What the blazes is that thing? A new B1?
—A Clone intelligence officer
Flame battle droids were battle droids used by the Trade Federation droid army, the Confederacy of Independent Systems droid army, the Galactic Droid Empire droid army, and eventually the New Confederacy of Independent Systems droid army.
They were basically B-1 battle droids with CZ-28 Flamestrikes instead of their brother's E-5 blaster rifles. Originally manufactured on Eos for the Trade Federation, they were used to kill unusually tough Naboo guards. After the failure of the Trade Federation, they were used during the Wookiee Trade Guild conflict as personal bodyguards to Count Dooku. They also served as threats to the Clone blaze troopers. They served important roles in the Galactic Droid Empire as well, reporting to Darth Tyler himself. After the Treaty of Alliance with the New CIS, they were also very important.
They were very influential in Galactic history, as they helped win several important battles for the Trade Federation, Confederacy of Independent Systems, Galactic Droid Empire, and New Confederacy of Independent Systems. They also inspired the use of the Galactic Republic's clone blaze troopers and the Galactic Empire's magma troopers. Troyb, a Neimoidian from the New Confederacy of Independent Systems, even awarded the Flame battle droids a medal for their actions during the Clone Wars and New Confederacy of Independent Systems and Galactic Droid Empire Wars. Their legacy continued until the New Confederacy of Independent Systems/Galactic Droid Empire was dissolved.
Description[]
I don't really know, sir, it was a battle droid with a flamethrower.
—A Republic officer
Manufactured on the hot, volcanic planet of Eos, they were perfectly trained for using a weapon as unpredictable as the flamethrower. They were nearly identical to battle droids, but several internal components were modified or rearranged. Their databanks were expanded to hold more memory, their reflexes were quickened, and their aiming was improved. After a satisfying showdown between a flame battle droid and an assassin droid equipped with a flamethrower as well, the battle droids were quickly used during the Invasion of Naboo.
Their flamethrowers were modified by the Trade Federation to supply more ammunition and better targeting. Flame battle droids were used on many occasions as commandos. However, they were never officially deemed commandos by the Confederacy or the Trade Federation. Flame battle droids could adapt to virtually any environment, making them more sophisticated than organic commandos that could not adapt to harsh cold environments such as Ilum and volcanic environments such as Eos. They were also used on environments were it was too toxic, such as Raxus Prime.
History[]
Trade Federation[]
Eos[]
They will serve our purposes well.
—Nute Gunray
Baktoid was the first designer of the plans. The Trade Federation, along with the B-1 battle droid, Baron droid, and several other battle droids, bought the plans. At a secret droid facility on the volcanic planet of Eos, the first Flame battle droid prototypes were produced. Several native Eosians were killed in test runs of the Trade Federation. The Federation bought several Pollux assassination droids as examples of armed opponents to test the final finished version of the Flame battle droids. The droids easily won over the assassination droids, fighting with a mixture of quickened reflexes, better memory, improved aiming, and several other advancements of the B-1 battle droids.
Naboo[]
Men, watch those battle droids with the flamethrowers!
—Panaka
The Flame battle droids saw their first deployment during the Sieges of Naboo, killing any citizen or Gungan that stood in the way of the incoming landing crafts and MTTs. After completing this assignment they reported to OOM-9 for their next task: to halt the uprising occurring in the capital city. Several Naboo guards were killed in the battle, and the Flame battle droids set several Naboo guards in flames, killing more and more citizens. After the queen escaped in her Naboo Royal Cruiser, the Flame battle droids were permanently stationed on the Saak'ak command ship in case of the return of the queen. However, once the second battle of Theed began, the Flame battle droids were again more destructive and killed more citizens. After they were shut down by the central droid control ship, they were abandoned by the Trade Federation.
Kashyyyk[]
Escort me to the Wookiee's command post, droids.
—Dooku
The Trade Federation was threatened on Kashyyyk by the Wookiee Trade Guild.
Again, the droid army was deployed to quiet this small conflict. This was the first time the Flame battle droids were given a protection assignment; they were asked to guard Dooku, the new leader of the Trade Federation armies. Dooku fought well as a Sith, and the Flame battle droids scored more victories, this time killing Wookiees. As the battle started to turn to the Federation's favor, the Wookiees fought harder. In the end, the Trade Federation made a victory, and a new conflict began called the Separatist Crisis.
Clone Wars[]
Those Blaze troopers are nothing to you! Nothing! Just slaughter them. They do no good for the CIS.
—Grievous
After the Separatist Crisis became more and more threatening to the Galactic Republic, more and more battles ensued between the newly formed Separatists and Galactic Republic. The Separatist movement quickly was renamed the Confederacy of Independent Systems and the CIS set up a base on the rocky planet Geonosis. More Flame battle droids were produced there.
Geonosis[]
Halt. You will be terminated for attempting to still the Techno Union's Hardcell-class Interstellar transport. Prepare to die.
—Automated termination message
As the newly-created clone troopers of the Grand Army of the Republic were unleashed on the planet of Geonosis, the Flame battle droids were assigned to protect the Techno Union starships from the clone commando squads of the Republic. The Flame droids successfully destroyed Detonation Squad from penetrating a Techno Union ship, but were unable to catch Delta Squad. The Flame droids, now aware of the threat of the clone troopers, began to prepare for a long, devastating war with the clone troopers of the Grand Army of the Republic.
A New Threat[]
Clone troopers with flamethrowers? What's next? A Mountain that cries?
—Flame battle droids
The Galactic Republic, cautious of their clone trooper's lives from the Flame battle droids, started designing several new types of clone troopers wielding flame throwers. The final design was the Clone blaze trooper, approved by Lama Su himself. The Clone blaze troopers were designed to hunt down and destroy any Flame battle droid. Their memory was filled with diagrams and charts of battle droids, their flamethrowers, and anything else needed. They carried a CR-24 flame rifle embedded in both arms, capable of melting Flame battle droids.
Now threatened by the Clone blaze troopers, the Confederacy started hardening the Flame battle droids with Flame-resistant armor, such as Mandalorian armor and Cortosis armor. Although this heavy plating slowed the Flame battle droids down, it also lessened the threat of the Clone blaze trooper.
First encounter with Clone blaze troopers[]
Actually, I think its kind of amusing to set them on fire...
—A Flame battle droid
On Excarga, the Confederacy saw a valuable ore being loaded by the Republic. The ships were guarded by a squad of Clone blaze troopers, so the Confederacy sent in several Flame battle droids to take down the Blaze troopers. The Flame battle droids used their armor wisely, not letting any Clone blaze trooper weaken it unless absolutely necessary. After taking down fourteen of the fifteen Blaze troopers, a legion of battle droids took down anymore Republic troopers and the Confederacy won the battle.
Second encounter[]
A draw. We came out here, fought like a bunch of rancors, and we get a draw.
—Flame droids
The next encounter was on a toxic planet called Raxus Prime. The Flame droids were given the task of flanking the Separatist ships from Clone blaze troopers. Several Hailfire droids took out most of the squads, and the Flame droids took out the rest. As the battle edged toward the Republic's side, more and more Flame droids were destroyed by AT-TEs. However, the Flame droids fought harder until it became a draw between the two sides.
Last encounter[]
Die, you stupid Flame clones or Clone fires or whatever you're called! Die!
—Flame battle droid
The Flame battle droids were given a break for the second year of the Clone Wars. However, when CIS Intelligence discovered Clone blaze troopers on Utapau, Flame battle droids were sent to investigate and exterminate any Blaze troopers possible.
As the Flame battle droids' gunship moved closer to the LAAT/i gunship the blaze troopers were being deployed from, one Clone blaze trooper saw the droids and notified his superiors. Thus began a large flaming battle between the two sides. The Clone blaze troopers resorted to the speed of the LAAT/i and tried to outmaneuver the droids. However, Flame battle droids were programmed to spot weaknesses in flying aircraft. They aimed for the wings and caught both wings on fire. The gunship went down, but several Clone blaze troopers had emergency jetpacks, therefore, the fight continued.
Several Flame droids had ridden on the top of the gunship, trying to kill the Blaze troopers. Finally, after a long fight, several Blaze troopers retreated, seeing the situation was helpless. After this, Grievous was killed by Obi-Wan Kenobi. Subsequently, Obi-Wan fell into a canyon after Order 66, making the two generals either dead or missing. Several Flame battle droids fled Utapau, seeing the battle was about to be lost. Several went to Mustafar, but some went to the Sith Darth Tyler for unknown reasons.
A New Home[]
I like this new government.
—A Flame battle droid
The Flame battle droids that went to Mustafar were eventually destroyed by Darth Vader. The rest, spread across the Galaxy were deactivated by the universal control signal. The ones that went to Tyler were cut from the signal by Tyler himself along with several other battle droids, allowing the battle droids to roam freely without worrying about the signal.
After this, they followed Tyler to Agon Nine where Tyler created the Galactic Droid Empire with all the droids, including the Flame droids, that had followed him. This made the remaining Flame droids part of the GDE.
Battling for the GDE[]
Congratulations, 1-831, you have been promoted to Flame battle droid.
—Darth Tyler
Under the callsigns "FBD" (FBD-1, FBD-2), the Flame battle droids were able to destroy several threats to the GDE. They also participated in the Battle of Cyrillia, the most important battle of the New CIS/GDE Wars. The Flame battle droids became popular among the soldiers of the GDE Military. Many B1 battle droids looked up to the Flame battle droids. Some B1 battle droids were even given the privilege of being a Flame battle droid, through a series of tests. However, if you even missed one target, you went back to your original rank. If you passed, your targeting was enhanced and you were given a different set of weapons. You were then trained by other Flame battle droids. This system lasted until after the Battle of Cyrillia, when the GDE was merged with the New Confederacy of Independent Systems.
Loyalty to a new government[]
I have awarded you a medal of honor for your loyalty to this government.
—Troyb
The Flame battle droids fought in several more battles all across the Galaxy. The number of available Flame battle droids grew as more and more B1 battle droids were given a promotion. Troyb, the leader of the New CIS himself, gave the Flame battle droids a medal of honor. The Flame battle droids continued to battle ferociously and fearlessly until the New CIS/GDE Wars ended.
Legacy[]
Magma troopers? You mean like Flame droids? Go start making some schematics!
—Palpatine
Although not as fast as the Clone assassins and not as well equipped as the Clone commandos, the Flame battle droids proved a valuable tool for the Trade Federation, the CIS, and the New CIS/GDE. Several other armies created Flamethrower-based soldiers, the most notable being the Republic's Clone blaze troopers and the Empire's Magma troopers.
Behind the scenes[]
Flame battle droids are based on the canon Flame battle droids.
Sources[]
- The Newest Essential Guide to Droids (First appearance)