GNK power droid

"Gonk. Gonk."

- A GNK droid

GNK power droids, also known as gonk droids, were an Industrial Automaton knockoff of the successful EG-6 power droid.

Characteristics
GNK power droids were effectively power generators with legs and a very simple artificial intelligence so they could understand rudimentary commands. They were commonly found on under-developed worlds that did not have an expansive power grid, or in mobile military operations.

They often made a low honking noise that sounded like the word "gonk," resulting in the nickname gonk droid or simply gonk. This form of droidspeak was referred to as "Gonkian."

History
A year before the Clone Wars, Groodo the Hutt, in his bid to destroy the Fondor Shipyards and Spaceport, employed, as part of his Droid Control Army, GNK Power Droids that were modified with rapid-repeating blasters in their upper casings. Jedi Master Mace Windu, joining the mission to Fondor, handily defeated a GNK attack with his lightsaber, neatly severing the blaster that had emerged from beneath a lid in the droid's upper frame.

Sometime after the Battle of Endor, rumors began to spread regarding a "Cult of the Power Droids." Apparently, a pair of GNK Power Droids would come to one's door and request funding for a religious fringe group. Advice from renowned linguist Ebenn Q3 Baobab was that one should merely utter the phrase "Gonk. Gonk. Gonk ko kyenga see," a highly controversial statement that was not allowed to be legally translated (see Baobab Security Directive 51-C).

Behind the scenes
The GNK power droid derives its name from the "gonk" sound it makes in Episode IV. The droid was originally called simply a "power droid," but a newsgroup posting in 1993 led to the now-official name becoming quickly popular.

In the Battlefront series, gonk droids are called Ammunition Droids and dispense ammo to the troops who stand near them.

In the LEGO Star Wars games, gonk droids are slow-moving and weak, unable to attack, interact with their surroundings, or jump. They can be interacted with, such as being Force pushed, shot, or destroyed. They explode when shot. However, they are invincible when they appear in the Dex's Diner hub area. Gonk droids are included mainly for the player's amusement, as they are universally ignored by enemies. Gonk droids are also a Separatist character in The Clone Wars version. A "Super Gonk" upgrade can be purchased with in-game currency, permitting the player's gonk droid to run and jump, though not to attack. Several gonk droids can be found wandering around the Mos Eisley Cantina.

Non-canon appearances

 * LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Quest for R2-D2
 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
 * LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
 * Star Wars: Tiny Death Star
 * Star Wars: Tiny Death Star
 * Star Wars: Tiny Death Star