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Image via Lucasfilm
The nine-film Star Wars “Skywalker Saga” spans 67 years in canon, four systems of galactic governance, three separate wars, and innumerable heroes and villains. But though the core of this story is the Skywalker family – Shmi, Anakin, Padme, Luke, Leia, Han, and Ben – the real heart of the saga is a beeping and whistling animated trashcan that rolled into the world’s heart in 1977 and remains beloved to this day.
Yup, we’re talking R2-D2. The heroic astromech droid made his chronological debut as a member of Padme’s crew in The Phantom Menace, and went on to play an outsized part in galactic history, being present at just about every key moment in the saga, and often directly participating. Without R2, the heroes would have stumbled and fallen on many occasions, so this unassuming little droid carries a lot of responsibility on his domed head.
Fans have known this for years, but there’s always time to recognize how important R2 really is:
Replies unanimously agree:
One fan even points out that even George Lucas agrees:
It’s worth pointing out that without R2 bravely repairing the Royal Starship’s shield in The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan, Padme, Qui-Gon Jinn and everyone else on board would have been blown to smithereens:
R2 isn’t just a technical wizard, but also knows when to keep a secret for the greater good (though Luke might disagree):
Another points to famous A New Hope influence The Hidden Fortress, with Lucas drawing from Kurosawa’s classic for the droid characters:
But, from a certain point of view, maybe R2’s prequel trilogy heroism wasn’t all for the best?
R2-D2 (and C-3PO) will be taking the spotlight once again soon. Star Wars: A Droid Story is an animated film that’s been in development for Disney Plus since 2020, with ILM promising a cutting-edge adventure focused on the pair alongside a brand new droid buddy. We don’t have a release date yet, though it should arrive sometime in 2023.
We’re always down for more of R2, so consider us sold.