KP-1

KP-1 was a masculine K-series astromech droid^[1] associated with the Hidden Path.^[2] In 9 BBY,^[3] the droid was found on the planet Jabiim.^[2]

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Behind the scenes[]

"The idea was, 'A salty breath of fresh air.' Salty at times, but you're always happy to have him by your side"

―Camille Manet describing the idea for KP-1^[1]

KP-1 first appeared in "Part V," the fifth episode of the Obi-Wan Kenobi television series,^[2] which was released on June 15, 2022.^[4] KP-1 was designed by Camille Manet, the winner of the Build My Droid contest held in 2019.^[5]

KP-1FinalSketch — Camille Manet's final sketch of KP-1

Manet joined the contest after the sequel trilogy awakened her interest in the Star Wars^[1] and she realized she subconsciously thought of a drawing of a droid that could be helpful in her daily life.^[6] Manet then started to design the droid KP-1 whose name is short for "Knave Puff." During the design phase, she realized that coming up with something original that fit the Star Wars aesthetic would be key. Manet wanted to find a balance between the long tradition of droids people are familiar with and something entirely new.^[1] She aimed to create a concept that showed innovation because she felt the attention granted to details and specificity binded the cinematic universe together. Manet struggled to come up with the basic shape before coming up with the persona.^[5] The droid's cone head was a new idea and made KP-1's silhouette identifiable, however the classic astromech dome grounded the design in Star Wars. Manet had the wheel as a design starting point and then thought of putting it horizontally, and she thought that retractable arms could be on the wheel. Manet added pink body and red accents because she liked the color combination. She wanted to differentiate KP-1 from famous droids, so she purposely avoided blue, gold, and orange because those colors are associated with R2-D2, C-3PO, and BB-8, respectively.^[1] The final sketch included detailed notes on the droid's physical dimensions and his array of tools.^[5] Manet also wrote an essay about KP-1.^[6]

The droid's playful yet temperamental demeanor was inspired by famous Star Wars droids.^[5] Manet imagined her droid expressing all emotions and sums up KP-1's character as "salty." Manet wanted the name to reflect the droid's character: "clever and insightful, always a step ahead, a dash of mischievousness, and as you can't predict where a breath of fresh air will blow, a tad bit unpredictable; a surprise, for sure, but a welcome one."^[5] The idea was also KP-1 was salty at times, but people would always be happy to have him by their side."^[1] She also wanted KP-1 to very loyal and easily offended, but not for long, and he will always be determined to carry out his mission.^[5]

KP-1BeingConstructed — KP-1 being constructed

Manet was later named the grand prize winner of the Build My Droid contest.^[1] Lucasfilm art director Doug Chiang loved Manet's concept of KP-1.^[6] During production of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Chiang, director Deborah Chow, and other crew members met virtually to discuss what purpose KP-1 could serve in the show. Chow suggested that the droid could be put in the "pseudo rebel base" and have some functionality. She told the builders to think of the droid's personality as "a scrappy little fighter." Chiang wanted to preserve all of the key elements in the concept and also bring practicality so that it could interact with the actors. Chiang and the art department did a drawing of KP-1 over Manet's drawing. The droid's head, eye, and markings were modeled after an R2 series astromech droid.^[6] Manet received some updates from Lucasfilm discussing the development of her droid. She also met virtually with Chiang who put some finishing touches on KP-1 for filming. Lucasfilm also showed Manet behind-the-scenes photos and videos of the making of KP-1, including painting, 3D-printing, and the final build in the creature shop. The final form's colors ended up being green and tan, but the overall appearance ended up being almost exact to Manet's vision.^[1]