A Forgotten Assassin Droid Is Coming Back to Star Wars

Droids are a Star Wars staple, elevating every scene they’re in with sci-fi worldbuilding or a bit of mechanical levity. But droids are a varied lot, and at the extreme end of the spectrum lie assassin droids, like IG-88, IG-11, and 0-0-0 and BT-1, the Anti-Threepio-and-Artoo.

The villainy and heartlessness of assassin droids are always a delight, and now the roster of canonical Star Wars droids may be growing. Here’s how a droid lost in the non-canon Legends timeline may become official again — and possibly even appear in The Mandalorian.

Upcoming Star Wars comic Dark Droids promises to explore a new threat known as “The Scourge” that’s “corrupting droids, cyborgs, and everything in between.” The cover for Dark Droids #1, releasing August 2, 2023, depicts Luke Skywalker surrounded by droids with all sorts of different origins.

Among these droids is HK-47, an assassin droid featured in the video game Knights of the Old Republic. It served as Sith Master Darth Revan’s personal assassin, but after Revan was defeated and had his mind rewritten, HK-47 passed from master to master, popping up in future games as a journeyman killer.

HK-47 is best known for his sociopathic nature and unique speaking style, using terms like “Query” or “Statement” to preface dialogue. He also tends to call organic creatures “meatbag,” which speaks to his lack of charm.

HK-47 existing in the Old Republic era, which was some 4000 years before the Original Trilogy, may seem like a disqualifier for an introduction into modern canon. But in the video game Star Wars: Galaxies, he pulled an Emperor Palpatine and transferred his artificial intelligence into a new mechanical body. There’s no reason he can’t do that again, and the lifespan of droids has always been vague anyway. If he’s going to appear in a comic alongside Luke Skywalker, some sort of solution has clearly been thought out.

We’ve seen HK droids in The Mandalorian, but the droid on the comic book cover is definitely HK-47; the red color scheme is unique to him. Perhaps this comic will be a soft introduction for a future Mandalorian episode set shortly after Dark Droids. HK-47 would certainly be a fun addition, and his misanthropic nature would play well with the wandering bounty hunter tone of the show.

Query: will we see HK-47 beyond this comic? Statement: if the meatbags behind The Mandalorian know what fans want, maybe we will.

Dark Droids #1 will be available for purchase August 2, 2023.