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A navigator and pilot droid, the RX unit is installed in the cockpits of transport vessels. Those chipper, talkative droids are meant to interact with passengers on commuter starships, and offer helpful travel information and safety tips.

Star Tours

As soon as Star Tours came into business, which is now a couple of decades ago, Reubens Robotic Systems designed the RX droid series as specialized pilots for the StarSpeeder 3000 spacecraft. As is the case with many other aspects of the Star Tours undertaking, the RX droid is a pinnacle of efficiency. The care and attention that were put in the design of the RX droids can perhaps best be illustrated by the fact that it was Company Executive Officer Paul Reubens himself who lent his voice to the droids. The RX model packs the maximum amount of piloting capabilities into a minimum amount of space. This has as a side effect, however, that the design is not as aesthetically pleasing as is the case with many other droid series.

Broken unit

The RX unit pictured is the unfortunate predecessor of RX-24. He suffered severe damage on one of the Tours he was piloting and had to be submitted for repairs. G2-3B is currently tackling the complicated task of repairing RX, but has had little luck in doing so for almost two decades now… yet he keeps working tirelessly as only a droid can.

Star Tours: The Adventures Continue

Several malfunctioning RX pilots can be found boxed up in the Star Tours starports, ready to be shipped out.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

An RX droid named Zee-Thirty-Seven (Z-37) can be seen in the comic Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Enemy Within.

Star Wars: Rebels

R2-D2 is under orders to deliver Imperial data intercepted on Lothal to the Alderaanian embassy on Adarlon. The fastest way is to take a commuter shuttle, but the stubborn RX droid has a programming glitch that is keeping the ship grounded. When R2-D2 rolls up to the cockpit, hoping to take control of the ship, the malfunctioning RX droid puts up a fight.

Concept and video from Star Wars Rebels episode Droids in Distress. Images ©Lucasfilm/Disney

Gallery

Behind the scenes

Imagineer Chris Runco, together with George Lucas, was the person responsible for the original RX-24 design. On the next picture you can see him creating a green foam plastic prototype, surrounded by original sketches. Aluminium was used for the final construction.

Sources

• Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Enemy Within (Jeremy Barlow)
• Star Wars Rebels: Head To Head (Pablo Hidalgo)