Obi-Wan Kenobi's KP-1 Droid Wasn't Created By The Star Wars Crew

The live-action "Star Wars" Disney+ shows have hit or miss for certain fans, but whether you're a champion of "Andor" or the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" limited series, there is one definitive truth: Lucasfilm has never missed any of their new droid designs. In fact, upon quick reflection, you'll realize there is something there for all kinds of droid lovers.

The boxy and burgundy red B2EMO stole our hearts as he served as Cassian Andor's loyal companion and assistant of his surrogate mother, Maarva. The bright yellow, humanoid NED-B had a wonderful moment in the spotlight, guiding Obi-Wan and young Leia through the underground path to safety. L0-LA59 feels like the "Star Wars" logical equivalent to young Leia's toy poodle designed with the aesthetics of a 2000s teen flip phone — there's such an expressive, thoughtful charm to each of these new designs that feel welcome among franchise's best.

Excitingly, one of the newest droid models featured in the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" limited series, the cone-shaped KP-1 unit, was actually designed not by the usual "Star Wars" crew. He does not appear in any spin-off comic books or animated series. instead a dedicated fan of the franchise, Camille Manet, who entered and won the Build My Droid contest. The contest itself was a collaboration between Lucasfilm's Force for Change initiative and FIRST, a global robotics community centered on introducing young minds into science, technology, and engineering. However, as 25-year-old Manet told StarWars.com in June 2022, she had no prior experience in a scientific field before submitting her own design.

Manet has been a lifelong fan of "Star Wars," she grew up with a fondness for the original trilogy on home video, and was old enough to see the prequel trilogy in cinemas as a child. "We all used to play 'Star Wars' on the playground," she recalled. "We all had parts and mimicked the sounds!" However, like many other "Star Wars" fans in her age group, the sequel trilogy had only deepened her fandom.

As the winner of the Build My Droid contest, StarWars.com was especially curious about Manet's professional background and how that informed her design. In a shocking twist, Manet revealed she has had no former experience in robotics, science or art. "Absolutely none," she says, giggling. "I love cinema, I love movies, and I love 'Star Wars."

That love certainly carried the way for Manet's design for KP-1, for it was Manet's familiarity with "Star Wars" brand and her ability to identify the franchise's design philosophies and create something reminiscent of the brand's past in the fresh, new shape. "You can't get it wrong," Manet says. "That's the balance I was trying to find — in between the long tradition of droids we know and something entirely new."

Manet's design for KP-1 certainly strikes that balance of older elements meshed with new aesthetics. Despite having a dome shaped head that is highly associated with traditional R2 units found in "Star Wars," the cone shape of KP-1's body allows it to be unique enough to distinguish itself as its own model.

"I had the wheel as a starting point of the design. I really wanted the wheel, but then I thoughtfully about putting it horizontally, and the idea was the arms could be on it and be retractable," she says. "I was hoping, at least, that it was a new design when it came to the tools."

As for the colors, Manet had a much simpler explanation. "I think I just liked the color combination," she laughed. The pink body and red highlights are however a step away from the gold, blue, and orange hues of many droids and clone troopers of "Star Wars" past. You can find Manet's design come to life in episode 5 of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" around the 5:12 mark, offering food to a child in the marketplace.

"It's very exciting. I hope that it brings joy to people too, because that's what 'Star Wars' does," Manet continued. "I hope it makes other people happy, just as happy as it made me."