DSD2 diminutive spider droid

The DSD2 diminutive spider droid was a variant of the more famous DSD1 dwarf spider droid used by the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars. Heavily modified and substantially smaller, as the name suggests, the quadrupedal or pentapedal droid was often employed for remote reconnaissance in addition to combat. Like its predecessor, the DSD2 was designed and created by starwars:Baktoid Armor Workshop under the direction of the Commerce Guild, who sought to capitalise on the dwarf spider droid's success by introducing a small variant that, in its simplicity, would be cheaper and in many ways more effective than the original formation. Distinguishing characteristics of the DSD2 included its size, its spider-like appearance, and its bright yellow eye.

The DSD2 first saw action on its native world of Hypori, where it was used to defend the Confederate manufacturing plants that brought it into being. After this overwhelming victory for the Separatists, the small droids' next notable engagement was on Amaltanna, where Separatist commander Edi Wedd unsuccessfully deployed them in an attempt to terminate Jedi Knight Bultar Swan. Later in the Clone Wars, the spider droids were active during the Outer Rim Sieges. Though initially assisting in the capture of Orto, which was eventually lost to the Republic, they failed to defend Felucia from a clone advance. The remaining units were shut down with the deactivation of the entire droid army. The only considerable impact the model had on galactic history was inspiration for the later tentacled starwars:Viper probe droid along with another recon droid model.

Characteristics
The DSD2 diminutive spider droid maintained the same basic structure as its predecessor, the DSD1 dwarf spider droid. Both droids were furnished with multiple spider-like legs that branched from a central spheroid body. Though the DSD1 was universally a quadruped, the DSD2 fluctuated between a four-legged and five-legged crural design. Both droids were armed with some form of a laser cannon, though the DSD2's cannon was much less powerful. Each model was also endowed with a functional and somewhat intelligent droid brain that, complemented with an antenna, allowed it to process commands from recognised authority and execute its directions based on its particular situation.

However, the DSD2 diminutive spider droid also distinguished itself from the earlier model in several ways. First, while the DSD1 was supplied with a main red sensor, the DSD2's corresponding sensor was yellow to add further variation. Second, the successor DSD2 was equipped with an uncostly but adequate repulsorlift, which facilitated movement both in combat and in reconaissance. Thirdly, the diminutive spider droid was simpler in design, partly because of the smaller-scale and partly because of wartime manufacturing costs. Lastly, and most obviously, the machine was considerably small, even for a probe droid, standing at only a third of a meter.

Conception and creation
The Commerce Guild's introduction of the DSD1 model spider droid was generally favorable among Confederate military leaders. The DSD1 itself was a resize of the OG-9 homing spider droid, also manufactured by the Commerce Guild, for additional speed and maneuverability. The araneiform droids saw combat from the opening conflict, the Battle of Geonosis, to the end of the war. The support of multiple legs balanced the machine more effectively than its bipedal counterparts, and the droid's minuscule frame allowed for a smaller target on the battlefield. The success of the model resulted in two heavy variants―a heavy dwarf spider droid and an advanced dwarf spider droid. It was not until months into the war, however, that Baktoid Armor Workshop, those responsible for the production of the other spider droids, conceived of yet another variant, one that deviated from the enlargement precedent the company was setting.

Consequently, plans for the DSD2 diminutive spider droid were produced as the following model in the dwarf spider droid line. Originally named the D-DSD1, the schematics of the new droid differed so greatly from the extant model that Commerce Guild manufacturers decided to name it the DSD2 in acknowledgement of the extreme shift. The droid was fitted with either four or five legs, an inconsistency resulting from internal bickering and discordant factories, and a yellow sensor to deviate from the standard design. As demonstrated by similar small Separatist recon droids throughout the war, repulsorlifts were an efficient transportation design for lightweight droids. The spider droid was then equipped with a cheap repulsorlift apparatus to increase its mobility. After reviewing weapons, the Commerce Guild eventually mounted a few small laser cannons on its hull for automated self-defense. After contractual agreement with Separatist leaders and completion of the DSD2 prototype, schematics were sent to Commerce Guild factories for limited production of the bantam automaton.

Hypori
One of the first locations that began large-scale production of the DSD2 spider droid was the Hypori droid factory. The factory, overseen by the Confederate Supreme Commander of the Droid Armies General Grievous and other members of the Separatist Council, assembled several thousand of the tiny machines before the Galactic Republic clone army attacked the mountainous planet in hopes of interrupting Separatist industry.

Behind the scenes
The DSD2 is based on an unidentified, but canon, spider droid that appeared only once in a Clone Wars comic entitled Impregnable.