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Rogue One: Alan Tudyk Reveals K-2SO’s Origin Story

By Elaine Tveit

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In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Alan Tudyk, who plays K-2SO in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, revealed the droid’s dark origin and subsequent liberation.

K-2SO, like another Rogue One team member, Bodhi Rook, has a history with the Empire. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor who plays K-2, Alan Tudyk, spilled a few juicy details about K-2’s Imperial origins, how he ended up on the side of the Rebel Alliance, and how Tudyk developed the droid’s accent.

K-2 is one of a line of security droids, whose tall powerful bodies (K-2 is 7 foot one inch tall) make excellent physical enforcers. And “enforcing” was K-2’s job, Tudyk says.

"“…they sort of enforce whatever needs to be enforced. They are imposing… If you’re asked to be detained, he can detain you. They stand guard, and if somebody doesn’t mind them, they’ll…” Tudyk laughs. “They’ll enforce the sh– out of [people.]”"

How did K-2 escape this horrible life of being the Empire’s tool for violence? Tudyk doesn’t explain explicitly how K-2 falls in with Captain Cassian Andor, but he says Andor wiped the Imperial programming from K-2’s brain, freeing the droid from a life of servitude. Afterwards, K-2 sticks with Andor and becomes his friend and partner in rebellion.

via Star Wars Movies

Tudyk described K-2 and Andor’s relationship.

"“They’ve been around. They’ve been together for a while, a couple years,” Tudyk says. “He wants what Cassian wants. He loves Cassian, because he freed him. It’s also more paternal in that [Cassian] gave him life and took away the bonds of his programming.”"

But K-2 is definitely not the lovey-dovey type.

More from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

"“He’s not an overly emotional guy. He’s not like C-3PO, who’s like a f—ing neurotic mess. He’s flappable. Kaytoo is much more in the unflappable category.”"

He also has a tendency to blurt out whatever he wants, like a child, and not think anything of it. As Tudyk described it:

"“I can’t say what I want to say, but Kaytoo can say what he wants,” Tudyk explains. “He can say insulting things very casually if he thinks they’re true.”"

K-2 reminds me of Chopper from Star Wars Rebels in this regard. Chopper is an astromech, so you can’t understand what he’s saying unless somebody in the show responds to him. But if he could speak basic, there is no doubt he would say whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, regardless of how insensitive or rude or downright mean the words may be.

But Chopper also comes across as being grumpy like a toddler having a tantrum, whereas K-2 is, like Tudyk said, unflappable and not really emotional at all. Maybe that’s why Tudyk decided to give K-2 an English accent like so many other ice cold Imperials have in the Star Wars films.

"“I have an English accent,” says the actor, who was born and raised in Texas. “I feel like a lot of the Imperial characters are English, and the Rebels tended to be like Han Solo, you think of the Americans. And because he was a droid, it made sense that it would be more of a proper accent.”"

We will meet other K-2’s in Rogue One and get to see how K-2SO, sans Imperial programming, reacts to seeing his brother and sister droids still locked into doing terrible things for the regime which rules over them. It will be interesting to see if the encounter brings any peculiar emotions from K-2, if droids can even feel remorse over the suffering of another. He clearly feels something, because he’s happy to not be working for the Empire anymore. But exploring a droid’s emotional range is not something I expected to see in Rogue One, and I’m excited at the prospect.

Next: Rogue One: Will These Original Trilogy Heroes Appear In The New Trailer?

We may catch a glimpse of K-2SO in the new Rogue One trailer, which will air tonight on NBC. Keep checking Dork Side for all the latest updates regarding the trailer, as well as breakdowns and analyses.

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