Synonymous with Mandalorian warrior culture, the Basilisk War Droid was actually designed by the Basiliskan people, a race of reptilian sentients native to the planet Basilisk. The Mandalorians conquered this planet in the early forty first century BCGT and promptly appropriated these powerful machines into their own arsenals. The Basilisk War Droid is a hexapedal, semi-sentient war machine designed to look like a mechanical cross between a Zalorian rock-lion and a Karran beetle. The first pair of legs are larger and stronger, while the two pairs of rear legs are smaller, but more nimble. Ranging in height from three to almost five metres in height, and boasting an open topped cockpit atop the shoulder, a rider mounted atop a Basilisk war droid was an imposing sight, especially when descending from low orbit on blazing thrusters.

Basilisk War Droids were used by the Mandalorian Crusaders in conflicts ranging from the Battle of Kuar, through the Great Sith War, when they sided with the Sith Lords Ulic Qel-Droma and Exar Kun up to the end of the Mandalorian Wars. Following their defeat at the Battle of Malachor V, most of the War Droids were destroyed by their controllers at the command of the Jedi Knight Revan. However, a good number of these droid were hidden, and while most of these originals have become inoperable over the centuries, recent discovery of a set of usable blueprints has allowed these fearsome droids to be put back in production.

The standard war droid is heavily armoured and shielded, equipped with an efficient power unit that powers the droid’s array of blasters, laser cannons and shields. Effective against both troops and light vehicles, the droid’s weapons ensure that a small number can effectively combat a numerically superior force when handled with skill. They can even brawl at close range, using the claws on their front legs to eviscerate and dismember troops unfortunate enough to come within their reach.

On Year 27, Day 86, Scientists researching the Basilisk Droid completed their work on a readily available production version of it.