Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7 has introduced a brand new style of battle droids for the Separatist army. The B1 and B2 battle droids have reached something of an iconic status in the Star Wars franchise. Appearing in both live action and animated form, they comprised the majority of the Separatists’ forces. In the most recent episode of The Clone Wars, a new class was brought into the fray, which is quite a departure from its predecessors.
In Clone Wars season 7, episode 2, “A Distant Echo”, Anakin Skywalker, Captain Rex, and the newly introduced Bad Batch are on the planet Skako Minor. They have tracked a mysterious transmission to the planet, which Rex believes to be Echo, an ARC trooper thought to have been killed years ago. They run into some trouble with the locals, the Poletecans, but thankfully the two parties talk things out in time. They send the Republic forces in the right direction, prompting them to head for the Separatist base on the planet’s surface. While attempting to break in stealthily, they run into trouble, coming into contact with D-Wing air support droids.
Spindly and quite impractical by design, the D-wing air support droids were a line of troops designed and created by the Techno Union, which is explored thoroughly throughout the show as part of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. They are bipedal with four of what appear to be claw-like hands. Their heads are cylindrical, with a mohawk of sorts protruding from them. All in all, they give off the appearance of regular B1 battle droids that have seen heavy modification, from their thin limbs to their red-and-beige color scheme. Though they appear quite often in the episode, they are not any more effective than their regular droid counterparts.
This was technically their first appearance; however, they also played a role in the unfinished Clone Wars season 7 episodes as well. The follow up to “A Distant Echo” was titled “On The Wings of Keeradaks”, which included the D-wing’s flight ability. This showcased how they were, in some ways, designed to appear like the titular creatures, which are native to Skako Minor and were seen being ridden by the Poletecans when they first ran into Anakin and his crew. It has been confirmed that this episode will be completed for the official release of the Bad Batch arc of Clone Wars season 7, so it is likely they will take to the skies soon enough in canon.
They attempt to overwhelm the Republic heroes, both when they first arrive at the base as well as when they look to enter the room in which Echo was being held. However, they are defeated all the same. Because of this, it is clear why the Separatists would opt to not include them where they were not absolutely essential. After all, these droids were classified by the Techno Union as experimental, so widespread implementation would seem unlikely. If nothing else, it is at least good to see The Clone Wars hasn’t decided to shy away from adding new pieces to Star Wars lore in its final season.
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