R4-K5

R4-K5 was an astromech droid originally owned by the Jedi Order. The droid would accompany Sith Lord Darth Vader, formerly Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, on early missions for the Galactic Empire after the destruction of the Order, effectively replacing Skywalker's former astromech R2-D2. R4-K5 was chosen by Vader for its dark hue, which reflected Vader's own darkness.

R4-K5 occupied the droid socket of Vader's customized Eta-2 interceptor during missions to Murkhana and Ostor. While more or less competent at its duties, the droid never shared a close relationship with its Sith master as R2-D2 once had with Anakin Skywalker; R4-K5 was treated by Vader as a functional tool and nothing more.

Serving a New Order
An R4-series agromech droid with a domed head, R4-K5 was stationed at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant as an astromech assigned to a Jedi pilot and served the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars. In 19 BBY, Anakin Skywalker, recently minted as the Sith Lord Darth Vader, along with the stormtroopers of the 501st Legion, later ransacked the Jedi Temple and killed most of the Jedi in residence on the orders of Palpatine.

After Vader's injuries, earned at the hands of his former Master Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar, forced him to don a black suit of armor, he also acquired a black Eta-2 Actis-class interceptor in the first days of the Galactic Empire. R4-K5, having survived the assault on the Temple, was chosen by Vader as his new astromech. The Sith Lord saw its black shell as a reflection of his own darkness. R4-K5 did not share the close bond Anakin Skywalker had maintained with his former astromech, R2-D2; rather, the droid was simply regarded by Vader as another piece of machinery.

Imperial droid
R4-K5 was stationed on the new Imperial Star Destroyer Exactor in the vessel's number three launching bay along with the interceptor. Over two weeks after the end of the Clone Wars, the droid occupied the astromech socket of this craft during an attack on fugitive Jedi Knights Roan Shryne and Olee Starstone near Murkhana shortly after the battle there, which had ended in the last hours of the war. R4-K5 was instrumental in assisting Vader in grasping the tactical situation, supplying him with information regarding the escape plan of the Jedis' CloakShape fighter and alerting him to their imminent absconsion by way of a hyperdrive ring. Despite the droid's assistance, Vader was unable to destroy his targets before they outran his interceptor.

Months later, R4-K5 later flew with Vader during Phase Two of the Shrouded Offensive, an extensive and ultimately ill-fated campaign against a Separatist holdout on Ostor as part of Green Squadron. Vader, on orders from Palpatine to launch a direct airborne attack after the failure of Phase One's ground assault, led the squadron in an attack on a shielded city, and engaged in a dogfight with V-19 Torrent fighters piloted by followers of rogue clone trooper Kaddak. During the combat, clone pilot CT-5539 realized that the squadron had left the Star Destroyer from which they had launched vulnerable, and so Vader made an about-face to defend it. R4-K5 accompanied the Sith Lord in doing so. The battle eventually ended in a hugely pyrrhic victory for the Empire.

Characteristics
Like other R4 units adapted for the Jedi Order after the success of the R4-P astromech, R4-K5 featured a round dome. R4-K5's was black, as was the droid's plating and sensor. A second-degree droid manufactured by Industrial Automaton, R4-K5 stood at a height of 0.96 meters. Additionally, R4-K5 was able to interface with the systems of the Eta-2 Actis-class interceptor and analyse possible targets such as skiffs and hyperdrive rings, transferring this data to the interceptor's cockpit displays on the pilot's request.

Behind the scenes
"This was not the craft Anakin Skywalker had piloted to Mustafar, and the starfighter's socketed astromech droid had a black dome."

- An excerpt from Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, featuring R4-K5's first appearance

R4-K5 made its first appearance in the Legends novel Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader by James Luceno, released in 2005. Not referred to by designation, R4-K5 is initially described as an astromech with a black dome, and is mentioned twice more as "the astromech". The R4-K5 designation was provided by Hasbro in 2006; the droid made appearances in products based on Vader's interceptor and itself in the same year. The droid later appeared briefly in the 2008 non-canon Soulcalibur IV tie-in comic book Star Wars: Visions of the Blade; R4-K5 makes an appearance in one panel, socketed aboard Vader's interceptor, and accompanies the Sith Lord to a planet in the Cowl Crucible, where Vader encounters Soulcalibur character Mitsurugi.

R4-K5 is presented inconsistently in terms of color across sources; in the 2005 book The New Essential Chronology, the droid is seen as having a black dome, with a white body. Later, figures of the droid displayed an all-black color scheme. Some Hasbro depictions also feature a purple body. In Darth Vader and the Cry of Shadows, R4-K5 is shown with black plating and silver panels. In the comic arc Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Lost Command, Vader's now heavily-modified interceptor is equipped with an astromech droid; however, it is depicted inconsistently between frames, and is not confirmed to be R4-K5.

Appearances

 * Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
 * Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader audiobook (Random House Audio)
 * Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader audiobook (Talking Book Publishers Inc.)
 * Darth Vader and the Cry of Shadows 4

Non-canon appearances

 * Star Wars: Visions of the Blade