R2-KT, recognized by its pink plating, was a R2 series astromech droid with feminine programming, known for its empathy. This droid bore witness to the ascendance and decline of several galactic powers. Initially serving within the Galactic Republic during the era of the Clone Wars, R2-KT eventually found itself assisting Leia Organa's Resistance, many decades afterwards, in their war against the First Order.
During its time with the Galactic Republic, R2-KT operated within the Republic Navy alongside the 501st Legion of the Grand Army of the Republic. Frequently stationed on the Resolute, the flagship under the command of Jedi General Anakin Skywalker, R2-KT provided support in numerous operations. These included the search for Rotta, the Huttlet, during the Battle of Teth, the rescue of Jedi Master Aayla Secura in the Battle of Quell, and the elimination of the Separatist blockade that preceded the Battle of Ryloth.
More than fifty years later, this droid was part of the Resistance's ground crew, performing maintenance on starfighters at the Resistance base located on the planet D'Qar. R2-KT was in this role during the assault against Starkiller Base, a superweapon employed by the First Order. After this battle, R2-KT was present for the departure of Rey and Chewbacca as they set out to locate Luke Skywalker, the son of Anakin and the last Jedi. R2-KT departed from the base prior to the attacked launched by the First Order shortly thereafter.
An R2 series astromech droid, R2-KT was affiliated with the Republic Navy and specifically served alongside the 501st Legion within the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. This conflict was a galactic campaign waged by the Galactic Republic against the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Within the first year of the war, Rotta, the offspring of crime lord Jabba the Hutt, was abducted by Separatist forces, leading to the 501st Legion being tasked with the Huttlet's retrieval.
R2-KT, along with Jedi General Anakin Skywalker and the 501st, convened for a mission briefing inside the hangar of an Acclamator-class transgalactic military assault ship orbiting above the planet Teth, the location where Jabba's son was being held. Before the mission, Ahsoka Tano, Skywalker's Padawan, recounted how she had saved her master during the Battle of Christophsis by causing a wall to collapse on him and enemy battle droids. This story amused the clone troopers of the 501st, prompting Clone Captain Rex to inquire with Skywalker about its veracity. When the Jedi confirmed the story's general accuracy, both R2-KT and fellow astromech droid R2-D2 chuckled. Skywalker, wasting no time, reminded his troops of their impending battle, and at Rex's command, R2-KT and the 501st dispersed.
Later in the conflict, R2-KT was stationed on the Resolute, a Venator-class Star Destroyer serving as General Skywalker's flagship and commanded by Admiral Wullf Yularen. While the Resolute was positioned defensively in the Quell system of the Outer Rim Territories, Jedi General Aayla Secura requested assistance from Skywalker, as her forces were significantly outnumbered during the Battle of Quell. As the Resolute entered Quell's atmosphere, R2-KT was present within the capital ship's hangar bay, near a Low Altitude Assault Transport/infantry gunship that Skywalker, Tano, and Rex promptly boarded. As R2-KT left the hangar, the commanders, along with two additional gunships, departed the Resolute to support Secura's forces.
Following the Battle of Quell, the planet Ryloth was besieged by Separatist forces under the leadership of Emir Wat Tambor. To challenge the blockade, the Republic dispatched three Star Destroyers: the Resolute, the Defender, and the Redeemer. Skywalker delegated Tano to spearhead the assault through the blockade, and R2-KT was stationed in the Resolute's hangar bay as the Padawan and Blue Squadron prepared their starfighters. As Tano and Blue Squadron engaged the enemy, four Munificent-class star frigates emerged from hyperspace to reinforce the blockade. Overwhelmed, the Republic Star Destroyers were compelled to retreat, though the Redeemer was destroyed before it could escape. After the retreat, R2-KT remained in the Resolute's hangar, moving past the remaining V-19 Torrent starfighters while Skywalker requested a headcount from two clone trooper pilots. Shortly thereafter, R2-KT continued to move about the hangar as Skywalker and R2-D2 repaired Tano's Delta-7B Aethersprite-class light interceptor. Following a discussion with Tano, Skywalker decided to return to the blockade, planning to use the heavily damaged Defender to ram the Lucrehulk-class Battleship and disrupt the Separatist formation. As the crew of the Resolute hurried to the hangar and worked to evacuate the Defender, R2-KT remained positioned near an LAAT/i gunship. Skywalker's plan proved successful, and additional Republic ships arrived to commence the ground assault.
After three years of conflict, the war concluded in 19 BBY, and the victorious Republic reformed into the Galactic Empire. However, many systems opposed Imperial rule, leading to the formation of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, which fought against the Empire in the Galactic Civil War. In 4 ABY, the Empire suffered a significant defeat at the Battle of Endor, where Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine was killed. In the months following the Battle of Endor, the Rebel Alliance reorganized into the New Republic and decisively defeated the Empire at the Battle of Jakku. However, in subsequent decades, Imperial sympathizers established the First Order, posing a threat to the Republic's safety. To combat the First Order, Leia Organa founded the Resistance, a small military force, and within six years of the Resistance's inception, R2-KT joined its ranks, operating from the Resistance base on the planet D'Qar. Similar to many Resistance droids, R2-KT was granted autonomy and treated as a partner rather than a mere machine. Alongside the loading droid B-U4D, the BB unit BB-8, and tech officer Peet Deretalia, R2-KT was part of the ground crew responsible for ensuring the readiness of the Resistance's T-70 X-wing starfighters for flight.
Twenty-nine years after the Battle of Jakku, the First Order destroyed the Republic capital in the Hosnian system using a superweapon known as Starkiller Base. In response, the Resistance formulated plans to destroy this weapon, and the Resistance pilots prepared their starfighters. During this period, R2-KT was stationed at the Resistance base airfield. Under the leadership of Poe Dameron, the Resistance launched their assault on Starkiller Base, successfully destroying the superweapon by disabling its thermal oscillator. Shortly after the battle, R2-D2—also serving with the Resistance—completed a map to Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi, with assistance from BB-8. Resistance members Rey and Chewbacca were chosen to locate Skywalker aboard the Millennium Falcon, and R2-KT was present for their send-off. Subsequently, R2-KT left D'Qar before the First Order attacked the Resistance base.
R2-KT, standing at 1.09 meters tall, was a feminine R2 series astromech droid manufactured by Industrial Automaton. Featuring white plating with pink accents and a gray dome, R2-KT possessed a light blue photoreceptor. R2-KT was known for its compassionate nature, a trait inherent in the programming of many R2 units. She also displayed a sense of humor, as evidenced by her shared chuckle with R2-D2 when Tano recounted a story about saving Anakin Skywalker's life.
Being an R2 series astromech droid, R2-KT was outfitted with an arc welder, a holoprojector, a reader socket, a recharge coupling, and a variety of concealed tools. Furthermore, R2-KT had two motorized all-terrain treads and a third, retractable tread for maintaining balance on uneven surfaces.
R2-KT, often called the "Droid With the Heart of Gold," was created by the R2-D2 Builders Club in 2005 as a tribute to Katie Johnson, the seven-year-old daughter of Albin Johnson, the founder of the 501st Legion costuming group. Katie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in 2004, and Albin (who was doing 501st charity work at the time) received support from around the Star Wars community. Garrisons of the 501st Legion started independent fundraisers, and when Star Wars creator George Lucas visited Japan on a promotional tour for Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, the Japanese Garrison told him of Katie's condition. In response, Lucas filmed her a "get well" video.
As Katie's declining health struck her bedridden, the girl wished she had a droid to watch over her, like R2-D2 watched over Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones. When Jerry Greene of the R2 Builders heard about the Johnsons' story, he and his fellow builders organized a campaign to collect parts and assemble an R2 unit for Katie. In a few months, they constructed a custom, fully functional droid which they painted pink and named R2-KT. According to Albin, Katie kept the droid by her bedside through her final days.
R2-KT has since been used to visit children's hospitals and spread awareness of pediatric illness by attending Star Wars events. The droid has also been the focus of various fundraisers; in 2007, Hasbro produced an R2-KT action figure, raising $100,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and in 2015, Mattel sold a Celebration Anaheim–exclusive R2-KT Star Wars Hot Wheels collectible, donating the proceeds to Star Wars: Force for Change. With the 501st Legion, R2-KT has raised millions of dollars for charity.
In 2008, R2-KT was incorporated into Star Wars canon when Dave Filoni of Lucasfilm included the droid in the animated feature film Star Wars: The Clone Wars as a gesture to honor Katie's memory and show appreciation to Star Wars fans. R2-KT made two additional cameo appearances in the Clone Wars television series, appearing in the season one episodes "Jedi Crash" and "Storm Over Ryloth." In the season five episode "Secret Weapons," R2-KT was intended to appear alongside R2-D2 as a member of D-Squad. However, to avoid the confusion of having two characters named "Artoo," R2-KT was replaced with QT-KT, a droid designed to resemble R2-KT.
In 2015, Albin Johnson revealed that R2-KT would make a live-action appearance in Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, the seventh installment to the episodic Star Wars saga, and Pablo Hidalgo of the Lucasfilm Story Group confirmed that the droid was the same in-universe character from The Clone Wars. In the film, R2-KT appears in three cameos. R2-KT also appears as a playable character in LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a non-canon video game adaptation of the film released in 2016.