What job would you have in the Star Wars universe?

If you found yourself in the Star Wars universe, would you be designing droids for the Rebellion, maintaining star destroyers for the Empire, or quietly tinkering on Tatooine?

We’ve rounded up some of the most fitting roles for real-world electronics professionals – Star Wars style.

Droid Systems Architect (Astromech Division)

Employer: Rebel Alliance or Freelance

Core skills: Embedded systems, motion control, AI firmware

Whether it’s R2-D2 or BB-8, astromech droids are Swiss Army knives on wheels. In the Star Wars universe, someone has to program their navigation, communications, and repair logic. Engineers with experience in Edge processing, sensor fusion, and low-latency comms would be in high demand – particularly for custom modifications. Bonus points if you can add a taser arm.

Starship Electronics Maintenance Officer

Employer: Imperial Navy or New Republic Fleet

Core skills: Power systems, PCB diagnostics, modular replacement under pressure

Space travel takes its toll on electronic systems. Shields, navicomputers, and hyperdrive controllers all require constant upkeep. This role would resemble a hybrid between aerospace electronics technician and field-repair engineer – someone comfortable crawling into access panels with a soldering iron in zero gravity.

Droid Rights Activist-Turned-Hacker

Employer: Underground collectives

Core skills: Reverse engineering, security bypass, ethical firmware mods

If you're more aligned with L3-37 or K-2SO, then your calling might be hacking droid control systems. Your expertise in cybersecurity, low-level code, and bypassing proprietary protocols would be invaluable for ‘liberating’ enslaved automatons. Just don’t let the Empire catch you sniffing control signals.

Remote Sensor Network Specialist (Moisture Farming Ops)

Employer: Agricultural cooperatives on Tatooine

Core skills: IoT sensors, solar-powered telemetry, harsh environment design

Harsh planets require smart systems to keep settlers alive. Managing arrays of temperature, humidity, and particulate sensors in desert conditions would be a challenge – perfect for engineers skilled in ruggedised IoT deployments. You’d probably also need to perform on-the-fly board-level repairs with minimal tools. Good luck sourcing parts locally.

Death Star Exhaust Port Risk Analyst

Employer: Empire (though probably short-lived)

Core skills: Thermal modelling, system redundancy, risk tolerance metrics

It’s a tough job, but someone has to review those design schematics. Engineers with simulation experience and a strong grasp of worst-case failure analysis could have prevented that famously vulnerable port. It's a cautionary tale about the dangers of poor cross-functional review in high-stakes electronics systems.

Lightsaber Electronics Technician (Jedi Only)

Employer: Jedi Order

Core skills: High-density energy storage, crystal synchronisation, circuit miniaturisation

While the Jedi tend to build their own weapons, someone must manage the kyber crystal alignment jig or oversee capacitor charging circuitry. In reality, such a device would require extreme power density and impeccable safety circuitry. It would also need to be idiot-proof – just in case a Padawan forgets polarity.

Clone Chip Compliance Engineer

Employer: Kaminoan Labs

Core skills: ASIC validation, neural interfacing, secure code deployment

Yes, those Order 66 inhibitor chips didn’t program themselves. This dark corner of the galaxy’s electronics landscape involves direct interfacing with bio-silicon systems. Whether or not you’d feel ethically comfortable in this role is another matter entirely.

So, where would you end up?

Whether soldering on a sand crawler or rewriting firmware on a bounty hunter’s ship, there’s no shortage of roles for those who understand signals, power, and code. And while you won’t be awarded a medal by Princess Leia anytime soon, your skillset is indispensable – no matter which side of the Force you align with.