Unidentified probe droid (Hoth)

A Viper probe droid served the Galactic Empire as part of its search for the Rebel Alliance's hidden base following their Evacuation of Yavin. Along with thousands of other Viper probes of its model, the droid was developed for the Empire by Arakyd Industries in a project overseen personally by Darth Vader. Its construction occurred on Mechis III, a major droid manufacturing planet that, unknown to the Empire or most other organic beings, was under the control of IG-88, a quartet of assassin droids. The IG-88 droids' mastermind, IG-88A, altered the Viper probe droids' programming so that, even while they carried out the Empire's mission, they also gathered intelligence for a great droid revolution that the assassin was planning.

In 3 ABY, an Imperial Star Destroyer of Death Squadron launched the probe droid. It flew in its Predator I hyperspace pod from the Ione to the Hoth system and crashed down on the frozen surface of the planet Hoth. The probot emerged from its crash site and began to explore the planet. Before long it located the newly-built Echo Base and transmitted its data to the command ship Executor. The Rebels soon discovered the probe droid, and Han Solo and Chewbacca engaged it in combat. The droid, realizing that it had been discovered, activated its self-destruct mechanism. Its mission had already been successful: after seeing its transmitted data, Darth Vader ordered his entire fleet to the Hoth system, launching the Battle of Hoth and the destruction of Echo Base.

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