R2-KT will be the sixth LEGO Star Wars 25th anniversary minifigure

gadgetnewsonline can report on another one of the 25th anniversary LEGO Star Wars minifigures today. After locking in Saw Gerrara as the next addition to the lineup of celebratory figures from our coverage of the Sith Infiltrator, we have R2-KT. The pink Astromech droid will be debuting later this year as the sixth and final 25th anniversary LEGO Star Wars minifigure.

This year is the 25th anniversary of LEGO Star Wars. The company has been celebrating the milestone throughout 2024 so far with some themed sets, but also some special minifigures.

The whole point of these minifigures is to give some of the less iconic characters from the Star Wars universe some love. Characters who were looked over during their time in the original spotlight or those who are from properties/series that never received LEGO sets to begin with have been the focus so far. We’ve seen the Clone Trooper Fives and Saw Gerrara get some attention after The Clone Wars and Rogue One sets failed to include either – not to mention Darth Malek, who wasn’t included in the few Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic kits back in the day.

R2-KT is a little bit different, however.

There are tons of different Astromechs out there in the Star Wars galaxy. But instead of focusing on a droid who has logged plenty of screen time or who is a fan favorite, the LEGO Group is going with a choice that really leans into the community aspect of the 25th anniversary celebration.

R2-KT was created by the R2-D2 Builders Club, a Star Wars fan community that brings droids from the franchise into the real world with realistic robots. KT is a tribute to the daughter of the founder of another community, the 501st Legion – a group of dedicated fans who pull off impressive cosplays of all things Clone Troopers, Stormtroopers, and all things Star Wars. The group often uses their screen-accurate suits of armor to delight fans at conventions, alongside helping with countless charities.

Katie Johnson is the daughter of Albin Johnson, the founder of the 501st collective. She herself pitched in to help with all the charitable causes and love of Star Wars, but unfortunately passed way from terminal brain cancer nearly 20 years ago. Before her passing, the R2-D2 Builders Club showed off their custom pink Astromech droid, R2-KT, to gift to their namesake, Katie.

So for the 25th anniversary of LEGO Star Wars, the company is continuing the legacy of R2-KT with a brick-built version. The pink Astromech has made their way into Star Wars canon before, making appereances in the animated The Clone Wars series alongside R2-D2 and the actual 501st Legion of Clone Troopers. Now, the droid gets the LEGO treatment.

The figure will be coming in the final set to celebrate the anniversary. It’s the one reported on back in January that should be launching in October. We don’t know what the kit is going to be just yet, but it’ll likely be unrelated to the special Astromech droid. But beforehand, we at least now have the full list of 25th anniversary LEGO Star Wars minifigures. Here’s the full list:

• Fives – from the Tantive Hallway
• Darth Malek – from the buildable R2-D2
• Saw Gerrera – from the Sith Infiltrator
• Darth Maul – from the Star Wars Visual Dictionary
• Young Leia
• R2-KT

gadgetnewsonline’ Take

I sometimes give the LEGO Group a lot of flak for its decisions when it comes to Star Wars, but news like this is always such a delight to share. Celebrating a quarter of a century of the theme definitely means giving fans the minifigures we’ve been asking for. But it also means giving some love to the community as a whole. And there’s nothing that commits more to that idea than this kind of move. It’s such a kind way to pay homage to a member of the Star Wars community who’s no longer with us, while continuing to promote the efforts of groups like the R2-D2 Builders Club and the 501st Legion.

Subscribe to the gadgetnewsonline YouTube Channel for all of the latest videos, reviews, and more!