Model: Confederacy of Independent Systems Comlink Booster Pack
Type: Comlink Booster
Cost: 350
Availability: 2 or 3
Game Notes: The backpack comlink booster increases comlink range from 50 kilometers up 5,000 kilometers, the middle range for low earth orbit. Furthermore it uses more advanced security algorithms.
Background: A comlink booster pack was a piece of technology worn on the backsides of most B1-series battle droids. It varied in design and usage for various battle droids, with differences between B1 droid sub-models, the droids’ military position and affiliation, as well as specific groups of droids.
B1-series battle droids with rust-brown plating at the Geonosis primary droid foundry’s assembly lines were each installed with a comlink booster pack. The booster pack was a piece of technology that most B1-series droids wore on the back of their torso.
The shape and appearance of the pack differed between those worn by B1-series droids produced for the Trade Federation Droid Army and B1 droids manufactured for the Separatist Droid Army. Two antennae of differing length extended from a Trade Federation droid’s booster pack when the battle droid was activated by a central computer, whereas some Separatist droid’s pack featured only one antenna. However, Separatist B1-series battle droids present at the First Battle of Geonosis, which were manufactured by the natives of Geonosis, had two antennae of differing length.
The booster pack was fit over twin railings on the backs of Separatist battle droids, and Federation droids’ packs featured numerical markings identifying the droid wearing it. Whilst a battle droid without the pack holstered their standard E-5 blaster rifle on one of two railings installed on the back of their torso, a Federation battle droid equipped with the booster pack placed their blaster rifle aside the pack, with booster pack–equipped Separatist droids of the Agamar garrison—who remained on the planet Agamar during the Galactic Civil War after crash-landing on the world during the Clone Wars—instead storing their blaster rifles at the back of the pack.
The antenna was not extended for Separatist battle droids aboard the bridge of a Munificent-class star frigate participating at the Battle of Quell, and droids stationed aboard the bridges of the Confederacy Munificent-class frigates commanded by Cad Bane at the Battle of Devaron lacked the booster pack entirely.
Of the OOM-series battle droid line, only some OOM command battle droids wore a booster pack. Additionally, Separatist battle droids who served on Having been promoted as a commanding officer in Ventress’s army early in the Clone War, the Separatist OOM command battle droid 224 had a yellow, circular marking on his booster pack, although it lacked the numerical markings that identified the droid’s designation. OOM-9, the Trade Federation field commander of the Battle of Naboo against the native Gungan population, lacked a comlink booster pack, although the OOM command battle droid had the pack’s two antennae installed on the back of his torso.