Data pods represented compact containers designed for the storage of critical data.
The Trade Federation employed data pods as secondary surveillance mechanisms, designed for ejection from a ship when under siege. For instance, a C-9979 landing craft deployed its data pods during a confrontation with Jedi Master Adi Gallia and Reti of the Lok Revenants within the Ruby Nebula. Adi and Reti successfully eliminated these pods, which held their ship identification details, alongside the lander itself.
During the Galactic Civil War, the Imperial forces commonly ejected data pods from vessels during critical situations, exemplified by the destruction of the first Death Star. Subsequently, the crime lord Tyber Zann meticulously searched the debris field of the Death Star for these data pods. Inside, he uncovered schematics for the Aggressor-class Star Destroyer and intelligence pertaining to the Eclipse.