WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 3, "Replacements," streaming now on Disney+.
While power droids have been a part of the Star Wars franchise since A New Hope, they rarely get the chance to shine. A notable exception to that is EG-86, a GNK-droid employed by the Rebellion for espionage in Star Wars Rebels, but he is the exception, not the rule. However, that may soon change. Throughout Star Wars: The Bad Batch, the team has been accompanied by a GNK-series power droid, and a recently created databank entry on StarWars.com reveals its name to be Gonky.
Power droids have featured throughout the Star Wars media, but their purpose is not immediately apparent just from looking at them. In Marc Sumerak's Star Wars: Droidography, the narrator, R0-GR states that power droids are "a bit hard to take seriously, since they look like crates with legs and make hilarious little gonk noises every time they take a step. But, believe it or not, inside these seemingly simple droids sits a sophisticated self-sustaining fusion generator." So, despite their humble appearance, Gonky actually has technology within itself that makes it an invaluable asset to Clone Force 99.
Clone Force 99’s Gonky isn't the first Star Wars character to bear this exact name, either. Star Wars: Uprising, a mobile game released by Kabam in 2015, also features a GNK-power unit called Gonky, and she played a role in some of the missions. However, Star Wars: Uprising only was available through 2016, meaning that game's droid had little time in the spotlight.
In contrast, outside of their power-generating duties, The Bad Batch's Gonky has mainly served as exercise equipment and a headrest for the team. Still, the team has treated Gonky with affection so far. While Wrecker uses Gonky in his exercise routine, he also usually gently puts the droid down when he's done. And when Omega uses Gonky as a headrest, Hunter remarks, "Well, that doesn't look comfortable, for either of you," including Gonky in his concern. Omega replies that "We're fine," a sentiment Gongky seemingly agrees with.
Despite not being featured heavily in The Bad Batch's first three episodes, there's still a chance that Gonky could be used for information gathering as the show progresses. In Star Wars: Droidography, R0-GR remarks that "Power droids are pretty common, so they tend to go about their business unnoticed." Droids like Star Wars Rebels' EG-86 have used this fact to their advantage in the past, and it's entirely plausible that Clone Force 99 might assign similar tasks to Gonky as their travels continue.
However, even if Gonky never leaves the ship or participates in missions, the droid still serves a vital symbolic role. The particular choice of a power droid for the team connects with the themes surrounding Clone Force 99. Throughout their lives, the team has been derided by the other Clones despite their amazing track record. Similarly, power droids are often overlooked despite how useful they are. In a show that sets out to celebrate differences, highlighting the underappreciated power droids seems to be a natural fit.
In the end, the release of this databank entry shows that Gonky is an important member of the team. Gonky may eventually have an even more active role similar to EG-86 and the other Gonky in helping the team with missions, but the droid's power generating capabilities already make it a valuable member of the team as they remain on the run from the Empire.
Created by Dave Filoni, Star Wars: The Bad Batch stars Dee Bradley Baker, Michelle Ang, Andrew Kishino and Ming-Na Wen. The second episode airs Friday on Disney+.
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