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Continuity & Analysis

Star Wars: Droids - Coby and the Starhunters (1985) [E9]
Coby Toda prepares to leave for the Space Academy.
Star Wars: Droids - The Great Heep (1986) [Film]
A powerful, unknown force brings devastation to the planet Biitu.




CONTINUITY
'Coby and the Starhunters' is a standalone episode which acts as an addendum to the last four episode story, The Pirates and the Prince.
The Droids film The Great Heep takes place between the ninth and tenth episodes of the series.
The planets Chuzalla, Dandelo, and Biitu are seen for the first time. Four worlds are seen in this episode and film:

These two otherwise unrelated stories both address the subject of intergalactic travelers.

- Since the end of the previous episode, Jess has returned to Tyne's Horky. Jann still intends to go to the Space Academy, but hasn't yet
heard back about his application yet, however by the end of the episode, he has received word that he has been accepted.

- The spaceport in the capital city of Tammuz-an is located in a central district of the city which is adjacent to the royal palace. Although this is
a remote system, ships are still coming and going regularly, as Tammuz-an has a significant population and is active in regional trade.


- Like Jann, Coby Toda intends to go to the Space Academy. As discussed in the article about the preceding episodes, supplementary material
universally assumes this is the same Imperial Space Academy which Luke was so eager to join in Episode IV. This may be the case,
however in this previous episode and this episode, the term 'Imperial' is never mentioned, and this could be the spacefaring equivalent
of a merchant marine academy. While this likely means it is part of the Imperial state, this does not necessarily imply the military Imperial
Academy, although they may be the same thing. Lord Toda says regarding Coby, "I hope the retraining program has a positive effect on
him." Whether this is a military or civilian academy, this indicates the general faith and trust which people still have in official institutions
at this point in the Empire's rule. Many things are still much as they were under the Republic, and while Lord Toda's hope is a bit more grim
if Coby was to become an Imperial military cadet, in either case the Academy may very well have had a positive effect on Coby. Jann is
accepted into the Academy as a "senior" applicant, suggesting young adults are the majority of students. C-3PO and R2 will be unable
to go to the Academy with Jann because they don't allow cadets to keep droids there.

- Tessellated arboreal binjinphants are rare, marsupial-like creatures who are kept as pets.

- Chuzzala is a terrestrial planet located in the Tammuz Sector, in the Slice region of the Outer Rim. The planet has a moderate climate,
ample rain and water, and is consequently host to a significant colonial population, made up of a wide variety of races from
throughout this region and beyond. Chuzzala hosts many large urban areas, including the infamous city of Zallakesh, which
hosts a major spaceport. Zallakesh is a regional transit hub, where ships from nearby planets bring passengers intending to
board transports bound for more distant locations. C-3PO insists that "everything dangerous and criminal likes to call Zallakesh
home", which does not seem to be an exaggeration, as the transport Captain warns the passengers, "Disembark at your own risk."



After landing on Chuzzala and disembarking, an establishing shot of what is supposed to be Zallakesh Spaceport is
shown as a transition from one scene to another, however the animators simply reused the opening shot of
Tammuz-an's capital city and its spaceport. This was either an obvious mistake or intentional corner-cutting.


- Starhunter's Intergalactic Menagerie is a traveling circus of animal oddities which deals rare and exotic animals to wealthy customers.
Marketed with the slogan "Strange creatures from the Outer Galaxies", as their name implies many of their creatures were taken on
voyages to the 'Outer Galaxies', the term used for the seven dwarf galaxies which are satellites of the SW galaxy. Their business makes
money showing off and trading animals from the primary galaxy to some of the Outer Galaxies, and vice versa. They also hunt rare
creatures from anywhere in the galaxy, and even use common creatures in places where they have never been seen. They have Greej
in their menagerie, who is a sentient humanoid who explains that on some of the outer planets their customers consider him an oddity.

- A Blackhawk Destroyer is a small transport craft which despite its name is neither a destroyer nor any other kind of military warship.
They are something of a high-end product in this time period, and Coby is certainly impressed, exclaiming, "hyperchannel,
ion-ports, its got everything!" Coby purchases one from Tobar at Honest Tobar's Used Spacecraft.


- Coby is single-minded about rescuing his pet, and wants to leave C-3PO behind, which upsets R2, who has the droid version of sentiment
regarding C-3PO. This is further evidence that R2 really does care about C-3PO despite the routine insults, and values his friendship.
Main Article: Droid Intelligence

- The ship Coby purchased from the dealer did not have much fuel in it, and soon runs out. As is often discussed in SW material, fuel is
the major limiting factor in how far and how long one can travel, and in the ability to move resources like fleets of starships from
one location to another. Fuel for ships, both the regular and the hyperspace variety, is not an inexpensive resource, and isn't
necessarily readily available everywhere. Managing the logistics of this, which is rarely shown, is the most critical factor in star travel.

- Most, if not all, ships in SW have magnetic landing gear, which can be switched on to act as a parking brake when a ship is parked on
a metal surface, but more importantly can be used to allow smaller ships to land on larger ones and safely travel along under
the larger ship's power. Ships anchored in this way can be taken by the larger ship into hyperspace successfully.

- Dandelo is a pleasant, terrestrial planet located in the Tammuz Sector, in the Slice region of the Outer Rim. It is home to a thriving
ecosystem with dense vegetation including trees, and ample fresh water. The planet is home to many kinds of native animals,
including large creatures like the spotted jugadoo. Dandelo is the homeworld of the Fuzzums, a bird-like species which is
technologically simplistic. They are a spiritual culture which values nature, and they object to the activites of game hunters
like the Starhunters. While still a stone age culture, their culture is shown to include art, music, crafts, and woodworking.
As an avian species They ordinarily prefer to live in the safety of caves found in the sides of shear cliffs.


- When Coby says "please" to him, C-3PO muses that this might be the first time anyone has ever said this to him, which may or may not
be an exaggeration. Generally speaking, droids are regarded as slaves, indentured servants, or intelligent appliances, and most
people order droids to do things rather than ask. Even those who see them as a kind of people don't usually use polite niceties.

- C-3PO sends out a distress call over hyperspace, which Jann picked up from the relatively nearby planet of Chuzzala. He is able to use
the transmission to locate them on another planet, either because this is a distress call, or because that is usually possible.
Main Article: Hyperspace Communication

- Due to the fact that droids aren't allowed at the Academy, C-3PO and R2 will once again be without a master. Since being abandoned
and desperate to find a new purpose, they have been through five different masters. After these experiences, although C-3PO
is concerned they have "no place to go, no master", he also concludes, "we'll be alright as long as there's the two of us." C-3PO
clearly cares more about sticking with his great friend R2 than he does about his formerly all consuming desire for a master.
Shortly after C-3PO joins the Baobab Merchant Fleet, after somehow learning of an opportunity to serve Mungo Baobab as
an 'agent translator'. He plans to try and convince Mungo to give R2 a job as well.

- Mungo Baobab of the planet Manda is a member of the influential Baobab family and now works for his father in the family business.
His great uncle, Oggem Baobab, is seen in 'Across the Rune Sea' (E12), and a more distant relative, Ebenn Q3 Baobab, was a member
of the Naboo Royal Court 22 years earlier, seen as a background character in Episode I.


- The Baobab Merchant Fleet is an historically significant trade organization based in the southeastern Rim. It was founded by the notable
Baobab family based on the planet Manda, and was central to the development of trade in this region. As a Rim-based institution,
its efforts were in regionally based trade and development, as the Baobab family was synonymous with Rim independence and
self-sufficient Rim-based civilization. After the rise of the Trade Federation, the BMF remained a significant regional competitor.
Once the Empire arose and nationalized the Trade Federation, heavy pressure was put on the BMF by the Empire, which was
concerned about its history, independence, and resources. The merchant starship dispatched for Mungo is the Argo Moon.

- Biitu is an agricultural planet located in the Cassander Sector, in the New Territories region of the Outer Rim. The planet is primarily
covered by ocean, but contains at least one large continent. It is a verdant planet with ample rainfall, which is why it was long
ago integrated into the galactic civilization as an agriworld, a planet whose economic activity is primarily agriculture. Besides
farmland, Biitu's main continent contains mountainous regions, forests, and plains, as well as a large inland sea. It is inhabited
by a race of green-colored humanoids who are described by Screed as "colonists", nevertheless all supplementary material has
identified these Biituians as native to this planet, making Biitu their homeworld. It could be that the settlement shown is part of
an agricultural colony who moved here from elsewhere on the planet, and thus still qualify as "colonists". Their civilization has
obviously undergone its own history before the arrival of alien races, and there are significant old ruins. The planet also contains
significant quantities of valuable fuel ore. Biitu also has some industrial facilities, some of which becomes raw material for
the Heep's fuel processing plant. According to supplementary material, some Biituian industry was active during the Clone Wars.


- The Great Heep has a starship which transports him and his army of subservient droids. The nature of the craft and its purpose seem
suited to the Great Heep, and it is not similar to any other known ship, particularly of its size. It seems therefore likely that whatever
the Heep's journey to this point, this ship and many of his droids come from wherever Heep originally comes from.

- The Great Heep is a gigantic droid who is an Abominor, an ancient race of artificial lifeforms who originated in a distant galaxy. They are
both individuals and composite creatures, as the Abominors are protodroids, who constructed themselves from assorted parts
of other droids and machinery. Abominors are asymmetrical and each one is unique. The droids that serve the Heep are also
made from composite parts which can act as independent droids, or unite into a larger unit. These droids can also amalgamate
with their controlling master, allowing the Abominor to grow larger. The Heep deploys equipment from his ship allowing his droids
to erect a powerful "moisture eater", which collects pooled up moisture from the surface and dehumidifies the atmosphere,
preventing any rain in the region. Abominors are machines, and getting too wet could kill them. This of course leads the area's
crops to dry up and die, and the people to start to die of thirst. Abominors are dismissive of or actively hostile to organic life, and
seem to have only slightly more regard for droids. The Heep enslaves every droid it can find, telling C-3PO, "your duty is to serve
me on Biitu for the rest of your days." The Heep comes to Biitu because of the valuable fuel ore which he can use to power his
ship and facilities, and can exchange with the Empire for astromechs. Exactly how and why the Heep has already formed an alliance
with Empire is unclear, however to Lucasfilm supplementary material, the Heep discovered the galaxy centuries ago, but its initial
activities led to its defeat, after which, "Somehow, the Great Heep had ended up at the Braltzamir Museum of Antiquated
Machinery on Coruscant, where it languished for more than 300 years before Admiral Terrinald Screed stumbled upon
the mechanical beast and, with a team of brilliant students from the Imperial Engineers Academy, found a way to resurrect it."
According to this backstory, the Heep was only brought back into service for the purpose of aiding the Empire.


- Sludgegulpers are a type of dismantler droid which may be from the Heep's original galaxy. They bite into and consume metal, which is
'digested' and collected internally to be used as raw material. As a result, swarms of sludgegulpers are effective at attacking starships.

- C-3PO tells R2, "This is a civilized part of the galaxy. The people of Biitu are most proper." The New Territories of the Outer Rim are
indeed far more integrated into the Core civilization than most of the regions of the Slice in the Rim where R2 and C-3PO have
been adventuring and working over the course of their journey in this series. Biitu is located near the boundary of the Mid Rim,
in the region directly 'north' of Coruscant in standard galactic terms, which is probably the most fully established Rim region
in recent galactic history, other than the areas of the Rim which lie along the ancient Perlemian Trade Route. The sectors of
the New Territories surrounding Biitu's Cassander Sector contain some of the most prominent worlds in the galaxy.

- The Sludgegulpers deploy "sleeping gas", which is apparently widely-known since the ship's Captain identifies it immediately and tells
his officer, "we'll be knocked out for a week." That must be an exaggeration, as a Human would die of dehydration in a week
spent unconscious. As they seem to have revived what seems to be only days later, the effect is slightly less pronounced.

- The Great Heep has a droid harem where he keeps and pampers his astromech units. The droids are treated to oil baths, lubricant
refreshments, and are free to lounge about, play games, read, and enjoy themselves. There are many 'female' droids here, some
of which R2 and another 'male' droid think are quite attractive. R2 seems to largely forget about his mission or escaping seeing
this luxury and after making friends with a 'lady' droid, which is of course exactly the point of this droid harem which keeps them
happy and entertained, so they don't attempt to flee. There are many animation 'easter eggs' in these scenes, including one droid
wearing a baseball cap that says 'Heep' on it, and a droid reading a magazine called 'Play Droid'. The Great Heep drains astromechs
and similarly-sized maintenance droids for power, and thus needs to maintain a reserve of various models which suit his needs.


- In this film and throughout this series, astromechs are often referred to as "R2 units". This show was created before the identification of
the R-series was fully developed, and it was not yet established that R2 units have a very specific design and origin. Very few of
the astromechs seen in this film are R-series droids, and while most of the rest appear to be Industrial Automoton models of some
kind, very few bear direct resemblance to any known droids seen in other SW material. Given that we aren't certain where and how
most of these droids were acquired, it is difficult to speculate on their actual origins.


What did the Great Heep live off of before it discovered astromechs? In the context of the film, it was possible to assume
that the Heep was a protodroid from this galaxy, and thus its method of 'consuming' an astromech was a product of its
irregular origin. Given Lucasfilm's retroactive supplementary material from 2013 which established his origins in another
galaxy, it raises the question of what do Abominors live off of in their home galaxy? It is hard to imagine that the other,
distant galaxy would conveniently have huge supplies of similar droids, but even assuming that it does, they must keep
building them or have someone else build them in order for this race to exist. If that is the case, why bother building
astromechs at all, why not design energy capsules which have the necessary circuiting for the transfer but are otherwise
nothing but a battery? These could simply be recharged by external power sources afterwards, making their energy
supply easy to come by and plentiful. Further more, why can't they formulate an alternative that better meets their
needs, or have their subservient colony droids design one? As droids, they could have the interface in their 'mouth'
which fits small droids replaced with a transformer that can be hooked up directly to standard power sources. Having
to 'consume' astromechs is an incredibly limiting issue, and one that should have been solved long ago if this race
succeeded in their home galaxy. The backstory added later is good science fiction, but raises a host of issues.


- Admiral Screed and company arrive in an Omega-class freighter, a type of cargo ship used by the Imperial military in this time period.
The cockpit design and Greek letter designation suggests they are a product of Cygnus Spaceworks, however it lacks the fold-up
wing design common to other Cygnus transports. It may instead be a product of Sienar Systems, as they manufacture many
Cygnus Spaceworlds designs, including the Lambda-class shuttle which has an almost identical cockpit. It may be that this
freighter was designed by Sienar Systems, but simply reused a cockpit design which was already in production.

- Admiral Terrinald Screed is one of the Emperor's most trusted operatives during the early years of the Empire. He was first seen briefly
in 'A Race To the Finish' (E4) as one of the spectators at the Boonta Speeder Race earlier this same year. According to
supplementary material, Screed served in the Republic's Judicial Forces where he lost his left eye in a battle with pirates, and
"rather than having the eye replaced with a more aesthetically-pleasing prosthetic, he instead had it upgraded with the latest in
cybernetic enhancements, caring little for what it did to his appearance." Having been first a Captain and eventually an Admiral
in the Republic Navy during the Clone Wars, Screed was identified by Palpatine as a ruthless and effective commander who
seemed to share his political vision, much like Tarkin. Admiral Screed's prominence in the Empire would eventually be eclipsed
by other rising stars, but in these early years of Imperial rule he was among the most noteworthy Imperial military officers.


- The Great Heep has clearly made arrangements with the Empire in advance of his arrival on Biitu. As discussed above, this was later
explained in supplementary material as the only reason that the Heep is active in the galaxy at all, however inside the story that is
not discussed. Regardless of the Heep's history with the Empire, he has a favorable and obliging attitude towards Screed at first.
The backstory given was likely developed to explain why the Heep is doing so much for the Empire and getting so little for it.

- Mungo says regarding the Omega-class freighter, "I don't think I could fly it alone." As is seen with the Millennium Falcon and
later examples, ships of even a modest size functionally need at least two operators during certain stages of flight.


R2 is a bit like Inspector Gadget in this series, and seems to have a never-ending array of useful internal devices, many of
which don't seem like equipment an astromech would normally need. In this instance, R2 has a convenient parachute,
which could be considered emergency gear an astromech might have, but it seems very unlikely there is room for
everything he is shown to use in this series inside his compartments.


- Hybernation serum is a substance which is injected into the bloodstream of a prisoner or captive to keep them unconscious for
transport. The serum can be neutralized by another injection, allowing the subject to be revived when desired.

- The Heep employs a laser trash incinerator, a technology later seen elsewhere in SW. Instead of compacting waste into a dense
block, lasers systematically blast apart the contents of the chamber, eventually reducing them to charred particles.

- Screed's stormtroopers use blaster pikes, which are large force pikes which can also fire blaster bolts. These may be a product of
SoroSuub Corporation, a known arms manufacturer who makes the non-blaster force pikes seen in other material.
Force pikes are energy staffs which can stun, kill, and even burn through many metals at higher settings.


- It is unclear exactly what exactly happens to Screed and his troops after this affair. According to the dialogue, it seems they are going
to make them help reestablish the colony that was destroyed when the Heep arrived in this area. For political and professional
reasons, and as it is a small requirement, and it is unlikely that Screed resisted this or attempted to pay them back for this later.
He already has to make an unfavorable report to the Emperor about the fuel shipment and the whole scheme involving the Heep.
He is apparently let go after providing what was needed, as he is back in command shortly, seen in the last story of the series.

- C-3PO gets sentimental about an object that "was a birthday present from R2", after the group believes R2 to have perished. This
was obviously done for story purposes, but it is unclear why a droid would have a 'birthday', what stage of their assembly that
would be, and why droids would care about such an organic concept related to mortality and lifecycles.


Why do the droids lose their paint job when the Great Heep drains them of energy? This doesn't make very much sense,
but what makes even less sense is that their paint job returns when they are recharged later in the film. This was clearly
a cartoonish addition done to indicate to the audience droids which were drained verses droids still energized.
As with the original Clone Wars series, some artistic license must be allowed to fully enjoy this material.


ANALYSIS
The Outer Galaxies are the seven dwarf galaxies which are satellites of the primary galaxy, and which can be reached by means of
hyperspace travel. Ships from the Core civilization first traveled to some of these yet unnamed dwarf galaxies many millennia before
these events. One of these galaxies is very close to the galactic disk, and the starsystems spaced out in between almost form a bridge
between it and the primary galaxy near the Rishi Maze in the southeastern part of the Outer Rim. This is the region where Chuzzala
is located, and the planet clearly serves as a useful departure point for travel to this nearest one. Two others are slightly farther but
still relatively proximal to the eastern and southeastern extremes of the galaxy. It is not known if all have been visited, or have continued
to be regularly visited, as indeed there are large regions of the primary galaxy which have never been charted or explored by the Core
civilization. Interaction between the galaxies is largely informal and based on traders, expeditions, and private enterprise, such as
the Starhunter's Intergalactic Menagerie. The notable exception to this is the InterGalactic Banking Clan, which has credit offices,
banking centers, and currency exchanges in some of the Outer Galaxies. This allows travelers from the primary galaxy to access their
credits and exchange for local currencies, and for the occasional travelers from these galaxies to trade for credits before journeying to
the primary galaxy. Due to their investments and financial centers in these galaxies, the Banking Clan has better knowledge of the planets,
economics, and politics of some of the Outer Galaxies than anyone else in the galaxy. While there is little political or cultural influence
felt from these galaxies in the primary galaxy, visitors and groups from them have no doubt played some small part in the history of
the Rim. Extra-galactic visitors like the Great Heep are believed to come from even farther away, from one of large galaxies that are
far more distant but still part of the same galactic cluster as the primary SW galaxy. While visitors from the Outer Galaxies are
much more common in galactic history, those who come from other large galaxies beyond are clearly not unheard-of in the galaxy.

The alliance between the Great Heep and the Empire is one of mutual benefit, regardless of whether the Heep was reactivated by Screed's
team for this purpose, or if the Heep just arrived in this galaxy. The Empire gets the aid of an entity which is drawn to fuel resources, which
can rapidly construct its own extraction and processing facilities, and which will not care about the damage it does to a planet or people in
the process. The Empire always prefers to get what it wants at the expense of local civilians, and when it can do that without having its
name attached to the process is icing on the cake, particularly in this Reorganization era of Imperial rule where the military program must
avoid creating too much negative political fallout. The Heep gets a regular supply of astromech units that it needs to power itself, access
to fuel to power its ship, facilities, giant dehumidifier, and army of droid servants, as well as the opportunity to rule over its own domain.
The Heep is alone in this galaxy, and allying himself with the most powerful force in this galaxy which is somewhat like-minded is a natural
and intelligent move. This is why the Heep at first seems somewhat subservient, telling Screed, "The shipment is ready. I will load it at once."
Screed's reply, "Excellent. The Emperor will be pleased", also suggests that the Heep may be participating in this because the Emperor has
somehow demonstrated his great power to the Heep, and that the Heep is actually and rightfully impressed and considers him his superior.
Heep informed Screed by hypercom about Baobab, and as Screed has a particular interest in Baobab has asked the Heep to hold him for
the Empire. When things go wrong, this alliance of convenience between two arrogant and self-interested sides breaks down rapidly,
with the Great Heep calling Screed an "incompetent fool!" and a "tiny minded Imperial twit!", and Screed deriding the Heep as the weak
link in their chain, insisting, "If you weren't so wrapped up with your droid harem none of this would have happened!"

It is clear that the Imperial Military and the Baobab Merchant Fleet are engaged in a struggle for resource discovery and extraction, as
is directly stated by Screed, saying, "Well Baobab, looks like the Empire got to this fuel mine first. How unfortunate for the great Baobab
Merchant Fleet." The Empire is competitive with the BMF because it is not very cooperative with the Imperial program of exploiting
resources, and wishes to establish a mutually beneficial relationship where local planets profit alongside the BMF, as in this instance
Mungo asserts, "this fuel rightfully belongs to the people of Biitu." This runs counter to the economic practices of the later days of
the Republic which are now accelerated under the Empire, where the needs and interests of the Core and its vast population and
industrial machine are given precedence and priority over the interests of the people on the more 'rural' planets where resources are
extracted. Screed insists there is no point in sharing with the colonists, since the devastation caused by the industry will drive them out
of the region. Now that Screed has caught Mungo without allies or anyone powerful to contact for legal intercession, Screed tells Mungo,
"I'll be taking you back in hibernation. The Emperor doesn't want to lose such a valuable prisoner." This will be an opportunity for
the Emperor to have a little chat about the 'troubling' activities of the BMF, and if Mungo is uncooperative, to begin a more open move
against the Baobab family and the BMF for treason or some other exaggerated charge. The great thing about a security state, from
the standpoint of those in power, is that they can always find something to charge someone with if they so desire. The circumstances of
Screed's defeat make returning to punish the Biituians politically problematic, and considering their role in the affair, the Emperor and
the Imperial Military will be far more concerned with the political optics than petty revenge. As Screed is quick to mention, "Round one
to you, Baobab, but the fight is not over yet." The Empire will keep searching for Mungo, and will have plenty of opportunity to deal
with the BMF and other independent-minded organizations over the coming decade, and does not need to take rash action at this point.


FURTHER ANALYSIS
Report Pending