Manet has been a lifelong fan of “Star Wars,” she grew up with a fondness for the original trilogy on home video, and was old enough to see the prequel trilogy in cinemas as a child. “We all used to play ‘Star Wars’ on the playground,” she recalled. “We all had parts and mimicked the sounds!” However, like many other “Star Wars” fans in her age group, the sequel trilogy had only deepened her fandom.
As the winner of the Build My Droid contest, StarWars.com was especially curious about Manet’s professional background and how that informed her design. In a shocking twist, Manet revealed she has had no former experience in robotics, science or art. “Absolutely none,” she says, giggling. “I love cinema, I love movies, and I love ‘Star Wars.”
That love certainly carried the way for Manet’s design for KP-1, for it was Manet’s familiarity with “Star Wars” brand and her ability to identify the franchise’s design philosophies and create something reminiscent of the brand’s past in the fresh, new shape. “You can’t get it wrong,” Manet says. “That’s the balance I was trying to find — in between the long tradition of droids we know and something entirely new.”