Droid

The earliest origins of droids were lost to history and by the time of the New Republic it was unknown exactly when the first droid was created. Nevertheless, for millennia, droids served in galactic society alongside organic beings. Droids existed as far back as the earliest days of the Jedi Order, which was founded over 5,000 years before the Clone Wars. One such ancient droid, Professor Huyang, served the Jedi for several millennia. As a result of this ancient coexistence with living beings, the galaxy often had an uneven relationship between organics and mechanicals. Records of uprisings and clashes between droids and their organic overlords became increasingly common as droids slowly became more important in galactic society.

During the pan-galactic conflict known as the Clone Wars, the Confederacy of Independent Systems used a variety of battle droids in its fight against the Galactic Republic. This mass-use of droids in combat cemented the idea of the "droid as an existential threat to biological life" narrative in the minds of the Republic. Ultimately, the Republic won the war and was replaced by an authoritarian Galactic Empire. Under the new regime, many people in the galaxy were afraid or otherwise distrustful of droids, due to their bad memories of the conflict. The Rebel Alliance, which opposed the Empire, treated droids not as property but as sentient beings. This feeling was later reciprocated by the New Republic and Resistance.