The following contains spoilers for Andor season 1
Showrunner Tony Gilroy discusses the potential return of K-2SO in Andor season 2. K-2SO, voiced and portrayed via motion capture by Alan Tudyk, appeared throughout Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as Cassian's co-pilot and sarcastic sidekick droid companion. Despite the character's importance, the repurposed Imperial droid has yet to appear in Rogue One's prequel series, leading many viewers to speculate that K-2SO will be introduced in the show's 2nd and final season.
And now, Gilroy has offered his thoughts on if fans can expect to see Rogue One's backtalking droid again. When asked by Collider if K-2SO was on the cards for Andor, the showrunner says that it's a responsibility to include the character going into season 2. Gilroy adds that, as the show approaches the events of Rogue One, it's something the show will have to deal with. Gilroy shares:
"Well, I think that's one of the responsibilities of Part 2. Obviously, if we're going to walk into Rogue, we have to deal with that."
Why K-2SO Is Important To Season 2
Without Cassian and K-2SO's relationship, it's hard to imagine that the Rebels could have pulled off Rogue One's critical mission. Thanks to the droid's sacrifice, Cassian and Jyn can escape with the Death Star plans, essentially setting off the entire Star Wars franchise. With Andor establishing that Cassian values and respects droids, the show has already laid the groundwork for Cassian to develop the tight-knit connection between him and K-2SO that will play such an essential part in Rogue One's story.
Of course, Cassian is already familiar with Imperial Security droids after his unfortunate meeting with one during Andor season 1, episode 7, "The Announcement," but how the show will explain K-2SO's switch to the Rebellion is still unknown. However, season 2's time jumps could hold the answer. The series will jump ahead a year from season 1's explosive finale while also being split into four three-episode arcs. Each arc will also time jump to help fill the gaps in Cassian's early years in the Rebellion, and it would make sense for one of these mini trilogies to deal with Cassian meeting K-2SO.
While season 1 of Andor hasn't relied on cameos to tell its mature Star Wars story, season 2 is set to approach more familiar ground. Gilroy has already confirmed that season 2 will include Yavin 4, which hints at what state the Rebellion will be in during the events of Andor season 2. Although Cassian has already begun to show off why he's such a key player in the Rebels growing army, Andor season 2 will finally start to explain why he ends up being so revered while potentially introducing one of his closest allies in K-2SO at the same time.
Source: Collider