View source for K-2SO

{{Infobox character
| name        = K-2SO
| image       = Alan Tudyk as K-2SO-Rogue One (2016).jpg
| caption     = K-2SO in ''[[Rogue One]]''
| alt         =
| series      = [[Star Wars]]
| first       = ''[[Rogue One]]'' (2016)
| last        = ''Rogue One'' (2016)
| creator     = [[John Knoll]]
| species     = Robot
| occupation  = Imperial security [[droid (robot)|droid]]
| gender      = Masculine programming
| affiliation = [[Galactic Empire|Empire]]<br>[[Rebel Alliance]]
| portrayer   = [[Alan Tudyk]] (motion capture)
| voice       = Alan Tudyk
}}

'''K-2SO''' or '''Kay-Tuesso''' is a [[droid (robot)|droid]] character in the [[Star Wars|''Star Wars'' franchise]], first appearing in the 2016 film ''[[Rogue One]]''. He is a [[computer-generated imagery|CGI]] character voiced and performed through [[motion capture]] by [[Alan Tudyk]]. In the film, K-2SO is a KX-series security droid originally created for use in the [[Galactic Empire (Star Wars)|Empire]].

==Character==

===Development===
K-2SO was part of the initial line-up of spies in [[John Knoll]]'s pitch for ''Rogue One'', as an Imperial protocol droid. Designs for the character's look focused on giving him both a unique silhouette as well as keeping him in tune with the Imperial aesthetic from ''A New Hope''.<ref name="Art">{{cite book |title=The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story |last=Kushins |first=Josh |chapter=K-2SO |pages=68–77 |publisher=[[Abrams Books|Abrams]] |location=New York |date=2016 |isbn=978-1-4197-2225-7}}</ref>{{rp|68}} References of Imperial designs were used, and the character's chest plate draws on the armor of an AT-AT commander in ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]''.<ref name="Art"/>{{rp|76}} Unused designs by [[Ralph McQuarrie]] for droids and [[stormtrooper (Star Wars)|stormtrooper]] helmets would influence his eventual headshape.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ew.com/article/2016/11/15/star-wars-rogue-one-k2so-viper-droid-empire-strikes-back/ |title=''Star Wars: Rogue One'' droid K-2SO inspired by Imperial Viper scout |last=Breznican |first=Anthony |date=November 15, 2016 |work=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |access-date=January 2, 2017}}</ref> Originally designed as a "black protocol droid",<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2017/03/20/star-wars-rogue-one-k-2so-exclusive-videos/99409064/ |title=See how a ''Star Wars'' droid came to life in exclusive ''Rogue One'' videos |last=Truitt |first=Brian |date=March 20, 2017 |work=[[USA Today]] |access-date=March 22, 2017}}</ref> further story development and drafts that "accentuated" his ties to the Empire turned K-2SO into an Imperial security droid. His laid back personality became a "visual amusing" contrast to his "towering, monolothic form". Director [[Gareth Edwards (director)|Gareth Edwards]] wanted K-2SO to be "appealing" despite his figure, and designs continued to reflect elements of his personality with his form; his stoop is one example, showing his "casual kind of personality".<ref name="Art"/>{{rp|69}}

===Portrayal===
K-2SO is voiced and portrayed in motion capture by [[Alan Tudyk]]. Tudyk initially turned down the role as he felt he would be busy with ''[[Con Man (web series)|Con Man]]'', a webseries he had crowdfunded.<ref name="NYT">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/16/movies/rogue-one-star-wars-k-2so-alan-tudyk.html |title=The Man Who Gave an Android His Best Lines in the ''Star Wars'' Film ''Rogue One'' |last=Tudyk |first=Alan |others=Interview with Mekado Murphy |date=December 16, 2016 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=January 2, 2017}}</ref> The droid's height meant Tudyk had to wear 13-inch–tall stilts to perform the character, which he had difficulty taking off and thus would take to the bathroom.<ref name="NYT"/><ref name="Vulture interview">{{cite web |url=http://www.vulture.com/2016/12/alan-tudyk-on-rogue-one-k-2so-and-stilts.html |title=''Rogue One''{{'}}s Alan Tudyk on Playing K-2SO, Writing His Own Lines, and Peeing in Stilts |last=Tudyk |first=Alan |others=Interview with Ian Servantes |date=December 29, 2016 |publisher=[[Vulture.com]] |access-date=January 2, 2017}}</ref> Tudyk called the stiltwalking the most challenging part of playing the droid, finding further difficulty in walking over things like sand and running.<ref name="NYT"/> K-2, when rendered, had a slightly hunched over look. So to not have his own slouch be added to the character, the actor had to force himself to stand up straight. With K-2SO having an inanimate face, Tudyk tried to keep "emotion" in his body and his movement.<ref name="Vulture interview"/> The actor worked with a mask teacher, Orlando Pabotoy.<ref name="NYT"/>

Tudyk auditioned with three different accents: an American accent, a [[mid-Atlantic accent]], and an English accent.<ref name="CBS">{{cite web |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/rogue-one-star-alan-tudyk-talks-finding-the-voice-for-k-2so/ |title=''Rogue One'' star Alan Tudyk talks finding the voice for K-2SO |last=Tudyk |first=Alan |others=Interview with Ned Ehrbar |date=December 14, 2016 |publisher=[[CBS News]] |access-date=January 2, 2017}}</ref> The English accent was chosen due to the character's Imperial roots, and as he was a droid Tudyk gave him a more formal "proper" accent.<ref name="CBS"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ew.com/article/2016/08/10/rogue-one-alan-tudyk/ |title=''Rogue One'': Alan Tudyk reveals the accent and origin story of K-2SO |last=Breznican |first=Anthony |date=August 10, 2016 |work=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=January 2, 2017}}</ref> Tudyk improvised or altered many of K-2SO's lines.<ref name="Vulture interview"/> The actor was concerned about making the character an "outlier in his own movie" like [[Jar Jar Binks]], hoping to keep K-2SO feeling like "part of the world".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2016/12/18/alan-tudyk-rogue-one-star-wars-k2so/95491958/ |title=Alan Tudyk's ''Rogue One'' droid K-2SO gets C-3PO's approval |last=Mallenbaum |first=Carly |date=December 18, 2016 |work=USA Today |access-date=January 3, 2017}}</ref>

[[Industrial Light & Magic]] used a modified [[Unreal Engine 4]] in a scene to render the droid in real-time while filming. This was the first time they had been able to "work with CGI in the moment".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.polygon.com/2017/3/1/14777806/gdc-epic-rogue-one-star-wars-k2so |title=''Star Wars: Rogue One''{{'s}} best character was rendered in real time, a cinema first |last=Alexander |first=Julia |date=March 1, 2017 |work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |access-date=March 22, 2017}}</ref>

===Description===
K-2SO is an Imperial security droid who has been reprogrammed by the Rebel Alliance. He is co-pilot and "sidekick" to the rebel pilot [[Cassian Andor]], and lends comic relief to the film.<ref name="IGN">{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/12/13/rogue-one-a-star-wars-story-review?read|title=''Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'' Review|publisher=[[IGN]]|first=Eric |last=Goldman|date=December 13, 2016|accessdate=December 14, 2016}}</ref><ref name="PopMatters">{{cite web|work=[[PopMatters]]|title=''Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'' Shows There's Life in ''Star Wars'' Yet... Barely|last=Barsanti|first=Chris|date=December 13, 2016|accessdate=December 24, 2016|url=http://www.popmatters.com/review/rogue-one-star-wars-story-theres-life-in-star-wars-yet-barely/}}</ref> Ann Hornaday of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' noted K-2SO's "angular, spidery limbed" appearance, calling him "snippily sarcastic".<ref name="Hornaday">{{cite news |last=Hornaday |first=Ann |title=''Rogue One'' doesn't offer much joy, but ''Star Wars'' fans will enjoy it anyway |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/rogue-one-doesnt-offer-much-joy-but-star-wars-fans-will-enjoy-it-anyway/2016/12/13/6994a9c0-c143-11e6-9a51-cd56ea1c2bb7_story.html |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=December 13, 2016 |accessdate=December 23, 2016}}</ref> [[IGN]]'s Eric Goldman described the droid as "C-3PO's dark, amped up counterpoint. Like Threepio, he has a knack for giving troubling statistics, but instead of speaking with a worried attitude, K-2SO ... has more of a resigned and often amusingly cruel and blunt approach."<ref name="IGN"/> Similarly, Chris Nashawaty of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' called the character "C3PO’s more sarcastic, less fey cousin."<ref name="EW Rogue">{{cite web |url=http://ew.com/article/2016/12/13/rogue-one-star-wars-story-ew-review/ |title=''Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'': ''EW'' review |work=Entertainment Weekly |first=Chris |last=Nashawaty |date=December 19, 2016 |accessdate=December 24, 2016}}</ref> [[Todd McCarthy]] described K-2SO as "a more useful, resourceful and sarcastic version of C-3PO" in ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]''.<ref name="THR">{{cite web |last=McCarthy |first=Todd |authorlink=Todd McCarthy |title=''Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'': Film Review |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/rogue-one-a-star-wars-story-review-955566 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=December 13, 2016 |accessdate=October 23, 2016}}</ref> Peter Bradshaw of ''[[The Guardian]]'' compared the character to the titular robot from [[Ted Hughes]]' novel ''[[The Iron Man (novel)|The Iron Man]]'', writing:
{{Quote|K-2SO is hulking and dark, more like Ted Hughes's Iron Man in miniature, but with a droll way of objecting to orders; his style in backtalk involves a nicely timed deferred punchline. The arms are long, resulting in an almost knuckle-dragging, simian way of walking. In his taciturn way, K-2SO could almost be a quasi-Chewie presence.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bradshaw|first1=Peter|title=''Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'' review – a sleek addition to the fleet|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/dec/13/rogue-one-a-star-wars-story-review-felicity-jones-gareth-edwards|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=December 15, 2016 |accessdate=December 23, 2016}}</ref>}}

==Appearances==
[[File:Alan Tudyk by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg|thumb|right|upright|American actor [[Alan Tudyk]] portrays K-2SO.]]

K-2SO, portrayed by Tudyk, appears in ''Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'', which was released in December 2016.<ref name="NYT" /> K-2SO also appears in the novelization of that film by Alexander Freed.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/12/20/star-wars-rogue-one-novel-features-new-scenes |title=''Star Wars: Rogue One'' Novel Features New Scenes |publisher=IGN |first=Alex |last=Osborn |date=December 20, 2016 |accessdate=December 26, 2016}}</ref>

A one-shot comic book, ''Star Wars: Rogue One: Cassian and K-2SO'', was released in August 2017. Set some time before the events of ''Rogue One'', it tells the story of how Cassian Andor and K-2SO first met.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbr.com/marvel-star-wars-rogue-one-cassian-k-2so/ |title=Marvel's Star Wars: Rogue One Prequel Reveals How Cassian Met K-2SO |last=Adams |first=Tim |date=May 19, 2017 |publisher=[[Comic Book Resources]] |access-date=June 7, 2017}}</ref>  K-2S0 also appears in ''Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire'', a virtual reality experience produced by ILMxLAB and The VOID for Disneyland Resort; Alan Tudyk reprises his role as K-2SO, who accompanies the player throughout the experience.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-secrets-empire-downtown-disney-review-1071738|title=What the ''Star Wars'' VR Experience at Downtown Disney Is Really Like|work=The Hollywood Reporter|first=Patrick|last=Shanley|date=January 5, 2018|accessdate=January 15, 2018}}</ref>

==Reception==
Tudyk has been widely praised in the role. Recounting fan reaction on [[Twitter]], Megan McCluskey wrote for ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' that "there seems to be one aspect of the standalone ''Star Wars'' story that the majority of viewers have agreed on: the excellence of K-2SO."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://time.com/4607147/rogue-one-k-2so-star-wars-droid/ |title=''Rogue One'' Droid K-2SO Is Taking the ''Star Wars'' World By Storm |last=McCluskey |first=Megan |date=December 19, 2016 |work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=January 2, 2017}}</ref> Justin Chang of ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' dubbed the character "the requisite scene stealer" of the film,<ref>{{cite web|last=Chang|first=Justin|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|title=''Rogue One'' adds an uneven but thrilling wrinkle to the mythology of ''Star Wars''|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-rogue-one-review-20161209-story.html|date=December 13, 2016|accessdate=December 24, 2016}}</ref> and [[A. O. Scott]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' praised "the dry, sarcastic tones of the indispensable Alan Tudyk."<ref>{{cite web|authorlink=A. O. Scott|last=Scott |first=A. O.|title=Review: ''Rogue One'' Leaves ''Star Wars'' Fans Wanting More and Less |date=December 13, 2016 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/13/movies/star-wars-rogue-one-review.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |accessdate=December 23, 2016}}</ref> ''The Hollywood Reporter''{{'s}} Todd McCarthy called K-2SO the film's "most entertaining" character, complimenting his design and Tudyk's "droll wit and exquisite timing".<ref name="THR"/> IGN's Eric Goldman praised the cast of the film but noted, "it's Tudyk's K-2SO who's often the standout", adding that the actor's performance gives the character "a sympathetic 'soul' (if such a word is appropriate for a droid)".<ref name="IGN"/> Goldman also wrote that "K-2SO looks so good, it's easy to forget he's a CGI character".<ref name="IGN"/> ''The Washington Post''{{'}}s Michael Cavna praised K-2SO, calling him "a droid for social-media times ... freshly armed with comedic snark."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2016/12/16/why-rogue-ones-sassy-new-k-2so-is-the-droid-weve-been-looking-for/ |title=Why ''Rogue One''s{{'}} sassy new K-2SO is the droid we've been looking for |last=Cavna |first=Michael |date=December 16, 2016 |work=The Washington Post |access-date=January 2, 2017}}</ref> Ann Hornaday, also of ''The Washington Post'', wrote that the character "provides precious comic relief in a film that is otherwise grim and unsmiling".<ref name="Hornaday"/> [[Richard Brody]] of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' described the droid as "the one character with any inner identity ... and the only performance with any flair at all".<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/rogue-one-reviewed-is-it-time-to-abandon-the-star-wars-franchise |title=''Rogue One'' Reviewed: Is it Time to Abandon the ''Star Wars'' Franchise? |last=Brody |first=Richard|work=[[The New Yorker]]|authorlink=Richard Brody|date=December 13, 2016|accessdate=December 13, 2016}}</ref> [[Peter Travers]] of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' and [[IndieWire]]'s David Ehrlich dubbed K-2SO the best of the film's new characters, with Travers calling the robot "hilarious" and Ehrlich describing him as "a droll bot with killer comic timing, he's as delightful and alive as any animated character you could find in a [[Walt Disney Studios (division)|Disney]] film".<ref name="Travers">{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/peter-travers-rogue-one-a-star-wars-story-movie-review-w454808|title=Peter Travers: ''Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'' Movie Review|work=[[Rolling Stone]]|first=Peter |last=Travers|authorlink=Peter Travers|date=December 13, 2016|accessdate=December 14, 2016}}</ref><ref name="IndieWire">{{cite web|last=Ehrlich|first=David|title=''Rogue One'' Review: The First ''Star Wars'' Spinoff Is a Scrappy Space Adventure That Plays Things Painfully Safe|url=http://www.indiewire.com/2016/12/rogue-one-review-star-wars-1201757457/|publisher=[[IndieWire]]|date=December 13, 2016|accessdate=December 23, 2016}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Star Wars}}
* {{Star Wars Databank|subject=k-2so-kay-tuesso|text=K-2SO}}
* {{Wookieepedia|K-2SO}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170629025310/http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0546998/ K-2SO] on [[IMDb]]

{{Star Wars universe}}

[[Category:Fictional characters introduced in 2016]]
[[Category:Film sidekicks]]
[[Category:Male characters in film]]
[[Category:Star Wars CGI characters]]
[[Category:Star Wars droid characters]]