EXD-9 was an E-XD infiltrator droid with masculine programming, who served the Galactic Empire as a recon droid. Disguised as an RQ protocol droid, EXD-9 was capable of morphing for combat and was armed with built-in blasters. Around two years before the Battle of Yavin, the droid was assigned to probe the planet Atollon—location of the Phoenix Squadron's Chopper Base—for any rebel activity. Lasat rebel soldier Garazeb Orrelios and C1-series astromech droid Chopper found EXD-9 damaged by the krykna spiders in the Atollon wilderness and brought him to their base. Initially forgetting his mission, the recon droid eventually attacked them and RA-7 protocol droid AP-5. The rebels managed to deactivate the droid and sent him back to the Empire after reprogramming him to self-destruct.