During the Galactic Civil War's peak, Darth Vader, the Sith Lord, possessed a black 3PX-series protocol droid known as K-3PX. Stationed at the Imperial citadel located on Gamandar, K-3PX was instrumental in Admiral Griggor Tower's capture of Rebel operatives Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca in 3 ABY. Subsequently, K-3PX alerted Vader to Tower's endangerment of Luke Skywalker on Iskalon, a target Vader greatly desired, which ultimately led to Tower's execution.
K-3PX, a 3PX-series protocol droid distinguished by its black plating, served the Galactic Empire during the Galactic Civil War's most intense period, acting as the personal property of the Sith Lord, Darth Vader. Vader assigned K-3PX to work under the direction of Admiral Griggor Tower at the citadel situated on Gamandar, within the conquered Iskalon system. In 3 ABY, a group of Rebel agents journeyed to nearby Iskalon in search of Tay Vanis, a Rebel soldier who vanished while investigating clandestine Imperial plans in the system. On Iskalon, they received misleading information from Kendle, an Iskalonian acting as an Imperial informant, who claimed Vanis had entrusted all his information on the Empire's plans to K-3PX, identifying the droid as Vanis's personal droid. Kendle directed them to Gamandar, where Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca, Mone, an Iskalonian native, and the droids C-3PO and R2-D2 traveled in pursuit of K-3PX and Vanis.
Calrissian, posing as a smuggler sympathetic to the Empire under the alias "Drebble," seemingly purchased K-3PX from Admiral Tower. He not only revealed his and his companions' identities as Rebel agents to K-3PX but also disclosed that Luke Skywalker, the celebrated Rebel hero of the Battle of Yavin and a prime target for Vader, was present on Iskalon. Unbeknownst to Calrissian and his group, they had been thoroughly outmaneuvered. K-3PX was not only loyal to the Empire, but Kendle's deception had provided Tower with prior knowledge of Calrissian's arrival, leading to the Rebels' capture. Tower further escalated the situation by launching a direct attack on Iskalon, triggering the "Iskalon effect," a devastating tidal wave that ravaged the water-covered world. Upon learning of Skywalker's presence on Iskalon, K-3PX directly informed Vader, reporting that Tower had exceeded his authority by attacking the planet and endangering the Rebel's life, knowing Vader's desire to capture Skywalker alive. Enraged, Vader instructed K-3PX to apprehend Tower, and the Admiral was executed shortly thereafter.
K-3PX, a 3PX-series protocol droid with distinctive black plating, demonstrated unwavering loyalty to the Empire, functioning with efficiency and ruthlessness in service to its employer. K-3PX swiftly betrayed Griggor Tower as soon as the Admiral's fortunes turned, facilitating his arrest and subsequent execution by Darth Vader.
Star Wars (1977) 75, penned by Mary Jo Duffy and illustrated by Ron Frenz, first introduced K-3PX in 1983. In 2008, K-3PX was immortalized with its first action figure, featured alongside Darth Vader in the Star Wars: The Legacy Collection line, which inadvertently created a naming discrepancy. The Marvel comic issues consistently rendered the droid's name as "K3PX." However, the Hasbro Legacy Collection opted for "K-3PX," incorporating the hyphen common to many droids within the Star Wars universe, a decision later validated by The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.