The new Empire cover gives us our best look yet at the new Rogue One: A Star Wars Story droid, K-2SO. The image is from over the droid’s shoulder, offering a unique angle on the reprogrammed Imperial enforcer.
There’s a lot to like in this design. Wear and tear has become an expected part of the Star Wars aesthetic, but all the little details that go into K-2SO — the galling, fretting, abrasions, carbon scores and oil stains — are really remarkable.
His robotic form reconciles the gap between the gawky and unintimidating (even cute) battle droids of the Star Wars prequel trilogy with the more totalitarian architecture of Star Wars . As spindly as a battle droid, K-2SO’s ranginess is more powerful, even frightening. He has long arms to grab and kill, long legs to run you down. His head’s a skull. K-2SO is part predator, part Slender Man.
And on this cover he’s hunched over, like a simian beast, stalking the Coruscanti Rue Morgue:
Of course, K-2SO won’t be tearing limbs in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (best not to get my hopes up). Instead, he sounds more like war-time C-3PO, fussily citing percentages in between frank pronouncements of violence. What footage we’ve seen makes him look like the comic relief, except with gallows humor instead of peevishness. That he’s voiced and motion-captured by Alan Tudyk (Firefly, Arrested Development) is the perfect fit.
Since Rogue One is a sci-fi Dirty Dozen, we might be arguing about ensemble highlights for years. But right now, K-2SO is way out in front.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will be out in theaters Dec. 15.
