This Star Wars Character Secretly Holds The Power (And You Likely Never Noticed)

To casual fans, "Star Wars" might look like it all revolves around the Jedi, Sith, and Skywalkers of the galaxy. But that couldn't be further from the truth. Sure, Luke, Anakin, Rey, Palpatine, and others of their ilk get all the lines and character development. But any true "Star Wars" aficionado knows that the franchise truly belongs to the little freaks: the countless quirky droids and weirdo aliens that bring the universe to life.

One particular droid has flown under the radar for far too long, and it's time we gave them their flowers. Despite debuting all the way back in the very first "Star Wars" movie in 1977, this character has never had a leading role, or even a line, other than the one they utter over and over again. That's right: We're talking about the true hero of "Star Wars," the gonk droid.

Officially known as GNK-series power droid, the gonk droid is an unsung titan. It's a powerhouse in the literal sense, in that it is basically a power generator with ears and legs. This makes it far more useful than a regular battery, as it can carry out simple tasks on its own and relocate as needed. And yes, it's called a gonk droid colloquially because, well, that's just the noise it makes.

Like several of the most famous droid models in "Star Wars," the gonk droid first appeared in the Jawa sandcrawler scenes of the original 1977 film. One member of the droid species can be seen in certain shots, bumping around and emitting its distinctive "gonk" noise, which just so happens to mirror its GNK designation. Since then, gonk droids have popped up constantly in "Star Wars," featuring in everything from "Rogue One" (visible in the rebel base on Yavin 4) to "The Clone Wars."

One of the more famous gonk droids lately is the aptly nicknamed Gonky, who accompanies Clone Force 99 on various missions in "Star Wars: The Bad Batch." Gonky may not be a droid of many words, but he does help the crew out on several occasions and develops a special bond with Omega.

Pick up a "Star Wars" novel or comic book and you're likely to find the same result — some stray mention or appearance of a gonk droid, doing the galaxy's dirty work and powering whatever ship needs saving. The gonk droid is a true building block of the "Star Wars" galaxy, which is appropriate given that its shape quite literally resembles a massive brick.