Favorite Characters: K-2SO (Star Wars)

*K-2-related spoilers for Rogue One.*

I love how much variety there is for droids in Star Wars, in terms of both their design/class and their range of personalities. The reason I can write Favorite Character posts on them is because the droids who are characters in the films and shows are so distinct from one another. K-2SO adds hugely to the overall feel of Rogue One.

K-2SO is an Imperial KX series droid who was taken by the Rebels and reprogrammed. Essentially, they made themselves a defector. By the time Rogue One rolls around, we see him working mainly with Cassian: he helps break Jyn out of her prison transport, he flies the ship, he’s useful in a tight spot, and he can try to pose as a legitimate Imperial droid (with varying degrees of success.)

He feels a little different than a lot of droids we see in the Rebel Alliance, just because K-2 feels less like a droid following orders from a master and more like a droid who’s choosing to go along with what the Rebels are doing. Obviously, it’s more complicated than that—again, he’s literally been reprogrammed—but it’s not clear who, if anyone, he “belongs” to. Cassian treats him like an often-unruly subordinate, and K-2 regularly questions his orders. He asks why Jyn gets a blaster and he doesn’t, then expresses doubt in Cassian’s choice to let her keep it.  When they get to Jedha and Cassian tells him to stay on the ship, K2 waits until they leave and then follows after them, explaining, “It was boring, and you were in trouble.” Orders are sometimes more like suggestions to him, and if it isn’t something he sees any point in doing, he’ll follow them begrudgingly at best.

I don’t want to single K-2 out too much for this quality, because we see independent thought and decision-making from a lot of droids. But I do think it’s more prominent with him, as shown by how he regards Cassian and how Cassian regards him. When they infiltrate the Imperial base at Scarif and K-2 needs to hack another KX droid for the codes they need, Cassian doesn’t instruct or order him. He just looks at K-2 and says, “You know what you have to do.”

In a film where the characters are dealing with a lot of heavy stuff, K-2 and his humor are a welcome presence. Many droids are blunt in a factual way, which K-2 can be. When Cassian decides to let Jyn keep her blaster, he asks, “Would you like to know the probability of her using it against you?”, adding, “It’s high.” But he’s also blunt in an interpersonal way, which is good for breaking up the tension. When the Rogue One crew prepares to depart on their unsanctioned mission to Scarif, he tells Jyn, “I’ll be there for you. Cassian said I had to.”

If K-2 appears in season 2 of Andor, I’d love to get more of his perspective on what it’s like to be a reprogrammed droid. He’s more demonstrative with his thoughts than someone like IG-11—is he now choosing to work with the Rebellion, or does he have to? Even though he generally ends up going along with the missions when it comes to the big stuff, he doesn’t really express any Rebel sentiments, and he seems more loyal to Cassian in particular than the Rebellion’s overarching ideals. It’d be really interesting to see more of how he fits into all this.