THE ENCYCLOPEDIA GALACTICA
PEARLY DROIDS
Pearly Droids carry on the proud East London charitable tradition of the Pearly Kings and Queens from pre-atomic age of Earth.
Drawn from droids manufactured by the E. Baley & Company Spitalfields facility in the early spacefaring era, Pearly Droids are instantly recognisable by the smoked pearl buttons covering their casings. They also have a tendency to speak with original cockney accents, which sometimes makes it difficult for outworlders to understand them.
Pearly Droids are heavily engaged in raising funds for charities, especially droid orphanages and hospices. To be asked to help with the fund raising is considered an honor amongst both droids and organic beings.
Droid orphanages were set up after the Robotics Inc. v The Robots Friendly Society decision. The decision stated that blueprints for droids must be placed in the public domain once the assembly line for that model was shut down. Prior to this ruling many droids had to be powered down before their time, because of a lack of spare parts. The orphanages provide a place where orphans - droids whose assembly lines are now closed - can obtain spare parts, custom built to the original blueprints, at a price they can afford.
Droid hospices provide a place where droids too worn out to be refurbished can find a peaceful environment in which to run down their power units for the last time.
You can read more about the Pearly Kings and Queens at: http://www.pearlysociety.co.uk/.
