K1-RF workbench droid

The K1-RF workbench droid, or K1-RF maintenance unit, was a maintenance droid model that could be used as a workbench, while also performing organizational and maintenance tasks such as workshop cleaning. In 3 ABY, merchants on the planets Tatooine and Akiva used K1-RF units, as did the criminal Pyke Syndicate on the moon Toshara and the Rokana Raiders in the Khepi Tomb of the Sayma Nebula. In 35 ABY, a K1-RF workbench droid was set up in the workshop of the droidsmith Babu Frik on the planet Kijimi.

Characteristics

The K1-RF workbench droid,^[2] also known as the K1-RF maintenance unit, was a model of maintenance droid that acted as a workbench.^[1] The versatile model was also capable of a combination of organizational and maintenance tasks, which allowed owners to save space by having the droid tidy their workshop while also acting as an additional surface to work on if needed.^[3]

The droid consisted of a block-like body with blue and red plating and had a raiseable hydraulic platform attached by two rods to the top of its body. The platform was also attached to the body by several wires and had an articulated lamp at one end.^[2]

History

In 3 ABY,^[4] a K1-RF workbench droid was set up on a bench in the stronghold of the criminal Pyke Syndicate in the city of Mirogana on the moon Toshara.^[5] In that same year,^[4] the Rodian merchant Namda Eaakee had a K1-RF set up by a stall they used while stranded on the island known as the Cauldron on the planet Akiva and the human speeder mechanic Winsub Mari had a rusted K1-RF workbench droid on the counter of their shop in a hangar in the city of Bestine on the planet Tatooine. The human merchant Otip Ashtep also kept a workbench droid on a workbench nearby while working in Bestine's scrapyard.^[5] The criminal Rokana Raiders had a K1-RF workbench droid on a workbench near the area they used as a forge in the Khepi Tomb of the Sayma Nebula while they searched the tomb for treasure^[6] in 3 ABY.^[4] They had three more in the forge itself.^[6]

A K1-RF workbench droid (center) in the workshop of Babu Frik

In 35 ABY,^[7] a K1-RF workbench droid was set up in the aisle between two shelves of droid parts in the workshop of the droidsmith Babu Frik in the Thieves' Quarter of Kijimi City^[8] on the planet Kijimi. The droid was buried among a pile of other gadgets, and it was unclear if it was active or being used by its owner.^[3]

The Resistance agents Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron had to be careful not to lean against the workbench droid when they visited the workshop to have a complete redacted memory bypass performed on the protocol droid C-3PO,^[1] although Rey did lean her quarterstaff against it. Shortly after the group's visit, the workshop was destroyed when the Final Order fleet destroyed all of Kijimi, although Frik managed to escape beforehand,^[9] presumably abandoning the droid.^[3]

Behind the scenes

A K1-RF workbench droid first appeared in the sequel trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker,^[9] which was released on December 20, 2019.^[10] Prior to the release of the film, the droid was visible in the final trailer for The Rise of Skywalker, which was released on October 22, 2019.^[11] It was first identified in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary, a reference book written by Pablo Hidalgo and released alongside the film.^[2] Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: A Junior Novel, a 2020 adaptation of the film authored by Michael Kogge, then introduced the alternate name of "K1-RF maintenance unit."^[1]