keep an eye
on patients. FX-9 gave
Darth Vader a blood
transfusion after his injury
on Mustafar in Star Wars:
Revenge of the Sith
(2005). Another medical
assistant droid, DD-13,
installed cybernetic
implants to help Vader
into his new armor.

IT-S00.2
This is one of the First
Order’s many medical
droids. This model is
designed for delicate
work; its spherical shape
and small size means it
can place its multiceps
wherever the injury is.
It’s seen removing the
mechnosutures from Kylo
Ren’s face in Star Wars:
The Last Jedi (2017).

AZI-3
Another hovering
droid, AZI-3 (it has a
much longer designation)
served the Kaminoans
by taking care of the
clones. The facility in
Tipoca City is suited for
running routine tests
to ensure the wellness
of the clones, but that
didn’t stop AZI-3 from
operating outside his
programming to help
Fives and eventually
uncover the clones’
control chips (the
implants that would
enable Palpating to
enact Order 66).

EV-A4-D
Cyborgs need
attention just like
organics. General
Grievous employed
this EV-series medical
droid to perform repairs
to his body, which was
damaged regularly
during the Clone Wars.

galaxy the injured being fi nds themselves.
Somebody on a bustling Core World, such
as Coruscant, has access to a wider variety
of care than, say, someone living in a
desolate village on an Inner Rim planet
like Jakku. Trauma suffered in the midst
of battle is handled differently, too, with
whatever portable kits and treatments are
available in the moment. But, with the
prevalence of medical droids and such
wonder cures as bacta, even those who
fall ill in the most remote outpost in Star
Wars can be healed.

Medical Droids
Star Wars medical care would fall
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