Despite being a clunky cylinder of machine parts, R2-D2 rolled his way into our hearts with only a few beeps and boops. He was a quirky little droid that seemed to know his way around the universe of Star Wars better than Luke Skywalker did, so it's no wonder that R2-D2 (also known as Artoo) became one of the most recognizable stars of the films. There does not seem to be a character like him anywhere else; he feels so unique (or at least he did until BB-8 made his appearance). R2-D2 will always be our number one droid in Star Wars though (sorry, C-3PO, but your stodginess counts against you).
When we first meet Artoo, he and C-3PO are stumbling along the halls of Leia's ship, the Tantive IV, right before Darth Vader attacks. His language was unintelligible to our ears, but just by hearing Threepio's exasperated responses, we knew that the smaller Artoo unit had boatloads of spirit. When I look back on my childhood, it's clear that I've underestimated R2-D2's impact on my life. Without consciously thinking about it, I have compared the countless wordless sidekicks I've seen in cartoons and movies to Artoo, the pinnacle of all cute sidekicks.
And for such a small guy, a large amount of shocking things have happened to him. As a droid, his life span has far exceeded a lot of the other characters we have met in the Star Wars films. As such, Artoo has seen and experienced much more than the average character. If you are a lover of the little droid as much as I am, read on to learn some new and surprising things about him you may not have known.
20 Beating Bounty Hunters
R2-D2 is so cool, he went toe-to-toe with Boba Fett and came out the winner. Well, he didn't exactly go toe-to-toe with Boba Fett. But he did prove to be instrumental in aiding in Boba Fett's defeat. In a comic telling of what happened after A New Hope, we learn that Boba Fett was on Luke's trail after the destruction of the first Death Star. Darth Vader hired Fett to find the mysterious X-Wing pilot who had traveled with Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Fett stakes out Obi-Wan's home in the deserts of Tatooine and manages to spring a trap on Luke and Artoo when they arrive looking for Obi-Wan's belongings. He throws in a flash grenade that stuns and knocks over Artoo and blinds Luke. Luke manages to use his Jedi skills to dodge Boba Fett's attacks. And Artoo helps by just lying there! When Boba backs up, he trips over Artoo's prone form. See, Artoo is awesome without even trying.
19 Bystander To The Fall
It is horrible to see a friend go down the wrong path, and it must be especially horrible if that path involves the slaughter of younglings and the betrayal of friends. While Artoo may not have seen the worst of Anakin's behavior once he turned to the Dark Side, he was there for the final moments of his turn. Anakin took Artoo with him to Mustafar when he was sent there by Palpatine to get rid of the Separatist leadership. I don't think Artoo got a good look at Anakin's "handling" of the Separatists.
But he was present for when Anakin Force-hurt Padmé.
Since R2-D2 can't talk, we never get to hear his reaction to this, but you can bet that he must have been distraught. Think of all the adventures that Artoo and Anakin had together. Bonds aside from Padmé and Anakin's were broken that day.
18 Let's Go Fly A Droid
Fans had mostly negative reactions to the introduction of R2-D2's rocket boosters in Attack of the Clones. I can understand their ire. If Artoo could fly all along, then a lot of problems he and the gang encountered in the original trilogy should have been easily solved. Any time Artoo had to make a quick a getaway, he could have just brought out his rocket boosters and flown off without a care in the world.
However, there is a working explanation for why Artoo no longer has his boosters in the originals.
The corporation that made Artoo and his rocket boosters no longer produced them, so when Artoo's rockets eventually gave out, there was no way to fix them. I call this turkey. Even if the exact parts were no longer made, I'm sure some gear-head could have managed to repair them.
17 The Man Behind The Curtain
Avid Star Wars fans will know who Kenny Baker was, but for those of you who are just casual Star Wars moviegoers, you may not know that there was a man stood within R2-D2, providing some of the small movements that gave Artoo such character.
Kenny Baker was the actor known for being the ultimate droid.
He was placed inside the little droid and controlled some of Artoo's basic movements. The other kinds of motions that Artoomade were controlled remotely. He had to suffer no small amount of discomfort during the original trilogy, but thankfully, later R2-D2 costumes were able to hold Baker more comfortably. Unfortunately, Kenny Baker passed away on August 13th, 2016. Despite his passing, he will forever be remembered as the man who helped bring R2-D2 to life.
16 The Wedding Gift
As if to add to the tragedy of Anakin's fall to the Dark Side, I found out what he and Padmé each gave each other after their wedding. C-3PO was all Anakin had to his name aside from his lightsaber, but he gave him to Padmé anyways. As a Jedi, Anakin had no use for a protocol droid, but Padmé's job as a senator would find Threepio very useful.
In return, Padmé gave Anakin R2-D2.
Artoo had worked for Padmé since she was Queen of Naboo, and Anakin clearly treasured him above and beyond any other droid he's worked with. You can clearly see this in many episodes of the animated series, The Clone Wars. Anakin sometimes even put his missions at risk to rescue Artoo from trouble. Aside from developing a close friendship with the droid, Anakin also loved Artoo because he was a gift from his wife's.
15 Across The Stars
R2-D2 also has the great honor of being one of the characters in Star Wars that has appeared in every film so far. He played an integral part in the prequels and the originals, and he has made appearances in the next two films, The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. He even makes a short appearance in Rogue One. I don't know if he will show up in the final installment of the sequel's trilogy or in the Han Solo movie, (artfully called Solo), but as of this writing, Artoo is the one character (along with Threepio, of course) to have been in all Star Wars movies. It's a dubious honor, because as such, Artoo gets to see the fresh horrors that always seem to face our protagonists from different enemies.
14 Sneaking Into Star Trek
You always hear about the rivalry between the Star Trek and the Star Wars franchises. Fans from each side will argue with each other about which universe is best. But real sci-fi fans know that there should be no argument. Any universe that can help us escape from the mundane is a good universe. The more the better, in fact. Without Star Trek, there would be no Star Wars, and without Star Wars, there would be no Star Trek.
J. J. Abrams demonstrated his appreciation for Star Wars when he made his new Star Trek films by including Artoo in them. When starships were being torn apart in space, in both the first movie and in Into Darkness, you can just make out a little R2-D2 being sucked out into the cold vacuum. Er, well, these aren't exactly happy cameos, but at least we got to see our favorite little astromech.
13 Help Me, Obi-Wan Kenobi...
No part in The Last Jedi cut me up more than when Luke got on board the Millennium Falcon after isolating himself on Ahch-To for so long. It was wonderful to see Han and Chewie reclaim their ship in The Force Awakens, but there was something bittersweet when Luke revisited the Falcon after so long. Reluctant to train Rey in the ways of the Force, it is Artoo who drives the emotional knife in and convinces him to mentor her at least somewhat.
He does this by showing Luke the old hologram recording of Leia asking Obi-Wan Kenobi for help.
This recording is what set the hopeful, young Luke off on his adventures. Artoo becomes the king of guilt trips by doing this, reminding Luke not only of who he used to be, but of how much his sister needs his help.
12 Revealing Everything
Humans aren't the only ones who can be placed under duress. Poor Artoo was captured and sold to General Grievous during the Clone Wars. Since Anakin refused to regularly wipe Artoo's memory banks, Artoo's capture proved very dangerous because the Separatists would have had access to the Republic's gravest secrets.
In order to get at that information, Artoo was torn apart.
He was dismantled in a way that was disturbing to witness. I know that Artoo is a droid and he is made of mechanical parts, but I've always seen him whole. It was shocking to see him strewn about on a table. Luckily, Anakin was able to rescue Artoo before anything damaging could be done to the Republic. And Anakin would never leave Artoo behind regardless.
11 Sole Survivor
Pure luck is what brings Artoo to Luke Skywalker in A New Hope. Artoo could have been obliterated from the face of the world (or rather the side of a ship) in a heartbeat before he ever got a chance to meet the Skywalker family. When the shields were damaged on the Naboo starship trying to flee the blockade surrounding the planet, astromech droids were sent to repair them. One by one, they were all blasted away by the barrage of fire the Naboo ship was taking. All but one.
Artoo survived not by skill, but by the luck of fate.
With the rate of astromechs getting blown up, Artoo should not have survived. By all odds, he should have gotten lasered like the rest of them. But he did survive, because he's R2-D2. You can't kill R2-D2.
10 One Bad-Mouthed Droid
In first drafts of Star Wars, R2-D2 was not just a cute droid that made little noises. He actually spoke. (I know, shocking, right?) I can't even begin to imagine a Star Wars movie where Artoo says words. The very concept seems alien. No voice that I know could replace the electronic noises I've already associated with him. But apparently, that was the plan. This alternate (and strange) version of Artoo would have spoken English and would have had the foulest mouth of all the droids. That explains why C-3PO often exclaims against Artoo's vocalizations as if they were swear words. It's because, at some point, they really were swear words. I for one one am glad that they kept Artoo "wordless." Thinking about him speaking is as odd as thinking about Chewie speaking.
9 The Real Hero
Luke Skywalker, some might claim, is the hero of the original trilogy. Anakin Skywalker, some might claim, is the tragic hero of the prequel trilogy. I want to contend that R2-D2 is the real hero of both trilogies. I know, I know, I'm stretching the word "hero," but if you look at Artoo's escapades, you will see that he saves the day far more often than Luke or Anakin.
In each episode from the first to the sixth, Artoo performs heroic actions.
Check it out for yourself if you don't believe me. From the first episode, where he helps everyone get past the Naboo blockade, to the last episode, where he sends Luke his lightsaber to free them all from Jabba's palace, the first two Star Wars trilogies are filled with moments where Artoo saves the day.
8 The Droid Forgets
I'll admit, I chuckled when Bail Organa casually ordered Captain Antilles to have C-3PO's memory wiped. It is supposed to be a comedic and an explanatory moment, but it actually seems far darker when you really consider the implications for Artoo. We laughed because Threepio's solemn, "Oh no," was such a Threepio kind of thing to say, and we nodded along in understanding because we now knew why Threepio never mentioned having known Leia or Luke's parents in the original trilogy. But think about how Artoo was left with the knowledge of all that had happened while his friend's memory was forcibly taken from him. Artoo's only companion in the universe who knew what had happened could no longer talk about the situation with him.
7 Goo Goo Ga Ga
Ben Burtt, the sound designer for R2-D2 (and many other iconic characters), faced a problem when he was trying to come up with vocalizations for Artoo. As a droid that could not speak words, Artoo was relegated to electronic warbles. But at the same time, since he was an important character to the story, Artoo had to sound human enough to be sympathetic to audiences.
Burtt solved this conundrum by using his own voice to make "baby talk" and then mixing it with a synthesizer.
So the whimpers and the wheedling cries that Artoo makes come from a mixture of a person's voice and a machine. This was masterfully done because it reinforces the idea that despite being a droid, Artoo is a sentient being that suffers emotions like a human.
6 Knight To A-2
Artoo is a delightful nickname for a droid designated R2-D2. It just drops off the tongue so easily (a little easier than BB-8, I think). However, Artoo was not originally going to be called "Artoo." George Lucas said in an interview that one of the first ideas for Artoo's name was simply A-2. A-2? How would you even spell that phonetically? Aytoo? And that's not all. Threepio would have just been called, C-3. That would have been a loony Star Wars movie. You might think me neurotic for obsessing over the names of droids. "A-2" is technically just a letter and a dash away from "R2." Am I obsessed though? Maybe. (But seriously, come on. Which would you prefer to say? Artoo or Aytoo?)
5 What's In A Name?
Speaking of R2-D2's name, it begs the question of where those letters and numbers come from in the first place. What makes R's, D's, and 2's so special? Well, George Lucas was working on one of his films called American Graffiti while he was working on the script for Star Wars. The story goes that his sound editor for American Graffiti asked if he could use Reel 2 of Dialogue Track 2.
However, he asked for that by abbreviating it to R2-D2.
Supposedly, George Lucas, who was in the room, heard that and thought it was a brilliant name. And the script he was working on just so happened to need a name for a plucky droid character. See? Even George Lucas likes the sound of "Artoo."
4 Once More Into The Murk
Artoo didn't too well when he visited Dagobah in The Empire Strikes Back. He got eaten and spat out by a swamp monster. He got left outside in the rain while Luke and Yoda were safe and warm in Yoda's hovel. And he was constantly thrown up in the air without his permission when Luke was training to use the Force. By anybody's standards, that's not a fun time.
Turns out though, that wasn't Artoo's first time on Dagobah.
R2-D2 traveled there with Yoda back during the Clone Wars. When Yoda was seeking the knowledge to become a blue-ghost-spirit-thing, he made a journey to Dagobah, and Artoo accompanied him. You would think that Artoo would have mentioned this to Luke. But that droid knows how to keep his mouth (or lack of a mouth, I guess) shut.
3 Comatose
After years of being in service without a break, Artoo felt he was beginning to under-perform in his functions as a droid. So shortly after Luke's school was destroyed, in between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, Artoo shut himself down.
Artoo went into the equivalent of a droid coma.
He wakes up after hearing members of the Resistance and BB-8 mentioning that they have part of the map to Luke Skywalker. Having tapped into numerous databanks during his life (and never having his memory wiped), Artoo comes out of his self-imposed sleep to reveal that he has collected the other part of the map that they are looking for. Yes, it's a bit of an ex machina. But after losing Han Solo, it felt nice to have someone from the original trilogy come back.
2 Squad Goals
Not all droids are as helpless as C-3PO. The episode of the Clone Wars titled "D-Squad" definitely proved that. Imagine a collection of tough droids carrying out a secret mission that will aid the Republic in their war against the Separatists.
That's basically D-Squad in a nutshell.
If you ask me, there should definitely be more of this type of content in the Star Wars universe. For too long have the droids of the series not gotten the attention that is their due. Artoo accomplishes so much for his friends, and BB-8 is following in his footsteps (tread-marks). Droids should not just be cast aside as secondary characters. They should definitely get their moment to shine in the spotlight and show everybody how to get jobs done.
1 Zipped Lips
The darkest fact about R2-D2 is the darkest facet of himself. He's a close-mouthed little jerk! Look, I love Artoo as much as the next Star Wars fan. But if we're going along with the idea that he has been around for the entire saga, then we have to agree that he's got a bit of a cruel streak.
He knows so much of what has happened to the Skywalker family.
How could he not tell Luke what he knows? He was there for Anakin's fall to the Dark Side. R2 was there for the birth of Padmé's children. He knows everything that we the audience know, if not more. But he refuses to tell anyone. He doesn't even re-fill Threepio in on what he knows after his memory is wiped. If it's a fact that Artoo was there from the beginning, then it's a fact that he's a jerk.