The HMOR homing droid represents a homing droid of the fifth-degree classification. It was manufactured by the Imperial Department of Military Research and saw action during the Galactic Civil War.
This HMOR unit exceeded the size of typical homing droids. It was also programmed with an artificial personality that was perceived as irritable. Featuring both a repulsorlift system and a wheeled chassis, the droid could infiltrate numerous secure locations, even those where the detection of an unfamiliar repulsor field would activate security measures. A detachable homing device was carried on its back, designed to be left behind in order to mislead pursuers. The active signal emitted by the HMOR was transmitted via hyperwave, with a range spanning tens of thousands of light-years.
The HMOR droid's programming included a comprehensive database encompassing over 4.5 million starship and airspeeder types. This data was acquired by Imperial scientists from the Pistoeka sabotage droid previously utilized by the Confederacy of Independent Systems.
In the event of discovery, HMOR units were programmed to inflict maximum damage before initiating self-destruction. This measure ensured that any stored data would not be captured by enemy forces. To achieve this, each droid was equipped with a pair of explosive defense drones, and in addition to its manipulator arm, possessed a retractable arm capable of spraying a stream of acid at designated targets.
The Galactic Empire employed HMOR droids as tracking tools. Imperial forces covertly placed a HMOR homing droid aboard the Millennium Falcon while the ship was detained on the Death Star. After the vessel escaped the battle station and linked up with Alliance High Command on Yavin 4, the presence of the HMOR droid provided the Imperials with the precise coordinates of the secret Rebel base. R2-D2 and C-3PO discovered the droid on Yavin 4, leading it to launch its seeker drones in response. Subsequently, it attempted to destroy the power generator of Massassi Station, but C-3PO intervened, trapping the droid between two closing blast doors and bisecting it.
The HMOR homing droid made its initial appearance in Star Comics' Droids (1986) 8. It remained unreferenced until it was included in The New Essential Guide to Droids. Daniel Wallace, the author, incorporated the droid based on a suggestion from Abel G. Peña, who also provided Wallace with reference material from the original comic. Ian Fullwood, the artist, redesigned the cartoon-style homing droid from the comic to achieve a realistic look within the Star Wars universe. He also integrated the homing beacon depicted in Empire 15 into the droid's overall design, indicating that the droid carried and deployed the beacon seen in that comic.