«Nobot,» also known as «Ghost Droid,» was a 3PO-series protocol droid that constantly walked the streets of Mos Espa on the planet Tatooine. The droid wandered aimlessly across the deserts of Tatooine, and the only thing truly known about it was that it was a resilient unit—despite its travels, it would always find its way back to Mos Espa. The droid became the subject of several tales and anecdotes, most notably from the aging marketplace vendor Jira.
For two peggats, the old vendor would tell her story. Jira claimed that Nobot had been witness to the murder of a young pregnant girl, while some believed the 3PO unit was the killer. Apparently, Nobot would play back an audio recording of the incident, featuring the young woman pleading for her life and screaming in horror as the deed was done.
Beyond that, rumors persisted, claiming that the droid was surrounded by evil spirits or the dark side of the Force. Repeated attempts to destroy Nobot would fail, sometimes with unexplained adverse effects for the droid’s antagonists. Jira’s fellow vendors, listening in on her repeated tellings of the story, would eventually develop their own versions while trying to compete with her.
Although the lack of knowledge in terms of just what Nobot’s purpose and origins were was the cause of the rampant speculation, there was one thing that was known: that it was persistent. The droid would frequently return and roam around Mos Espa, in spite of any adversity faced. The mysterious nature of Nobot, from the perspective of Mos Espa’s citizens, created a wide range of beliefs, theories, and ultimately, profits in the form of Jira’s (and others’) tale-telling. Nobot had gray sensors, silver plating that was charred black, and stood 1.67 meters tall.
The character of Nobot first appeared as an unnamed background droid in George Lucas‘ 1999 prequel trilogy film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. It was later pictured in 2005‘s reference book Star Wars Chronicles: The Prequels, authored by Stephen J. Sansweet and Pablo Hidalgo, with the droid’s picture included as part of the entry for TC-series protocol droids, implying it being that droid class. Nobot was given a nickname and an ambiguous story by Shaun Flaherty (writing as «Jedi Flaherty») through StarWars.com‘s Hyperspace feature, «What’s The Story?» Contrary to Star Wars Chronicles: The Prequels, Nobot was identified as a 3PO-series protocol droid instead of a TC-series protocol droid in that entry. This article assumes that Nobot’s identification as a 3PO-series protocol droid is correct.