The Marksman-H combat remote, also referred to as a seeker droid and training remote, was a remote used for military training. Manufactured by Industrial Automaton, it was equipped with non-lethal blasters to prevent injuries to the target.
The fast-moving and unpredictable remote was commonly used by marksmen to improve reaction time and aiming skills. In order to prevent damage, remotes were usually shot at with light-only blasts. Many smugglers and bounty hunters also used remotes to perfect their quick-draw skills. Most famously, Han Solo owned and practiced with a Marksman-H model training remote.
The Marksman-H combat remote was a model of remote manufactured by Industrial Automaton. Costing 350 credits, the remote was spherical, measuring thirty-two centimeters in diameter, and was covered with laser emitters, sensors, and maneuvering thrusters. The Marksman-H possessed a rudimentary computer brain, a short-range sensor array, and low-grade deflector shields. The unit was controlled through a handheld signaler that emitted high-pitched coded bursts, and could be controlled in an emergency by a verbal override code.
A small repulsorlift generator was housed underneath the remote's casing which allowed the Marksman-H to move at a top speed of twenty-five kilometers an hour. The remote had a high degree of maneuverability, provided by the eight maneuvering thrusters, allowing the remote to make sharp turns and height adjustments, as well as fast acceleration and deceleration. The emitter nozzles on the Marksman-H could be configured to emit a variety of substances, including stun blasts, compressed air, non-lethal gases, light beams, or audio emanations.
The Marksman-H was used to instruct snipers and help them hone their skills. The sharpshooter's blaster was recalibrated to emit light only, and hits on the remote were registered by the unit's sensors. The remote's computer was pre-programmed with a number of combat drills that were set to conclude either after an allotted time had elapsed, or a number of hits on the unit were scored.
The Marksman-H could run drills from novice levels where the remote moved slowly and the stun blaster was disabled, to expert levels where the remote weaved around the trainee attempting to hit them with stun blasts. Training sessions could move through training levels, increasing the intensity and accuracy of the stun blasts. In addition to be used in the training of blaster combat, Marksman-H remotes were also effective in the instruction of lightsaber, forcing the trainee to deflect numerous stun blasts while waiting for an opportunity to strike.
The laser emitters were stun blasters with variable intensity levels, ranging from a light discharge that caused the part of the body that was struck to tingle momentarily to a heavier discharge that could fully numb an arm or leg. In some cases, the blast could render a person unconscious. The blasters had an optimal range of four meters and a maximum range of thirty-five. The firing rate of the blaster was determined by the difficulty level that the remote was operating under, and the unit was capable of firing at twice a second at the highest level. The accuracy of the blasters were also variable, becoming extremely precise as the difficulty level got more advanced.
Han Solo's Marksman-H
During the time of the Galactic Republic, Jedi younglings would practice Form I/Shii-Cho with these remotes. Indeed, the younglings were using them, under supervision of Yoda, when Obi-Wan Kenobi came to them for help in locating Kamino. Some variants, however, were modified for actual combat in case the Jedi Temple was attacked, as was demonstrated during Operation: Knightfall.
They were also used as shooting-range targets as part of the training of clone sharpshooters during the Clone Wars.
After the birth of the Galactic Empire, several Marksman-H combat remotes were modified to carry out executions to enemies of the Empire. These execution droids would wander population centers and scan for enemies of the Empire based on the identities of known targets stored in their memory banks. Upon locating them, the targets would be executed on the spot.
The smuggler Han Solo kept a Marksman-H aboard the Millennium Falcon, using it for target practice. While on board the ship on route to Alderaan, Luke Skywalker began his lightsaber training under Obi-Wan Kenobi using the remote. Skywalker could not predict what the remote would do, but Kenobi blocked his vision with a helmet equipped with an opaque blast shield to encourage him to use the Force rather than his physical vision. After a little more practice, he managed to block the droid's weapons fire.
The training remote Luke practices with in A New Hope was originally conceived as an automated execution droid used by the Empire.
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