Vader #20 hints at Triple-Zero being HK-47
It’s been noted before that many of the supporting cast introduced by Kieron Gillen in Darth Vader are in many respects dark mirrors of the principle cast of heroes from the films. Vader is counterpart to Luke, father and son set on similar if opposite paths; the former is trying to prove himself a Jedi like his father before him, even as the latter is still needing to prove himself a Sith while seeking out his son. Likewise, Aphra is counterpart to Han (with some Indiana Jones for good measure), Black Krrsantan to Chewbacca, and Beetee to Artoo. Triple-Zero, therefore, would seem intuitively based on Threepio, and such is certainly the primary inspiration for the character, but the backup to this issue suggests an additional, far more intriguing, inspiration. In it, a character named Ruen, suspecting the unnamed droid’s identity, asks Triple-Zero:
“Do you know about the Triple-Zero Matrix, droid?”
“Only a little. Some manner of murderous protocol upgrade. Assassin bot. Sounds quite frightful.”
“The Matrix dates back to the Old Republic. No one knows who thought it was a good idea, but you can presume he didn’t live to regret it.”
A long, long time ago, in a galaxy that’s now non-canon, there was another assassin droid also concealed in the chassis of a protocol unit: HK-47. A fan favorite from not only the Old Republic era but also popular role-playing games named after the time period (Knights of Old Republic I & II), HK’s personality was strikingly similar to that of Triple-Zero, the only notable exception being a distinctive speech pattern in which he’d preface every comment with a qualification as to its semantic purpose. Otherwise, both are dry yet cheery, certainly sociopathic but not unfeeling, rather delighting in the death and destruction each deals out, specifically to “meatbags.”
Continued at PopOptiq