We’ve known for awhile that the Star Wars saga’s newest droid, K-2SO, will be a reprogrammed Imperial security droid that will be used as a valuable asset to the Rebel Alliance in Rogue One. But now we know just how valuable Kaytoo will be: He’s going to be on the front lines fighting alongside the Rebels at the Battle of Scarif.
Actor Alan Tudyk, who provided the motion capture performance and voice for Kaytoo, sat down for an interview with the Star Wars Show, and when discussing the nuances and complications he had trying to act as a droid — including having to constantly wear stilts — he let some new information slip about where we can expect to see Kaytoo.
“They were basically ski boots that had a prosthetic foot attached,” Tudyk said of the stilts. “I could get around fine on them, but sand was hard — running on sand. And there are some moments I’m very proud of in my movement on sand thats sort of a run to a quick stop.”
Intercut with Tudyk’s interview is a shot of the actor in the motion capture suit running with Rebels during a beach scene. And what planet in Rogue One has a beach battle? Scarif! This meaning K-2SO will actually be involved in the main attack on what will be a main Imperial base. Perhaps he even helps directly in stealing the Death Star plans themselves.
This is the first time we’ve really been able to put two and two together about Kaytoo being on Scarif. In the other trailers there’s been no definitive evidence of his presence during the battle, and otherwise he’s just been seen vowing not to kill Jyn on Jedha and hanging out in Cassian’s U-wing.
Tudyk in his performance-capture suit during the filming of the battle scenes on Scarif in 'Rogue One.'
It seems this droid will also be willing to join in the action with something akin to a conscience. Before Tudyk’s sand comments, he explained how he went through learning how to move ergonomically in a way that’s unlike the stilted and jerky movements of other humanoid droids like C-3PO.
Kaytoo has personality in his movement, and it always transferred better if there was a little bit of a slouch. Theres one point in the movie where Kaytoo walks down a hallway and is passed by another Kaytoo model. He’s a soldier, and he’s walking very perfectly and straight and upright. But Kaytoo is just kind of “loping along a little bit.”
It sounds like he was born (or manufactured) to be a Rebel.
