By Robert Musco & Innis Mason

With research comes insight and new information. When the definitive guide was first created myself (Robert Musco) and Innis Mason set out to document an interesting pack in for the Star Wars action figures that was never developed to its full potential. After further research an update was in order.  Below is an updated COMMTech Definitive Guide.  In the future another update with be made to the below comprehensive list.

History:

The history of how the COMMTech (Communication Output Memory Module) technology came to be utilized by Hasbro is an interesting one. Each year at Toy Fair Hasbro made time available to speak with individuals regarding inventor submissions. In 1996, a small British company Innovision Research and Technology Ltd. approached Hasbro with a technology that allowed the capability to store unique ID and data ( in this case sound data) for download. Innovision created several prototypes which were reviewed by Hasbro. One such prototype was a board game which was similar to capture the flag. The game piece figures were given a unique number (ID). The board game would alter the play according to which figure landed on a given spot. For this prototype the figures had a unique ID number and no voice data. The voice data was stored in the board game base. Innovision explained to Hasbro how the unique speech data could be stored in each figure’s chip which would allow the reader to be totally unburdened with the figure data.

The prototype had only ID’s in the figure and all of the data was in the reader. While the capability to download unique data such as speech, etc. from the figure had been developed and explained to Hasbro at the time, its implementation did not happen due to funding limitations. Hasbro recognized the potential in the technology. Hasbro funded the development of the technology in exchange to be able to have exclusive toy rights world wide.

How Does The COMMTech Technology Work:

One has to have an understanding on how the COMMTech technology worked in order to understand why the COMMTech chips speech lines sound the way they do. So how does COMMTech technology work? While I could attempt to re write and translate the information that was provided to me what follows was written by an individual who helped generate much of the information in this definitive guide update. It is to this individual I owe an immense amount of gratitude or else much of this new information would have never been known.

The most basic description is that the reader creates an oscillating electro-magnetic field which energizes a coil antenna in the toy. The energy collected in the coil antenna is then used to power an integrated circuit (IC).  The IC is responsible for “transmitting” the data to the reader. There is actually no real transmitting as the power available to the IC is nowhere near sufficient. The device uses a phenomenon in Radio Frequency (RF) called near field loading which can be altered by the IC. The exact details are beyond the scope of this article however a basic explanation is that the IC changes how much power the transmitter uses to establish the electric field. A high power level is a digital “1” and a low power level is a “0”. With digital ones and zeros established data transfer can occur.

First we have to look at digitized audio, how it works and the different compression algorithms that reduce the actual memory used for data.  Audio in nature occurs in waves.

The image shows a simple sine wave and a 4 bit per point digitized representation of the sine wave.  The higher the sample rate, i.e. the closer the points are together the more accurate the representation and the more memory used up. Memory is the expensive part in a sound chip. The more efficient the memory usage is, the cheaper the chip is. But there is a compromise – that is sound quality. The lower the sample rate the poorer the quality. Wikipedia has a pretty good write up (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_audio).  A common form of data representation in the toy sound chips is ADPCM which uses 4 bits per point. A 1 second wave sampled at 8000 samples per second (SPS) will use 4bits x 8000=32000bits of memory. If you have 20 seconds of speech at 8ksps, that uses up 640kbits of memory.

LPC stands for Linear Predictive Coding. A technology developed by Texas Instruments, the system models the human vocal tract (this is key) by applying constants representing 10 different sections of the speech producing parts of a human vocal tract (i.e. lips, teeth, tongue, hard palate, throat, etc.) The theory involves a great deal of math. An excellent reference book for anyone really interested is: “The Acoustic Analysis of Speech”; by Ray D. Kent and Charles Read; Singular Publishing Group, San Diego, CA.

The advantage of LPC is that it requires very little data to reproduce a spoken phrase. It is on average 100th the amount of data for the same duration of speech. The flipside of that coin is that the reproduction looses some of the unique qualities of that passage. The reason this technology was chosen for the COMMTech tags is due to the limited amount of data space available, and the desire to maximize the speech duration and number of phrases available on the tag. The main limitation of LPC is that it cannot reproduce sounds created by sources other than the human vocal tract. If you can create it with your mouth it can be reproduced. This really explains the reason laser shots etc. were done with the ADPCM technology.

Another limitation of the COMMTech technology was data transfer speed.  If memory serves the writer of this explanation as to how the COMMtech technology worked, the data rate was only about 4000bits/sec.  If a tag was swiped past the reader the average time it was in range to transfer data was about 1.5sec. That gave us enough time to transfer about 6kbits of data. There is overhead (error checking, interaction data, etc.) in the transfer which limited us to about 4Kbits (~20secs) of total data.  If I were to use the ADPCM sampling method, 640kbits of data would take 160seconds! Certainly not a useable solution.

What was written above was highly technical for a Star Wars collector, but explains why the COMMTech chips sound the way they do.  Basically, why does the effects on the Power of the Force two AT-AT Walker sound superior to COMMTech technology?  The reason is due to the usage of ADPCM compression for the AT-AT Walker effects while the COMMTech technology utilized LPC.

To understand how the COMMTech technology works there are four main aspects to understand:

  • LPC: Linear Predictive Coding
  • RFID tags: Radio Frequency Identification
  • Binary Code: Computers use 1s and 0s, this is the Binary number system; binary code is the actual encoded program or data stored in the microcontroller.
  • ADPCM: Adaptive Pulse Code Modulation

The range of the reader was 3cm reliably when the”chip” board was parallel to the reader surface.  Several action figures were created for presentation regarding putting the pcb into the figures chest. Qui – Gon Jinn, Obi – Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Padme were some of the figures developed but the small pcb was still to large to fit into the figure chest. In addition, some of the action figures were too small and the chip wouldn’t fit so this concept proposal was scraped.

In addition, to the COMMTech chips the second generation reader was to include reader cartridges. The original reader had four sound effects (sfx) which could be triggered by buttons on the top, in addition to being triggered by a speech pattern in the figure. The tag that came with the reader triggered the sfx and had a couple of voices. The sfx were stored in a separate sound chip in the reader. Hasbro took this basis further by allowing the sfx chip (reader cartridge) to be changed and another reader cartridge inputted into the second generation reader based on the action figures series.  This now allowed 16 different sound effects to be utilized instead of the previous four. With a bit of development Hasbro was able to get more than 16 sound effects as Hasbro mixed up pieces to create different phrases for R2-D2 to say. How does the data stay stored in the memory of the reader? The answer is the battery kept power to the LPC chip which maintained that data as long as the batteries were not disconnected.

Unfortunately, the proposal for a second generation COMMTech chip was ultimately cancelled in favor of using a bio card called a Force File. Switching to the bio card (Force Files) was cost effective to Hasbro, and for collectors it marked the end of the line to what many considered horrible sounding computer dialogue, some of which didn’t even appear in the film(s). However, before the final decision was made Hasbro was far along in the developmental process of creating a second generation of more authentic sounding audio micro chips to package with their Star Wars Power of the Force Two and Episode One action figures.

Hasbro also felt that the first generation COMMTech chip shells were collectible in their own right, so it could be possible that they were giving one last effort to modify an existing collectible idea to children. Each character chip had a small photographic insert image of the character that it came packaged with, and the voice lines on the audio chip acted as the equivalent to the information that is seen on the back of sports cards and card role playing games. They were small enough to act as a type of trading card, and could even be worn on the ball type chain that came packaged with the first generation COMMTech reader unit. Since Hasbro’s other big toy license of 1999 was Pokemon, Hasbro was hoping that younger boys and girls would treat the COMMTech chips as a type of trading card, much like the Pokemen trading card game thus creating an artificial demand from young boys and girls who would want to buy all the figures, just to obtain the COMMTech chip. Since certain characters such as Ric Olie, Senator Palpatine, and Chancellor Valorum remained on the store shelves, perhaps Hasbro thought that packaging certain less popular characters with COMMTech chips just to sit on the toy shelves was not cost effective. Considering how much packaging the new technology was costing the company, it seemed logical from a financial standpoint to stop producing the COMMTech audio chips.  While other packaging costs have to be taken into consideration, the average cost to create a COMMTech chip was about 11.5 cents.

Originally as previously stated above Hasbro wanted to develop the COMMTech chip to be a part of the action figure by having the chip implanted into the action figure and package the figure with a stand.  Unfortunately, at the time of development the technology wasn’t there as the pcb voice chip was too large so the proposed idea was scrapped.  Pictured below is the stand which is all hand made, and created to fit the stance of a Sandtrooper action figure and is much smaller than the final released version of the COMMTech chip. Essentially, the basic groundwork of an action figure / display stand idea can be seen, which is the other function the COMMTech chips could be utilized for.  Hasbro later re-implemented the stand idea with the Clone Wars animated cartoon series of action figures.

Looking to possibly continue with the COMMTech chip pack in, Hasbro was looking to develop a better sounding more functional COMMTech chip reader.  The second generation reader was to have more features than the first released version of the reader. A reader cartridge was to have been one of the new features to the reader. By pressing one of the buttons located at the bottom of the reader the user can activate one of the sounds from the reader cartridge. The reader cartridge had the following eight sounds: generator hum, pod racer flyby, Colo creature roar, lightsaber battle, blaster battle, explosion, sith probe droid, and battle droid.

The example pictured above is a fully functional working example of the proposed second generation COMMTech reader.  The second generation reader was to be powered by six triple A batteries, instead of just one nine volt battery as the first generation reader was.  To turn the power for the reader on the user would have pressed the triangle looking button located on the left side of the reader next to the small speaker. The main new sound feature was the addition of eight new sounds that could be played by inserting the reader cartridge into a slot located on the right side of the reader. Once plugged in the sounds of the reader cartridge could be played by pressing down on one of the eight circular buttons. These eight sounds included a generator hum, pod racer flyby, Colo creature roar, lightsaber battle, blaster battle, explosion, sith probe droid, and a battledroid. For this particular working example once the reader cartridge was inserted the far left button played the battle droid sound. The button second from the left played the sith probe droid sound. The circular button third from the left played the explosion sound. The fourth and final circular button located on the left side of the reader played the blaster battle sounds.

The circular button located closest to the reader cartridge played the generator hum sounds. The second button from the right played the pod racer flyby sound.  The third button from the right played the Colo creature roar sound, and the fourth button from the right played the lightsaber battle sounds. These sounds are in a different order than what is pictured in the first photograph above.

Hasbro’s plan was to include this reader cartridge with the main base second generation COMMTech chip reader, and have all of the sounds included for the first of the then upcoming new wave of figures. For subsequent waves, you would have to buy a reader cartridge with the new sounds. Below is a better close up example of the reader cartridge.

In order for the user to play a COMMTech chip the user placed the chip over the center circle which is where the scan area for the COMMTech chip was now placed. The two flat based areas on the reader acted in a similar fashion to the storage buttons from the first generation reader. To store the phrases for playback the user scanned the chip over the scan area, and then pressed on the flat based area which is a type of button. The reader will then give the user the loading sound letting the user know that the chip has been stored. The final loaded confirmation sound is similar to an Artoo whistle. Once the chip has been stored the user could then press down on the flat area button again to hear the phrases from the loaded chip. The chip conversation feature could have also been utilized. For example, the unproduced Anakin Skywaler second generation chip phrase “will I ever see you again”, will receive a response from the unproduced Shmi Skywalker chip correctly by playing the phrase “we will see each other again”.  There are several functional unproduced readers known, however no known boxed or carded examples of the second generation reader are currently known to exist.

Interesting to note is the fact that the 4.0 Reader was probably not meant to directly replace the first generation reader. On the back of the cards of the second generation figures the first reader is still advertised for use with the new advanced COMMTech chips. Both chip styles play fine on the first generation reader. The intent of the 4.0 Reader was probably why it is called a “BattleStation” as it allowed the ability to have more than one figure on the reader to both “battle” and interact with the other figures as well to record the “battle” or interaction on a sound module. If one wished to only play the lines of one figure at a time the first generation reader would still be the standard.  From a marketing point of view Hasbro knew that the first reader wasn’t selling and proposed to replace it with the second generation reader which would obviously be higher in cost would be unwise, instead it was probably meant as an alternative with boosted up features that would attract consumers to buy it.

Pictured above are comparison shots between the first shot shell and the production shell along with notes on the changes.  The most apparent change between them besides the color is on the backside, on the blue unproduced example the Star Wars logo has the (TM) trademark graphic affixed, while the yellowish / orange example lacks the (TM) trademark graphic. The other smaller changes are noted in the comparison shots. One change that is only noticeable when looked at in person is the little fake “circuits” on the inside of the shell are reversed between the first shot and the production shell.  I have tried to get a picture of that change but it just didn’t show up in pictures.

Besides the yellow / orange example of the first shot pictured above there are proven examples of the first shot in blue, clear, and even solid white. Both the first shot and production shells allow for the new feature of the “stacking” the chips on top of one another.  Each shell has a hole on the back side that allows the peg of another to fit into and stacked upon it. Once again proving the collectability of the chip. This is an improvement from the first generation square shells which lack this feature, for both display and storage aside from the use of the metal chain included with the first generation reader. Although both the square shells and oval shells can be stored on the chain, only the oval ones had the ability to stack upon one another.

Examples of solid yellow mold injected shells also exist. Shells such as these have been found to be both empty of the audio electronics as well as with electronics as seen above.

Chip Interaction:

With the second generation of COMMTech chips was the development of interactive conversations between two chips (tags). While most of the chips were not defined in documentation as to which chips interacted with each other some documentation presents an insight to how the new reader created various role play scenarios. More study needs to be done regarding the chip interactions with one another and what speech lines are exchanged but examples include Anakin Skywalker interacting with Shmi Skywalker. The proposed Lott Dodd chip was to have interacted with several other chips including Senator Palpatine, Chancellor Valorum, and most likely Mas Amedda.  The proposed Darth Sidious (Hologram) chip was to interact with the Nute Gunray chip. Further analysis of documentation needs to be done. Once the analysis is completed an update to the definitive guide will be done to provide the additional information.

Unfortunately, the possible re-release of certain chips is clearer in some cases but not in others.  Below the list includes both released chips as well as chips that were at least considered, for re-release with more dialogue lines.  In several cases only the chip name is known.  Some chips had the addition of one line, while several chips had multiple new dialogue lines considered.  It is unknown in regards to how accurate the new dialogue lines are for some of the chips.  Based on past research one can only conclude that the chips that were to have new speech lines (if any) are correct.

What follows is the information currently known in regards to the unproduced second generation of COMMTech chips. While the chip numbers are presented in a list format, documentation located has the chips planned out in a matrix format of 19 catagories. The dialogue lines listed below were only proposed lines, so not all of the lines listed for a particular chip may have been used (when known).

Figure Chip #1 Toys R Us Winner:

  • There was to be a chip for a promotion involving Toys R Us.

Figure Chip #2 Toys R Us Loser:

  • There was to be a chip for a promotion involving Toys R Us.

Figure Chip #17 Qui – Gon Jinn (Soft Goods):

Speech lines on the production chip:

  • “Obi – Wan wait! We must attack as one force.”
  • “You overestimate your skills….”(lightsaber battle)
  • “Obi – Wan he will bring balance….train him.”

Proposed speech lines on the re release chip:

  • “Obi – Wan wait…control your anger…we must attack as one force.”
  • “You overestimate your skills…”
  • “Obi – Wan….promise.”
  • “Promise me you will train the boy.”
  • “He is the chosen one.”
  • “He will bring balance…train him.”

Figure Chip #19 Obi – Wan Kenobi (Soft Goods):

Speech lines on the production chip:

  • “Don’t drop your guard!”
  • “Do not underestimate the power of the force…I am a Jedi!”
  • “Prepare to die Sith!”
  • “Anakin you will become a Jedi…I promise.”

Proposed speech lines on the re release chip:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Figure Chip #27 Darth Sidious (Hologram):

Speech lines to have been included:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Figure Chip #30 Naboo Royal (Security) Guard:

Speech lines on the production chip:

  • “Yes sir!”
  • “Blast that tank—Now!”
  • “Wait for the queen’s signal…before we attack.”
  • “Battledroids!…It’s a counter attack…open fire!”

Proposed speech lines on the re release chip:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Figure Chip #37 Plo Koon:

Speech lines to have been included:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Figure Chip #38 Destroyer Droid (Battle Damage):

Proposed speech lines on the re release chip:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Figure Chip #39 Gungan Warrior:

Speech Lines to have been included:

  • Blaster fire short
  • “Da droid army is attacking!”
  • “Wesa in big doodoo.”
  • “Target da mackineek machines.  Fire!”
  • “Starting up da shields!”
  • “General Jar Jar da droids are breaking through da energy shields!”
  • Blaster fire long
  • “The droids they are broken. Yahoo!”
  • “Mackineek energy blasts no getting’ through!”

Alternate proposed speech lines for the Gungan Warrior chip:

  • “Gungan Warriors!, prepare for ground assault!”
  • “Wesa must hold our position until da droid ship tis destroyed!…wesa must not fail!”
  • “Energize da shield generators!”
  • “Yeh!, Da shields aresa holdin’! Mackineek energy blasts aresa not getting’ through!”
  • “Da mackineek droids aresa penetratin’ da energy shield!”
  • “General Jar Jar!,…da droids are attackin’… they have broken through!”
  • “Target da mackineek machines… Cadapultsa, stand by….launch.”
  • “Reload weapons!…Fire!

Figure Chip #40 Lott Dodd:

Speech Lines to have been included:

  • “This is outrageous….”
  • “I object to the Senator’s Statements!”
  • “I object there is no proof!”
  • “We recommend a commission be sent to Naboo.”

Figure Chip #44 R2 – B1 Astromech Droid:

Speech lines on the production chip:

  • Various pitched astromech sounds

Proposed speech lines on the re release chip:

  • Various sounds with explosion

Figure Chip #45 Darth Maul (Soft Goods):

Speech lines on the production chip:

  • “You are no match for the Sith!”
  • “You are powerless against the dark side…”
  • “Prepare to die…Jedi!”

Proposed speech lines on the re release chip:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Figure Chip #47 Queen Amidala (Light – Up):

Originally chip #47 was designated to be Queen Amidala (Light – Up). The proposal was changed to the Tusken Raider (see below).

Speech lines to have been included:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Figure Chip #47 Tusken Raider:

Carded Sample: (No Chip)

Carded Sample: (With Chip)

       Carded Sample: (European – COMMTalk Sticker)

Speech Lines to have been included:

  • Tusken growl
  • Tusken growl, blaster fire
  • blaster fire, Tusken growl, blaster fire
  • blaster fire
  • Tusken growl
  • “Looks like a few Tusken Raiders are camped out on the canyon dune turn!”

Figure Chip #48 Battle Droid Security:

Speech Lines to have been included:

  • “These Gungans are nomatch for our forces. They will be destroyed quickly sir.”
  •  “Viceroy, the Jedi have broken through our defenses.” lightsaber sounds
  •  Blaster fire
  •  “Viceroy we have captured the Queen.”
  •  “Weapons loaded and charged. Fire!” blaster fire
  •   “Roger, roger. Blast them!” blaster fire

Figure Chip #49 Daultay Dofine (Nimoidian):

Speech lines to have been included:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Figure Chip #50 Sio Bibble:

Speech lines on the production chip:

  • “How will you explain this invasion to the senate?”
  • “This invasion will gain you nothing.”
  • “A communications disruption could only mean one thing…invasion.”

Proposed speech lines on the re release chip:

  • “How will you explain this invasion to the senate?”
  • “Your negotiations seem to have failed ambassador.”
  • “They wouldn’t dare!”
  • “Our only hope is for the senate to side with us.”
  • “…Senator Palpatine will need your help.”
  • “This invasion will gain you nothing.”
  • “The people have decided.”
  • “They will not live under your tyranny!”

Figure Chip # 51 Bail Antilles:

Originally chip #51 was designated to be Bail Antilles. The proposal was changed to the Pit Droid Two Pack (see below).

Speech lines to have been included:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Figure Chip #51 Pit Droid Two Pack:

Proposed speech lines on the re release chip:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Figure Chip #52 Nute Gunray (Hologram):

Speech Lines to have been included:

  • “Close the blast doors.”
  • “…This is impossible!
  • “She has disappeared my lord.”
  • “One Naboo cruiser got past the blockade.”
  • “Ah, victory!”
  • Blaster fire short
  • “They must be dead by now.
  • “Destroy what’s left of them.”
  • “Process them.”
  • Blaster fire long

Alternate proposed speech lines for the Nute Gunray Hologram chip:

  • “Distract them….”
  • “…I will contact Lord Sidious.”
  • “Seal off the bridge.”
  • “That will hold them.”
  • “Impossible….”
  • “What is going on down there?”
  • “I want droid decars up here at once!”
  • “This is getting out of hand.”
  • “Now there are two of them.”
  • “We have taken over the last pockets of primitive lifeforms.”
  • “We are in complete control of the planet now.”

Figure Chip #53 Coruscant Guard:

Carded Sample: (Without Chip)

Carded Sample: (With Chip)

Speech lines to have been included:

  • “Security craft have been sent to escort the Queen’s ship.”
  • Blaster fire long
  • “Chancellor Valorum the starship from Naboo has entered our airspace.”
  • “Chancellor, the guards are in position, and the landing platform has been secured.”
  • Blaster fire short
  • “Central control has confirmed that the flight path for the cruiser has been cleared.”

Figure Chip #54 Mas Amedda:

Carded Sample: (Without Chip)

Carded Sample: (With Chip)

Speech lines to have been included:

  • “The supreme chancellor requests a recess.
  • “Order! We must have order!”
  • “You must appoint a commission!”
  • “Control of the senate must be maintained.”
  • “The queen’s request must be challenged!”
  • “Chancellor Valorum, you must do something!”

Figure Chip #55 Obi – Wan Kenobi (Jedi Cloak):

Carded Sample: (With Chip)

  • “I am ready to face the trials.”
  • “I will train Anakin. Without the approval of the Council if I must..”
  •  “Counsel has granted me permission to train you.”
  •  “You will be a Jedi I promise.”
  •  “Master Yoda, I gave Qui – Gon my word.”
  •  “Qui – Gon believed in him.”

Figure Chip #56 Jar Jar Binks (Swimming):

Speech lines on the production chip:

  • “Exsqueeze me! Wesa going in the water okeyday?”
  • “How wude!!”
  • “Captain Tarpels, mesa back!”
  • “Mesa General!”

Proposed speech lines on the re release chip:

  • “Oy mooie mooie I luv yous.”
  • “I spake.”
  • “No no mesa stay.”
  • “Mesa called Jar Jar Binks.  Mesa yous humble servant.”
  • “Oh boot it is.”
  • “Tis demunded by da gods tis a live debt it is.  Oh no.”
  • “Well yousa Jedi not so special as yousa cracked to be.”
  • “Where wesa going?”
  • “Oh maxie big da force.”
  • “How wude!”

Figure Chip #57 R2 – D2 (Battle Damaged):

 

Carded Sample: (With Chip)

Speech lines to have been included:

  • Various beeps and whistle dialogue lines from the films

Figure Chip #58 General Ceel:

Speech lines to have been included:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Figure Chip #59 Padme (Original):

Speech lines to have been included:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Figure Chip #60 Sabe:

Speech lines to have been included:

  • “Viceroy your occupation here has ended.” blaster fire
  • “My name is Sabe. I’m the queen’s royal bodyguard.”
  • “Queen Amidala we will create a diversion so that you can capture the Viceroy.”
  • “We have searched you out because we wish to form an alliance.” blaster fire
  • “I am queen Amidala of the Naboo.”

Figure Chip #61 Jar Jar Binks:

Speech lines to have been included:

  • “Wit no-nutten mula to trade.”
  • “Pee yousa!”
  • “Oh no, dissen ganna be messy!
  • “Me no watching!”
  • “Come on Annie!”
  • “Dis in very, very, bad.”
  • Blaster fire short
  • Sticking out of tongue sound
  • “Dis sun doen murder ta mesa skin.”
  • “Ooooh… icky… icky goo!

Figure Chip #62 Wald w / Droid:

Speech lines to have been included:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Figure Chip #63 Ketwol:

Speech lines to have been included:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Figure Chip #64 Qui – Gon Jinn (Farmer Poncho):

Speech lines to have been included:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Figure Chip #65 C – 3PO (Take Apart):

Speech lines to have been included:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Figure Chip #66 Anakin Skywalker (Mechanic):

     Carded Sample: (With Chip)

        

Speech lines to have been included:

  • “I’m the only human that can race pods.”
  • “I can fix anything!”
  • “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to finish you.”
  • “I’m building a droid.”
  • “I’ve built a racer.”
  • “It’s working!”
  • “What will happen to me now?”
  • “Will I ever see you again?”
  • “I will come back and free you mom.”
  • “Cha skrunee da pat, sleemo.”

Figure Chip #67 Shmi Skywalker:

   Speech lines to have been included:

  • “I don’t want you to race,… It’s awful.”
  • “I may not like it, but he can help you… he was meant to help you.”
  • “Is he to become a Jedi?”
  • “We will see each other again.”
  • “Now be brave, and don’t look back… don’t look back.”
  • “We must survive on our own.”

Figure Chip #68 Sebulba:

Speech lines to have been included:

  • “Yoka to Bantha poodoo (laughter).”
  • Blaster fire short
  • “Una notu wo shag, me wompity.”
  • “Neek me chawa, wermo, mo killee ma klounkee.”
  • “Oh oh (laughter)…Bazda wahota, shag.”

Figure Chip #69 Kitster w / Droid:

Speech lines to have been included:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Figure Chip #70 Quarrens (Squid Face):

Speech lines to have been included:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Figure Chip #71 Queen Amidala (Battle – Soft Goods):

Speech lines on the production chip:

  • “The Gungans must draw the droid armies away for the cities.”
  • “Let’s go!”
  • “Your honor, I ask you to help us, our fate is in your hands.”
  • “The battle is a diversion.”

Proposed speech lines on the re release chip:

  • “Our two great societies have always lived in peace.”
  • “I ask you to help us.”
  • “The battle is a diversion.”
  •  “The Gungans must draw the droid army away from the cities.”
  •  “Without the Viceroy they will be lost and confused.”
  •  “We’ll see what pilots we have to knock out the droid control ship orbiting the planet.”
  •  “Well that is why we must not fail to get the Viceroy…”
  •  “Let’s Go!”
  •  “Now Viceroy we will discuss a new treaty.”

Figure Chip #72 Anakin Skywalker (Naboo Pilot):

Speech lines on the production chip:

  • “R2 get us off auto pilot.”
  • “…You did it R2.”
  • “Take this…and this…woah!”
  • “Right R2…Let’s get out of here.”

Proposed speech lines on the re release chip:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Figure Chip #73 Darth Sidious (Hologram):

Speech lines on the production chip:

  • “And queen Amidala…has she signed the treaty?”
  • “This is my apprentice Darth Maul.  He will find your lost ship.”

Proposed speech lines on the re release chip:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Figure Chip #74 TC – 14 Protocol Droid:

Speech lines on the production chip:

  • “I’m TC – 14 at your service.  This way ambassadors.”
  • “We are greatly honored by your visit.”
  • “Make yourselves comfortable.”
  • “My master will be with you shortly.”

Proposed speech lines on the production chip:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Figure Chip #75 Boss Nass:

 Speech lines to have been included:

  • “Ke ke ke ke mesa like dis.”
  • “So, wesa maken yousa Bombad General.”
  • Shaking head noises
  • “Ke ke ke ke ke ke.”
  • “Peace!”
  • “Yousa all bombad.”

Figure Chip #76 Fode and Bede:

Speech lines to have been included:

  • “Gasgano.”
  • “Granee champion Sebulba, and young Anakin Skywalker a local boy.”
  • “O grandio lust, Jabba Du Hutt.”
  • “Sebulba is in the lead, followed closely by Skywalker! It’s Skywalker!”
  • “I see Ben Quadianaros.”
  • “Inkabunga!”

Figure Chip #78 Darth Maul (Break Apart):

Speech lines to have been included:

  • “I sense your weakness.”
  • “Now Jedi you will die!” (lightsaber sounds)
  • “Fear is my ally.”
  • “I will destroy you!” (lightsaber sounds)
  • “Your master is defeated!”
  • “Your destiny now lies with me.”

Figure Chip #80 Ben Quadreneros:

Speech lines to have been included:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Classic Figures (marked with a C designate)

The Classic figure assortment is a little difficult to confirm a designated chip number to several of the figures as the information is currently not available. Some action figures appear to be a repackage of a previous release.

Figure Chip #C8 Princess Leia Organa (Blockade):

Speech lines on production chip:

  • “I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board.”
  • “Will someone get this big walking carpet out of my way?”

Proposed speech lines on the re release chip:

  • “Darth Vader, only you could be so bold.”
  • “I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board”
  • “Will someone get this big walking carpet out of my way?”

Figure Chip #C9: Admiral Motti:

Speech line on the production chip:

  • “Your sad devotion to that ancient religion has not given you clairvoyance enough to find the rebels hidden fortress.”

Proposed speech line on the re release chip:

  • “Your sad devotion to that ancient religion has not helped you conjure up the stolen data tapes.”

Figure Chip #C10 Chewbacca (Dejarik Game Board):

Carded Sample: (With Chip)

 Carded Sample: (COMMTalk – With Chip)

 

Speech lines to have been included:

  • Blaster fire short
  • Blaster fire long
  • “It’s not wise to upset a Wookie.”
  • “That’s ’cause a droid don’t pull people’s arms out of their sockets whey they lose.”
  • alien sounds from dejarik game board
  • Chewbacca growls
  • “He made a fair move, screaming about it can’t help you.”
  • “Let the Wookie win.”

Figure Chip #C11 Wuher The Bartender:

Speech lines on the production chip:

  • “No blasters!”
  • Droid Alarm (sound effect)
  • “Hey, we don’t serve their kind here.”
  • “Your droids, they’ll have to wait outside.”

Proposed speech lines on the re release chip

  • Droid Alarm (sound effect)
  • “Hey, we don’t serve their kind here.”
  • “Your droids, they’ll have to wait outside.”
  • “We don’t want them here.”

Figure Chip #C12 Obi – Wan Kenobi:

Speech lines to have been included:

  • Lightsaber sounds
  • “In my experience there’s no such thing as luck.”
  • “The force is what gives a Jedi his power.”
  • “It’s an energy field created by all living things….it surrounds us and penetrates us…it binds the galaxy together.”
  • “It’s your father’s lightsaber, this is a weapon of a Jedi knight.”

Figure Chip #C13 (number unconfirmed) Jek Porkins:

Carded Sample Mock Up: (Without Chip)

Speech lines to have been included:

  • “Red six standing by.”
  • “I’ve got a problem here…eject…I can hold it…pull up…No!…No!…aaaah!”
  • “I’m going in!  I’m right with you red three!”
  • “We’ve picked up a new group of signals. Enemy fighters coming your way.”

Figure Chip # Unknown C-3PO:

Speech lines to have been included:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Figure Chip # Unknown Dagobah Spirit Darth Vader:

Speech lines to have been included:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Figure Chip # Unknown Luke Bacta Tank:

Speech lines to have been included:

  • Currently Unknown At This Time

Written by: Robert Musco, Anonymous, and Innis Mason.  All images are from the collections of: Robert Musco, Innis Mason, and Joe Leung.  Please ask for permission before using any of the information and / or images contained within this article.  Copyright 2002 – 2018.