The Star Wars franchise is a funny thing. Spanning decades and generations of fans, the George Lucas property has been known for its groundbreaking visual affects, wide appeal, and legendary plot twists. But the films aren't without their faults, especially when you consider the less than stellar prequel trilogy. The Phantom Menace, in particular, is a blemish on the face of Star Wars, as the highly anticipated movie pandered to younger audiences, despite its otherwise serious subject matter. And perhaps nothing is more loathed in the entire franchise than Jar Jar Binks, the idiot Gungan that unfortunately graced the silver screen during the prequel trilogy as an attempted comic relief.
Because the last comic relief was such a disaster, actor Alan Tudyk was nervous about his role as K-2SO in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. In a recent interview with Huffington Post, Tudyk described how Jar Jar's cautionary tale factored into his role in the standalone film, saying:
[Jar Jar] was such an outlier- not an outlier, an anomaly in the world- that was backed away from as quickly as they could. I did have it in mind because K-2SO can be very funny in moments, and I talked to [director] Gareth Edwards, saying, I hope I'm not coming across as a character that makes jokes, that he is a sarcastic character or a passive-aggressive character or an honest character that can be funny within a moment, especially these moments of high-stakes life and death, which this movie has a lot of- you know, it's a war movie. He told me that I wasn't, so I trusted him, and I'm really happy with the outcome.
There we go, ladies and gents. Alan Tudyk was happy to provide some levity to Rogue One, but he wasn't going to allow himself to become a pariah of the Star Wars community. Smart move, if you ask me.
Overall, it looks like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is set to be a pretty dramatic and serious addition to the franchise. It has been described as a classic war movie, that just happens to be set in space. We can assume that much of the humor seen in The Force Awakens will be absent, as the stakes are so much higher in the standalone film. But then there's K-2SO.
Kaytoo is by far the biggest comedic relief of the upcoming Star Wars installment, mostly due to a juxtaposition within his programming. While the droid was originally built to serve The Empire, he was eventually captured and reprogrammed for the rebel cause. This, coupled with a C-3PO-esque quality of having no filter, results in K-2SO often speaking out of term about the hopelessness of the mission. He's passive aggressive and pessimistic, which will surely help add a level of fun to an otherwise serious Rogue One.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will fly into theaters on December 16th.
