Nanodroids

[2046]

Nanotech just entered the canon with the latest TCW, "Sabotage". At the Jedi Temple, a civilian foreman over all gunship weapons was an expert in nanoweaponry and was murdered via ingestion of a large number of volatile nanodroids which were used to explode him while he was at work.

Frankly, the use of the nanotech wasn't really necessary to the episode, but it was there and now I'm trying to figure out if there's anything in Star Wars that would require or would have benefitted from this knowledge previously. And for the life of me right now, I can't think of anything.

I mean, I suppose we could insert them in different places . . . the Death Watch ropes that coil around the target could be related, and assorted grappling devices might bond via nanotech rather than magnets. But, as I think I've probably said before, Star Wars seemed to make no use of nanotech at all previously, and certainly nothing like nanites or nanoprobes. Put simply, we haven't had much Star Wars that required any microscopic explanations, especially in the weaponry department. Even medically, bacta always struck me as more biotech than nanotech.

I suppose we could ponder this in the context of modern Russian thermobaric devices that make use of nanoparticles for enhancement of explosions, but that's rather different than nanodroids.

Notable, though, is that the searching for additional nanodroids in the Temple seemed to be a unique event, and the scans for it involved special equipment never before observed. Ahsoka carried around a tricorder-like pair of devices when scanning, for instance, which I don't think we've seen before (but which did have impressive scanning capabilities). Thus, to my mind, there is no current reason to assume that nanotech has been hiding in every scene, because otherwise one would think that related equipment and scanning would be very much more standard.

In any case, time will tell if we see more evidence of nanoscale devices in Star Wars. For myself, though, the macro-scale of things seems to be more the norm.

[Mr. Oragahn]

Any droid with a minimal amount of sensors would probably easily detect them. An astromech would spot them easily I think. A mere EM blast or shot from the arc would also fry the bots.
I'm not sure they'd evade the Jedi's senses either.
Could there be a bias against "invasive" robots?

[2046]

I'm not sure they'd evade the Jedi's senses either.

If TCW has done anything, it is to once and for all dispel notions such as these. I recall claims that the Jedi could just choose not to be stunned, poisoned, burned, contained, stamped, briefed, debriefed, numbered, et cetera, yet all of these have happened. I also recall claims that the only reason Order 66 worked is because it wasn't a conscious thought of the clones (implying veritable mindreading all the time), and yet we have clearly seen clones, Jedi, droids, and other forms being more than capable of deceiving Jedi as to their loyalty and intent.

More to the point, nanodroids are more than capable of evading the notice of a Jedi. That's why Ahsoka had to have a little scanner to pick them up.

[2046]

Any droid with a minimal amount of sensors would probably easily detect them. An astromech would spot them easily I think.

Also, the guy who was blown up worked in the Jedi Temple. Evidently, then, they were not easily detected, unless we are to presume that the Jedi Temple, which has sensors in the air shafts, foregoes security in regards to workers coming in on a daily basis. And of course after the bombing and once nanodroids were suspected as the explosive device, special scanning of the rest of the Temple took place, again pointing to a lack of standard scanning being sufficient.

[Lucky]

Nanotech just entered the canon with the latest TCW, "Sabotage". At the Jedi Temple, a civilian foreman over all gunship weapons was an expert in nanoweaponry and was murdered via ingestion of a large number of volatile nanodroids which were used to explode him while he was at work.

Frankly, the use of the nanotech wasn't really necessary to the episode, but it was there and now I'm trying to figure out if there's anything in Star Wars that would require or would have benefitted from this knowledge previously. And for the life of me right now, I can't think of anything.

I mean, I suppose we could insert them in different places . . . the Death Watch ropes that coil around the target could be related, and assorted grappling devices might bond via nanotech rather than magnets. But, as I think I've probably said before, Star Wars seemed to make no use of nanotech at all previously, and certainly nothing like nanites or nanoprobes. Put simply, we haven't had much Star Wars that required any microscopic explanations, especially in the weaponry department. Even medically, bacta always struck me as more biotech than nanotech.

I suppose we could ponder this in the context of modern Russian thermobaric devices that make use of nanoparticles for enhancement of explosions, but that's rather different than nanodroids.

Notable, though, is that the searching for additional nanodroids in the Temple seemed to be a unique event, and the scans for it involved special equipment never before observed. Ahsoka carried around a tricorder-like pair of devices when scanning, for instance, which I don't think we've seen before (but which did have impressive scanning capabilities). Thus, to my mind, there is no current reason to assume that nanotech has been hiding in every scene, because otherwise one would think that related equipment and scanning would be very much more standard.

In any case, time will tell if we see more evidence of nanoscale devices in Star Wars. For myself, though, the macro-scale of things seems to be more the norm.

Wouldn't nanodroids normally be used to construct high end technology? Droid brains, power storage devices, hyperdrives... might require precision down to the atom.

[Mr. Oragahn]

I'm not sure they'd evade the Jedi's senses either.

If TCW has done anything, it is to once and for all dispel notions such as these. I recall claims that the Jedi could just choose not to be stunned, poisoned, burned, contained, stamped, briefed, debriefed, numbered, et cetera, yet all of these have happened. I also recall claims that the only reason Order 66 worked is because it wasn't a conscious thought of the clones (implying veritable mindreading all the time), and yet we have clearly seen clones, Jedi, droids, and other forms being more than capable of deceiving Jedi as to their loyalty and intent.

More to the point, nanodroids are more than capable of evading the notice of a Jedi. That's why Ahsoka had to have a little scanner to pick them up.

It feels weird. Back in the OT you wouldn't imagine the Jedi could be so impotent. Then came TPM with QGJ needing a razor to make a blood test about something they should be able to connect with so easily. Yet at the same time they force push droids which just limply fall backwards and that somehow deactivates them so you though there might be some EMP at play or something on the smaller scale. Yet they can sense that there's something aloof the moment QGJ and OWK step inside the TF battleship.
But now that you tell me TCW just pulled all that down even more.

It's like a power creep but gone reverse.
Mind you, TCW is hastily packed up in terms of plot. That's the show with a senate guarded by like six guys tops ? :D

Any droid with a minimal amount of sensors would probably easily detect them. An astromech would spot them easily I think.

Also, the guy who was blown up worked in the Jedi Temple. Evidently, then, they were not easily detected, unless we are to presume that the Jedi Temple, which has sensors in the air shafts, foregoes security in regards to workers coming in on a daily basis. And of course after the bombing and once nanodroids were suspected as the explosive device, special scanning of the rest of the Temple took place, again pointing to a lack of standard scanning being sufficient.

That would work if nanorobots were some kind of big mystery. Otherwise, known as a real menace, any decent security measure would have a detection against those as part of its default protocols. OK, they do have one, but it's not part of the usual scanning routine.
Either someone forget to place dedicated anti-nanobots Jedi guards there, at least one per tower, or their ethics have them not scan the insides of anyone (could be).