Swat-Bot

The Swat-bot is a character that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog animated series. It is a model of military robots developed by Dr. Robotnik which serve in a multitude of roles from infantry to vehicle crews. The original Swat-bot models were created during the Great War and were employed during Robotnik's military coup. For the next ten years, Swat-bots acted as the main military strength of Dr. Robotnik's empire.

Appearance
Standard Swat-bots are humanoid robots, shiny metallic black in sunlight or a dark blue at night. Standing at roughly six feet tall, Swat-bots view the world with a single red-tinted optical visor, which blinks when communicating or processing data. Melee spikes protrude from the joints and head, while large “fins” occupy the forearms.

History
Swat-bots were developed by War Minister Julian for the Great War. Back then, they were called "Peace-bots". The Peace-bots, along with the tactical genius of Julian, helped the kingdom of Mobotropolis win the conflict. After the war, the Peace-bots served as an interim police force in Mobotropolis, effectively preserving order in the city.

In 3224, the King approved Julian's plan to dismantle the military, unaware that Julian planned a coup. Instead of scrapping the Peace-Bots, he altered their programming to only obey him, and had his nephew Snively retrofit them with laser weaponry, turning them into the well-known Swat-bots. On the 13th, SWAT-bots attacked the populace while Julian (now named Robotnik) assaulted the royal palace, eventually rounding up 85% of the citizenry and fed them to the roboticizer which turned the citizens into robotic slaves. Within hours, the coup was over.

In the early days after his takeover, Robotnik employed Swat-bots as his main military force. However, they were more frequently used for recon, patrol, labor across his numerous facilities and vehicle crews for his Hover Units, as well as roboticizing Mobians. The Swat-bots became heavily depended upon by Dr. Robotnik to maintain his rule over Mobius. They served as projections of his power, operating to crush resistance wherever encountered. Years later, Robotnik programmed all Swat-bots with the code "Priority One", which ordered them to specifically pursue the rebel Sonic the Hedgehog on sight, who became the dictator's arch-nemesis.

Personality
Swat-bots contain no personality. They are drones in every sense of the word. They contain a rudimentary survival system to avoid unnecessary destruction, but have no compunction about charging into the thick of battle. They only obey Robotnik, though they will also obey Snively when ordered.

Swat-bots react loudly at the sight of Freedom Fighters, and will chase them down relentlessly by any means possible. If Sonic the Hedgehog is spotted, they all act under the "Priority One" alert system, and will drop any other task to try and kill or capture him.

Powers and abilities
Swat-bots are equipped with wrist-mounted blaster weapons. They also have a flashlight built into the right forefinger, and an on-board communication system in the right arm.

All Swat-bots are very durable, highly resistant to their own weapons, including artillery, and are often able to quickly recover from anything less than a Super Sonic Spin Attack.

Weapons
The standard Swat-bots are armed with standard pulse blaster rifles with stun or kill settings which were slung on their backs when not in use. They have also wielded grapple hook launchers and other devices.

Weakness
The Swat-bots are not fully waterproof, and any substantial amount of water (such as a lake or flood) can destroy them.

Variants
The Swat-bots are very class-oriented (specialized). Due to specialization, some other varieties exist:

Commander model
An unnamed Swat-bot model, this unit is almost identical to the standard Swat-bot, except for a blue and black color scheme and more pronounced body armor. This unit acts as a military commander under Dr. Robotnik's command and coordinates lesser Swat-bot troops.

Hover-Swat
Hover-Swats are more alien in construction than the standard Swat-bot, and employ air bikes for higher mobility and firepower. A dull gray in color, with red highlights on the head and blue tones on their arms and chest. Consisting of an upper half of a torso, the Hover-SWAT is approximately three feet in height, not including the hover-sled, which adds another two feet. The sled itself, from bow to stern, appears close to six feet in length. Like their brother model, the Hover-SWAT observes the area around it with a single optical sensor, triangular in shape, with a purple tint. Their heads are long and sharp, extending back into a flat fin, which possibly helps for aerodynamics.

Swat-bot-based Hover Units
A Swat-bot/Hover Unit hybrid, this unit is a non-flying vehicle that is used for repairs and maintenance throughout Robotropolis. It employs a series of hovering platforms that allow it to reach its destination almost as fast as the Hover Units.

In vehicle mode, this unit relies on four wheels for mobility, but it can shift into a bipedal mode, with the axles forming as arms and legs, and the tires serving as ankle and wrist joints. Though its cockpit is similarly to the flight-bound Hover Units, it is only large enough to accommodate a single anthropomorphic animal driver. It presumably runs from an onboard AI. This unit possesses a laser cannon on the underside as opposed to the roof like Hover Units. There are also red-armored models that have two wrist blasters, instead of one.

Trivia

 * In the pilot episode "Heads or Tails", SWATbots were quite different in color and mannerisms. Instead of a uniform dark color, they sported an alternating gray and white paint job. They also had more of a personality, laughing at Snively's bumbling, then snapping back to attention as he threatened. These designs and attitudes were summarily dropped for the rest of the series.