TAY-0 was a conceited, racer droid who piloted a modified 12 series speeder repulsorcraft and participated in the celerity sport of Riot Racing on the desert planet Serolonis^[2] between 19 BBY and 18 BBY.^[1] He was bet to win a race for the information broker Ciddarin Scaleback, against her old associate Grini Millegi, with Jet Venim, the reigning champion of the Safa Toma Classic, as his racer.^[3]

To witness the race, Scaleback brought two defective clone troopers from Clone Force 99, to be her bodyguards. Wrecker and Tech, who brought the young female clone Omega with them. During the foremost race, Millegi ordered Venim and the racer Kane to trap TAY-0's speeder in "the crunch", that sent his ship hurdling, destroying him. The clones retrieved his pieces and rebuilt him for a new race with the stakes heightened, but after repudiating Tech's personal strategy of racing he was annihilated by Bosco Brix's speeder and powered down for the final time. Tech participated in TAY-0's place and used his tactics to win the race, and Scaleback's arrears were laid off.^[3]

Biography[]

Worthy of a bet[]

TAY-0 was a droid racer of the Safa Toma Classic by the time of the Imperial Era in between 19 BBY and 18 BBY. He^[3] participated in Riot Races for hundreds of fans with his modified 12 series speeder repulsorcraft in the Safa Toma Speedway of Serolonis. TAY-0 opted for offense over all, with the policy of almost no rules he equipped his speeder with blaster cannons to destroy any competition. The Trandoshan Ciddarin Scaleback began betting currency on TAY-0 against the Dowutin Grini Millegi and his racer, Jet Venim, the reigning champion of the Safa Toma Classic.^[3]

Between 19 BBY and 18 BBY, Scaleback came to Serolonis to witness the race for her earnings with two other employee's from Clone Force 99 to act as bodyguards, Tech and Wrecker who brought the adolescent clone Omega for supervision. Once they had arrived at the Safa Toma Speedway, Scaleback explained to Omega the concept of Riot Racing as they watched from a balcony the Nikto racer Bosco "The Mad Bomber" Brix shoot down a Seven Duece Blaster speeder being piloted by the droid racer "Hyper" Rod, with TAY-0 instantaneously gaining the lead over them. He pushed past Brix and became the victor the race. Shortly thereafter, TAY-0 and Scaleback's crew had a poor first impression, at his pit droid station where TAY-0 did little more than gloat his ascendancy in racing over Tech.^[3]

Following then, TAY-0 was operating on his speeder, and asked the clones and Scaleback to gawk at his artwork, before Millegi and Venim made themselves known with a Gamorrean and the Trandoshan Garnac behind them as bodyguards. Millegi confronted Scaleback about the upcoming race, glaring at TAY-0 to his displeasure until Millegi stated Scaleback's droid would never beat his Nosaurian. Millegi stated they would see who had the better racer.^[3]

Caught in "the crunch"[]

TAY-0 then participated in a race unrelated to the bet, with Scaleback's crew watching on the right sidelines. TAY-0 was in the lead with Venim, the both of them approaching Gambler's Gulch, as the audience shifted their view to the viewscreen's. Scaleback ordered TAY-0 through a comlink not to take the corroded left tunnel out of the available three, to which TAY-0 responded saying he knew what he was doing, and took the center tunnel. From his quarters, Millegi ordered through his own comlink to "Steel Claw" Kane to trap TAY-0 in "the crunch". Kane swerved directly behind TAY-0, with Venim in front, and directed a claw to come out of his speeder and attach to TAY-0's speeder engine. Venim made a buzz saw start to spin and extend from the back of his speeder, and it began slicing into TAY-0's ship to his panic. TAY-0's ship crashed right behind the finish line and TAY-0 was launched out of his speeder and broke into bits upon hitting the ground, with Venim winning the race.^[3]

Scaleback and her crew arrived to the field to salvage TAY-0 and his repulsorcraft while Wrecker began collecting the pieces of TAY-0. Omega suggested they could repair him, until Millegi and his associates arrived to collect the payment. Omega interrupted with a rebuttal, offered for one more race, with Millegi winning double the money if he wins, and them earning Scaleback if they win. After some consideration, Millegi agreed, giving them until tomorrow, him keeping Scaleback with his crew until their victory.^[3]

Back in TAY-0's quarters, the clones worked on repairing TAY-0 and his speeder. Tech brought TAY-0 back to consciousness, immediately stating how capable he was of racing, until noticing he was only a torso. As Tech attempted to reattached TAY-0's right arm, TAY-0 felt Tech was connecting the servomotor incorrectly, and insisted Tech listen to his instructions. Wrecker stated they should take Millegi out, to Tech's denial. TAY-0 told them the last sponsor who were inferior to expectations is now in hiding. Tech complained on how this was not the first time Scaleback had gotten herself into trouble, but TAY-0 told them to complete him and stop talking what was nonsense to him.^[3]

A Tech-nicality[]

After TAY-0 was repaired, he told Wrecker he would not lose again, and wondered why Tech was viewing a race TAY-0 was missing from. He noticed Tech was studying the track layout, and trotted back to his quarters, stating that calculations would not help him, but strategy and skill. Tech told him that his strategy was wrong, and to subvert more power to the shields than weapons. TAY-0 stopped in place and laughed, and was about to tell Tech about his policy on offensive measures, before a speeder crashed into him, driven by Brix. Millegi and his group arrived with Scaleback, in time to witness TAY-0 powering down once and for all, saying that he regretted nothing.^[3]

With TAY-0 gone, Tech engaged in the race, falling to last place in the first lap purposefully, to let the attacks from Venim and other top players take out the weak targets. When he reached Gambler's Gulch, he used the center tunnel before asking Omega to transmit the schematics of the left tunnel to his display. He came under fire by Haxxon "The War Gnome" Trajanix, using his overheating shields to distribute energy from weapons to them. Reaching the end of the tunnel to the view of the spectators, he dislocated the weapons from the speeder to expedite it. Omega and Tech realized that the left tunnel was dilapidated, with a chasm in the floor, but Tech knew with enough speed he could cross it. Brix followed Tech into the tunnel, but while Tech persevered Brix fell. When Tech made it past the Gulch, Venim and Kane enclosed Tech to attempt to use "the crunch," but Tech dodged the grasp of the claw and made it grab onto Venim's ship and take both racers down. Emerging from the dust of his enemies, Tech won the race, and Scaleback's freedom.^[3]

Characteristics[]

TAY-0 was an extremely haughty and supercilious droid when it came to racing, always assuring his success and the strategy he used to attain it. He prioritized offensive measures over all in the dangerous conditions of the Safa Toma Classic, general strategy and skill were what he believed in, as he saw the proficiency in himself. He was diligent in shutting down any contradictions to his scheme, stating calculations were irrelevant.^[3]

Equipment[]

TAY-0 stood slightly taller than Tech,^[3] who was 1.93 meters tall.^[5]

TAY-0 resembled a humanoid, with two arms and legs on either side of him, and five-fingered hands. TAY-0's head had three teal photoreceptor's in the locations of the points of a triangle, with a speaking mechanism under them. His head had the ability of spinning 360 degrees to see behind himself without having to turn his body around.^[3]

Behind the scenes[]

TAY-0 first appeared in the episode "Faster,"^[3] the fourth episode of the Disney+ television series Star Wars: The Bad Batch's second season, which premiered on January 18, 2023.^[7]

The character was the second droid in Star Wars voiced by Ben Schwartz, having done voice work on the astromech droid BB-8 along with Bill Hader in the first installment of the Star Wars Sequel trilogy, Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, being the first appearance of the BB-unit. As well, Schwartz had played a First Order stormtrooper in the film.^[8]

Appearances[]

• Star Wars: The Bad Batch — "Faster" (First appearance)

Sources[]

• This Week! in Star Wars Mandalorian Season 3 Trailer, Riot Racing with The Bad Batch, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link) (Posted on StarWars.com)
• "Faster" Episode Guide | The Bad Batch on StarWars.com (backup link)
• Star Wars: The Bad Batch – Season 2: Volume 1 (Episodes 1-8) (as Tay-0)
• Tay-0 in the Databank (backup link)

Notes and references[]