HK-47

HK-47 is a character from the Star Wars franchise.

HK-47 was a Hunter-Killer assassin droid and Jedi hunter constructed by the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Revan, shortly after the end of the Mandalorian Wars in 3960 BBY. In the wake of widespread destruction caused by the Mass Shadow Generator, a superweapon used during the final battle of that conflict, Revan was inspired to seek more subtle methods of defeating his enemies. HK-47 was sent throughout the galaxy on his missions and successfully assassinated countless targets whom Revan had deemed threats to galactic stability and peace. However, HK-47 was badly crippled and captured on a mission in Mandalorian space shortly before Revan himself was captured by the Jedi Order.

As per protocol with Sith assassin droids prior to going on missions, HK-47's memory core was wiped of all knowledge of his original master. His memory could only be restored upon fulfilling his mission, and successfully returning to his master. As he never managed to return to his master, the automatic recall function was never activated, and he couldn’t remember Revan.[1] He went from owner to owner, many of whom he inadvertently slew personally. Eventually, he ended up on the planet Tatooine, where he was sold to and unwittingly reunited with Revan, whose memory had been erased following his capture. The droid went on to aid Revan after his return to the JediOrder in his campaign to find and destroy the Star Forge, an ancient factory that Revan had used during his reign as the Dark Lord of the Sith. HK-47 was also instrumental in the defeat of Revan's former Sith apprentice, who had since begun utilizing the Star Forge in an attempt to conquer the Galactic Republic.

HK-47 accompanied Revan to the edge of the Unknown Regions along with Revan's utility droid, T3-M4, before being left behind in Revan's starship, the Ebon Hawk, as the redeemed Jedi Knight journeyed on to face a threat he had remembered from his time as the Dark Lord. Sometime later, HK-47 was damaged and was left aboard the Ebon Hawk, which eventually ended up in the hands of one of Revan's allies from the Mandalorian Wars, Meetra Surik, also known as the Jedi Exile. During this period, HK-50 assassin droids, a newer version of HK that G0-T0 had mass-produced, became active in the galaxy, working as bounty hunters and saboteurs. Surik repaired HK-47, who recognized her as his new master and accompanied her in order to find the source of the HK-50s, whose very existence he considered an insult to himself. HK-47 also aided Surik in her search for the Jedi Masters who survived the First Jedi Purge and even advised her on techniques to more efficiently kill Jedi so that Surik could better defend herself.

HK-47 eventually succeeded in finding the HK Manufacturing Plant, where the HK-50s were created. There, he convinced the HK-50s to join his and Surik's cause. This action eventually culminated in a final confrontation on Malachor V between HK-47, assisted by the HK-50s, and G0-T0, whose interests conflicted with that of Surik, and the latter droid was destroyed. After his time with Surik, HK-47 set out on his own to attempt to find Revan, his original master, not knowing that Revan had since been captured by the Sith Empire and was being held in stasis. Three hundred years later, HK-47 was found by a returned Revan and aided him in commanding the Rakatan Foundry, and though he was destroyed, the rogue intelligence operative known as the Shroud copied the droid and saw to it that several versions of HK-47 were active over the following years with different masters.

Four millennia later, HK-47 was found on the planet Mustafar, where his memory core was preserved within the computer of a derelict starship. HK-47 manipulated a group of spacers who discovered him, having them create a new body for him and then subsequently turning on them with the help of several battle droids. The spacers were forced to disable HK-47's new droid army as well as the factory producing them. After a fierce battle, the spacers triumphed over the droids, although HK-47 managed to escape destruction.

Personality
HK-47's personality programming caused him to appear misanthropic, bordering on sociopathic, to those who encountered him. The droid enjoyed observing—and often causing—death and destruction, showing complete disregard for bystanders on more than one occasion. Despite this, HK-47's programming caused the assassin droid to maintain a protocol of professionalism, preventing him from senselessly slaughtering his way to his target. The only organics HK-47 displayed any respect for were his masters, although he indirectly caused the death of almost all of them. He was more than willing, on several occasions while serving Revan, to dispose of anyone who annoyed the Jedi. From Revan's point of view, the droid was much too eager to act on his programming, which unnerved the amnesiac Jedi.

HK-47 displayed several unique behavioral tendencies as a result of his programming. HK-47 had a definite sense of pride and considered himself to be superior to all organics and droids except for Revan, who was the only person he seemed to admire—mostly for, what the droid considered, the "creative atrocities" that Revan performed as a Sith Lord. The droid also had a peculiar and perverted idea of the concept of love, which he described as "making a shot to the knees of a target 120 kilometers away using an Aratech sniper rifle with a tri-light scope." He further mused that love was a matter of odds and found it odd that although most "meatbags" could not make such a shot, not many would derive a feeling of love from it. HK-47 had a unique speech trait and vocally prefixed every statement he made with a speech conditional that described the type of statement that it was. For example, if asking a question, he would first say "Query:" before beginning to speak.

Due to his appearance, HK-47, as well as his subsequent models, was often mistaken by many for a protocol droid. He used this to his advantage on more than one occasion, hiding his true nature in order to covertly achieve his goals. HK-47 was a proficient killer, as well as highly innovative, using many varied techniques, most notably when hunting Jedi. The Jedi Exile briefly installed the HK protocol pacifist package, which gave HK-47 a short-lived appreciation for peace and pacifism and led him to a deeper understanding of his prey. This upgrade had to be removed, however, for the simple reason that the droid found himself horrified at the very thought of causing harm to another being and by the fact that his new behavior disconcerted the Exile. When the program was removed, HK-47 strongly suggested the Exile scan any future packages before installing them, as the thought of becoming a pacifist in function seemed to appall the droid.

Abilities
True to his design as an assassin droid, HK-47 was a dangerous opponent, able to fight effectively in a stealth operation as well as in open combat. His combat programming made him a deadly combatant with a large variety of weapons, including blasters of any design as well as a multitude of droid weapons, such as flamethrowers and carbonite projectors. HK-47 had a particular affinity for blaster rifles, primarily using the Droid Assassin's rifle and often citing the satisfaction that he derived from using them in many combat scenarios.

As a Jedi hunter, HK-47 was knowledgeable in many techniques for assassinating Jedi, which he explained to Meetra Surik so that she could better defend herself against her enemies. When faced with a Jedi, HK-47 utilized various weapons specifically selected to be most effective against lightsaber techniques, such as grenades, sonic screamers, cluster rockets, plasma charges, poison gas, and mines, all of which exemplified the droid's versatility in combat. These weapons could not be deflected by a lightsaber, and sonic weapons were useful in shattering a Jedi's concentration, preventing one's use of Force powers. Mines and gas were useful in catching a Jedi by surprise, giving HK-47 the advantage in combat. HK-47 also mentioned using a sniper rifle to attack from long range in order to avoid detection. In addition to these weapons, HK-47 often attempted to erode the will of his opponents and make them doubt their beliefs, which he found to be an effective method for weakening their concentration and disrupting their connection to the Force. The droid also found attacking a Jedi's allies or Padawan to be a sound tactic, as Jedi would often sacrifice themselves to save an ally.

In addition to his combat proficiency, HK-47 possessed many other skills. Like many droids, HK-47 was experienced as a mechanic and had at least some knowledge in demolitions and slicing. During his journey with Revan, he could start a fighter simulation so that Revan could practice his skills at manning the turret of the Ebon Hawk. Revan also upgraded HK-47 on various occasions, increasing his overall efficiency. As much of his original programming was based on protocol subroutines, the droid was capable of acting as a translator, voice impersonator, and a protocol droid in many other respects. He was fluent in over 6,000 forms of communication, including Galactic Basic Standard, Tusken, Binary, and Jawa trade language.

Several modifications were made to HK-47 throughout his life span by his many owners, modifications that served to re-enforce his abilities and enhance his performance. Most of these modifications were damaged beyond anything less than intrusive repair after his dismemberment during his second service to Revan.

Trivia

 * HK-47 is featured in the games Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and Star Wars Galaxies.
 * With a Force alignment of 20—0 being Dark Side Mastery and 100 being Light Side Mastery—HK-47 has the darkest alignment score of any member of Revan's party. He often expresses delight at the cruel actions of a Dark Side player.
 * Conversely, HK-47 often expresses disappointment at just actions undertaken by a Light Side player.