Are the battle droids really all that "weak"?

I've noticed that many fans say "Oh the battle droids are so WEAK."

I recognize that the clones are generally considered superior in creative thinking and are better overall soldiers, but somehow I feel like the battle droids are somewhat underestimated overall.

For one thing, wouldn't a standard battle droid's physical strength be superior to a cloned human's? I know we never saw hand to hand fighting with battle droids, but i kind of wish we had. although the battle droids were thin, I'd imagine they could at least break human bones.

I think a reason they are considered "weak" is that we often see them flying into pieces in the PT at the wrong end of a lightsaber. This always reminded me of GI Joe's B.A.T. (battle android troopers) who were kind of introduced as a way for the Joe's to "kill" the bad-guys without a blood-bath of humans dying. the battle droids always seemed to serve a similar function to me, and because they are often "lightsabered" and quite easily killed by jedi, I think they are somewhat underrated in toughness by fans.

Also they seem easy to quickly mass produce and get into the field without the 10 year growth acceleration and training needed for a clone trooper.

Thinking in terms of contemporary weapons....isn't a robotic soldier perhaps more resistant to small arms fire than an armored human? I guess it depends on the armor, but if any of the worlds they subjugated during the clone wars had weapons similar to modern earth, fighting a droid army would seem pretty terrifying.

I guess what I'm asking is: because the battle droids sometimes were used for comedy and were constantly killed en mass by jedi, do fans dismiss their "toughness" too quickly?

 

They're made of metal and they carry laser guns. They sound pretty threatening to me.

 

I'd say their armor is no more blaster proof than Clonetrooper armor and that the droids' stupidity takes away from the danger they pose as they can be fairly easily tricked, it's the Super Battle Droids that are the real threat especially to those who have the Force as their ally.

 

Well, in the background of the Utapau battle we can see Clone Troopers utilizing some unorthodox fighting styles and the battle droids didn't fare well then either.

Perhaps the Confederacy just thought that the sheer number of their battle droids could overwhelm their numerically inferior Clone Troopers despite their undeniable intelligence and finese on the battlefield.

 

depends on which droids u are refering. the droidekas were certainly NOT weak

 

The battledroids were weak. And dumb too. Even a thrid rate army of apes would have defeated the Gungans in five minutes.

 

Once the Clone Army is activated, the droids are second on the totem pole of awesome galactic warriors, to be sure. But in TPM, the Trade Federation's army is feared by weaker planets like Naboo. Jedi don't have much to fear from them, except for Droidekas, but the Naboo security force buckles quicker than the French when they are initially invaded. Without an Army of the Republic or some Jedi around to help, they are dangerous because of their sheer numbers and huge war machines.

As for their physical strength, they appear very weak. The Gungans can be seen grappling with them and beating them down with blunt objects and their bare hands. They're very easy to kick over, and their heads pop off with the slightest touch. They're just guns with feet, they move and shoot and probably win through intimidation, as no one has an army large enough to stand up to them (or other organizations like the Banking Clan's army, Techno Union's troops, etc). The most dangerous thing about standard battle droids is that they can pilot STAPs and tanks. Super battledroids, however, look strong, and they pack a backhand that I wouldn't want to be struck with. Either way, both models are easily destroyed by small-arms fire. Without shield generators, even a Droideka can be take apart with one well-placed shot by a Clone.

 

I think a reason they are considered "weak" is that we often see them flying into pieces in the PT at the wrong end of a lightsaber.

I agree, DarthSeether.

Please remember, outside of Phrik crystal and Cortosis weave, little can stop the passage of a lightsaber blade. Even triple thickness durasteel merely slows them down. In time, it is slagged (as in TPM).

Later.

 

werent the battledroids created solely because lucas couldnt cut stormtroopers in half because it would be too gory? i read that in an interview with him

 

There was similar thread quite recently (sth like "Were battle droids menacing enough").

But back to the topic: I guess they're like mosqitos - quality over quantity.
You can easily smash every sngle one, but when attacked by the whole bunch of them you may be painfuly hurt.

 

Yeah they seemed weak didn't they. Like cardboard. The destroyers and super battle droids are another matter. As for the battle droids in general they were as useless as their intimidating voice recorders. Mind you effective as a large group or army.

 

Consider this: The Battle Droids are smaller and easier to cut through for a Jedi wielding a Lightsaber.

Also, if a Super Battle Droid is blown away in an explosion from one or two of his owan blaster shots (ROTS< Obi-wan deflecting the shots back at the SBD while Anakin fights Dooku), and a Battle Droid is weaker than a SBD (AOTC, SBD backhands a Battle Droid and destroys it), then I'm guessing a blaster shot would easily take out a Battle Droid, thus it is weaker than most other military units in Star Wars.

 

Whoops! Sorry, but I've just reviewed this thread and noticed my absurd remark.
Of course I meant quite opposite:
they're like mosquitos - quantity over quality.

I hope it makes more sense now.

 

that's what I'm wondering. did standard battle droids just seem weak because of blasters and lightsabers or are they actually pretty flimsy?

I wonder if a person fought one hand to hand how the droid would fare.

 

They would break just by being kicked or psuhed by a jedi or hit by a gungan.

 

Pit a battle droid against any NON force sensitive and see what happens:

 

The Naboo Royal Guards did pretty well against them.

Anyway, I wonder what would happen if a Jedi tried slashing his way through a Destroyer Droid's shields...

 

The clones had very little trouble with them too but as was mentioned earlier the Clones did fight the droids in melee combat in the background in ROTS

 

he'd get shot to pieces. Go get Obi-Wan for X-box and you'll find out how well that tactic works.

 

The Trade Federation was looking for a low cost troop option - battledroids. Any army against a planet with minimal to no defenses(naboo) would be formidable.

 

what about a droid army invading modern day america instead of naboo. how do you guys think the US armed forces would fare? (I mean on the ground, not trying to nuke the control ship or something)

 

After playing plenty of Star Wars: Battlefront, I don't underestimate the collective power of Battle Droids. However, in TPM (especially), AOTC, and ROTS, they are portrayed as somewhat weak. In TPM, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan mercilessly destroy a lot of them, which gives them a weak introduction. It also doesn't help that Jar Jar kills several of them (including a Droideka), by accident, no less! In AOTC, they aren't really portrayed as weak, but they just aren't strong compared to the Clone Troopers. AOTC needed more scenes like the one in ROTS where you see Droids gunning down a bunch of Clones right before Grievous gives his "You are doomed," line. It gave them a sense of power. But that power was quickly taken away when Obi-Wan calls Boga and Boga (I use "Boga" twice in a row because I'm not sure if Boga is a male or female) steps on a Droid while running to Obi-Wan. More Droids are annihilated in the Invisible Hand and Kashyyyk. One very funny scene is when R2-D2 lights a couple Super Battle Droids on fire. In makes them seem quite pathetic, but I guess it makes R2 seem stronger. General Grievous and the Magna Guards (but to a lesser extent) are the only Droids portrayed as powerful or intelligent. Oh well, I still like the Battle Droids.

 

Dont forget the truth of there is no army force(at least a huge army force)at that time in the galaxy,but the jedi order,as we can know we can not count them as army. It's not a good campare ,i think.

On the other hand i agree that the droids look weak,and let me add;they look funny and pitty,even the most horrifying ones;i mean magnaguards,they are pretty dangrerous,however it doesnt seem like that in the film.But i can't think that a droid says ''ups ooo''and runs,here that is funny.

 

For one, their voice. They are given high squeky, *wimpy* voices. Why would GL hide their "true potnetial" behind a weak voice? Second, their actions. Especially in ROTS. Obi-Wan is done with his opponent, and then he turns around and the droid says "Let's get out of here" (or something along those lines), and they don't even try to fight back. They actually *run* away. How are we suppose to believe that they are actually some what powerful when all we see is this?