In the United States Navy, a battle star or engagement star is a recognition of a ship's participation in a naval battle or other combat.
Physically, each sailor who served in the ship will wear a campaign medal or ribbon for each area served in, such as the "Asiatic-Pacific area" for all activities in the Pacific War. The battle stars are 3/16 inch (5 mm) in diameter and bronze or silver, the silver equivalent to five bronze stars, and worn in a row on the ribbon.
The regulations for all this originated in 1942, and define "areas" and "engagements" in detail, as well as what qualifies as "participation", by ships and by individuals (for instance, an individual might have been assigned to a ship but not yet reported on board). Even so, there is still sometimes confusion over who is entitled to wear which stars.
While critics would be quick to point out a battle droid's mindlessness as a fault, the proponents of the mechanized soldiers would counter that it is instead a virtue.
Battle droids are tall, gaunt humanoids with exposed joints and bone-white metal finishes that gives them an eerie resemblance to animated skeletons.
Battle droid infantry is frightening in its uniformity -- only a numerical marking on the back of a comlink booster pack serves to distinguish one droid from another.
Stars authorized for actual combat in operations and engagements, as authorized by the Chief of Naval Operations, will be worn on the ribbon bar and suspension ribbon of the respective Area Campaign medals and will be known as engagement stars.
The prerequisite to the wearing of a star on an area service ribbon shall be honorable service in a ship, aircraft unit or shore-based force at the time it participated in actual combat with the enemy.
For example in the case of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron (MTBS) 2, the P9 Star is authorized for participation in the "Capture and Defense of Guadalcanal." The over-all date for this operation is 10 August 1942 to 8 February 1943.
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