R2-D2

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"R2D2" redirects here. For other uses, see R2D2 (disambiguation).
R2-D2
Star Wars character
First appearanceStar Wars (1977)
Created byGeorge Lucas
Portrayed by
  • Kenny Baker (Episodes I–VI; The Force Awakens, consultant)
  • Deep Roy (Episodes V–VI, double)
  • Jimmy Vee (The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi)
  • Hassan Taj, Lee Towersey (The Rise of Skywalker)
  • Christine Galey (The Book of Boba Fett)
Voiced byBen Burtt
In-universe information
NicknameArtoo (R2)
Species
  • R2-series astromech droid
  • R2 Unit
Class
Astromech droid
Affiliation
HomeworldNaboo

R2-D2 (

Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. R2-D2 and his companion C-3PO are the only characters to appear in every theatrical Star Wars film, with the exception of Solo: A Star Wars Story
(2018).

English actor

sound designer Ben Burtt
.

R2-D2 was designed in artwork by Ralph McQuarrie, co-developed by John Stears and built by Peteric Engineering. The revised Empire Strikes Back droids had fibreglass shells built by Tony Dyson and his White Horse Toy Company.

Design

George Lucas's creation of R2-D2 was influenced by the peasant Matashichi from Akira Kurosawa's 1958 feature film The Hidden Fortress (released in the United States in 1962), although his personality is completely the opposite. Lucas and artist Ralph McQuarrie also drew inspiration from the robots Huey, Dewey, and Louie from Douglas Trumbull's 1972 film Silent Running.

Around the same time that A New Hope was being shot, Ray Harryhausen had already created "Bubo" for the 1981 film Clash of the Titans. In the film, Bubo is a mechanical metal owl that flies heavily and communicates through whistles and tweets. Harryhausen denied a relation.[3][4]

The name derives from when Lucas was making one of his earlier films, American Graffiti. Sound editor Walter Murch states that he is responsible for the utterance which sparked the name for the droid. Murch asked for Reel 2, Dialog Track 2, in the abbreviated form "R-2-D-2". Lucas, who was in the room and had dozed off while working on the script for Star Wars, momentarily woke when he heard the request and, after asking for clarification, stated that it was a "great name" before going back to writing his script.[5][6]

R2-D2 stands for Second Generation Robotic Droid Series-2, according to a Star Wars encyclopedia published after the release of the film Star Wars.[7][b] Tony Dyson, owner of the special effects studio The White Horse Toy Company, was commissioned by special effects supervisor Brian Johnson to fabricate the revised mechanical design for The Empire Strikes Back, making several units operated by remote control. A number were used by Baker, and two were stunt double models made for the scene where the droid was shot from the swamp onto the shore on Dagobah.

Appearances

Skywalker saga

Main article:
Skywalker saga

Original trilogy

Star Wars

In Star Wars, R2-D2 and

Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi's (Alec Guinness
) desert abode.

R2-D2 and C-3PO are then abducted by

Imperial stormtroopers, Luke is forced to leave Tatooine with Obi-Wan, Han Solo (Harrison Ford), and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) on board the Millennium Falcon to deliver R2-D2 to the Rebel Alliance. On their arrival at Alderaan's co-ordinates, they are pulled in by the Death Star's tractor beam and are forced to land, but eventually rescue Princess Leia. After Vader kills Obi-Wan, the rest of the group escapes and delivers the Death Star plans to the Rebel Alliance. R2 later serves as Luke's droid during the attack on the station
. R2-D2 is severely damaged during the battle, but is repaired before the ceremony at the end of the film.

The Empire Strikes Back

In

Cloud City
, where he helps to rescue and repair a heavily damaged C-3PO and to override city security computers. He also manages to reactivate the Millennium Falcon's hyperdrive, resulting in a last-minute escape from Imperial forces.

Return of the Jedi

In Return of the Jedi, R2-D2 plays a critical role in rescuing Luke, Leia, and Han from Jabba the Hutt. He later joins the Rebel strike team on Endor. He is badly damaged during the battle between the Imperial troops and the Rebels, but is repaired in time for the celebration marking the second Death Star's destruction and the fall of the Empire.

Prequel trilogy

The Phantom Menace

In

Boss Nass (Brian Blessed
) at the end of the film.

Attack of the Clones

In

Geonosis
. He and C-3PO are later witness to Anakin and Padmé's secret wedding.

Revenge of the Sith

In

dark side of the Force
and becomes Darth Vader, he takes R2-D2 with him when he goes to assassinate the Separatist council, but he tells him to stay with the ship. After Obi-Wan defeats Vader in a lightsaber duel, R2-D2 goes with him aboard Padmé's ship, where he witnesses as Padmé dies after giving birth to her and Vader's children, Luke and Leia.

After Palpatine and Vader overthrow the Republic and establish the

Raymus Antilles (Rohan Nichol
) onboard the Tantive IV.

Sequel trilogy

The Force Awakens

In

D'Qar, having put himself in a low-power mode after Luke Skywalker's disappearance. He later awakens and reveals Luke's location by combining map data stored in his memory with that of the droid BB-8. He then travels with Rey (Daisy Ridley
) and Chewbacca to the planet highlighted on the map, where they find Luke in self-imposed exile. In the credits, Kenny Baker was credited as 'R2-D2 consultant,' while Jimmy Vee provided an uncredited portrayal in some scenes.

The Last Jedi

R2-D2 appeared in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, with actor Jimmy Vee taking over the role from Kenny Baker, who retired from the role due to his age and health. Baker died in August 2016.[8][9]

R2-D2 has a brief but pivotal role in the film, reuniting with Luke aboard the Millennium Falcon and showing him Leia's distress message from the original film in a successful attempt to convince Luke to train Rey. He is later shown interfacing with the Falcon's computer while Rey and Chewbacca pilot the ship amid the final confrontation with the evil First Order’s forces.

The Rise of Skywalker

R2-D2 returns once more in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Initially remaining at the Resistance base, he is shown watching Leia as she dies. He later plays an important role in restoring C-3PO's memory after Rey, Finn (John Boyega) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) are forced to erase it so the droid can translate a Sith artifact that holds a clue to the location of the Sith homeworld and the new fleet of the resurrected Palpatine. R2-D2 accompanies Poe in his X-wing for the final assault, and is later shown joining the others in celebrating the defeat of Palpatine and the Sith Eternal.

Anthology films

Rogue One

Main article: Rogue One

R2-D2 makes a cameo appearance in Rogue One alongside C-3PO.[10]

Television

R2-D2 and C-3PO had their own animated series, Star Wars: Droids, set before they came into Luke Skywalker's possession. This was excluded from the new canon in 2014.[11] They also appear in both the live action and animated segments of the Star Wars Holiday Special. In the animated segment they are rescued by a mysterious bounty hunter, Boba Fett, who offers to help them. Later R2-D2 intercepts a transmission between Darth Vader and Fett - thus confirming to him, C-3PO and the others Fett's true allegiances.[12]

R2-D2 makes a guest appearance with C-3PO, Luke Skywalker (and Mark Hamill) and Chewbacca in an episode of The Muppet Show.

R2-D2 appears in the 2008 animated film

canon.[11]

R2-D2 also appears in Star Wars Rebels in the episodes "Droids in Distress" and "Blood Sisters", and in several episodes of Star Wars Forces of Destiny.

In the second season finale of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, R2-D2 accompanies Luke Skywalker as he goes to retrieve Grogu to be trained as a Jedi.

R2-D2 appears in the sixth and seventh episodes of The Mandalorian spin-off series The Book of Boba Fett. After Grogu decides to abandon his Jedi training, Luke has R2-D2 fly Grogu to Tatooine in his X-wing starfighter so that he may be reunited with his guardian, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal).

R2-D2 makes a cameo appearance in Part I of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Novels and comics

Main article:
Star Wars expanded to other media

The novelization of Attack of the Clones makes it clear that R2-D2 has been in Padmé's possession since the events of The Phantom Menace. R2-D2 appears in Marvel's 2015 Star Wars comic series, which is set between the films of the original trilogy. He also appears briefly in the miniseries Star Wars: Shattered Empire.

Legends

With the 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company, most of the licensed Star Wars novels and comics produced since the originating 1977 film Star Wars were rebranded as Star Wars Legends and declared non-canon to the franchise in April 2014.[11][13][14]

  • In the various Star Wars novels and comics, the droid duo have played a small but significant role. In the Expanded Universe novel
    The Swarm War
    , R2-D2 inadvertently helps Luke and Leia come to grips with their heritage when an electronic glitch unearths long-concealed images of Anakin relating his fear of losing Padmé, and of Padmé's death.
  • In issue No. 12 of
    Cade Skywalker
    .

Other films

Along with the Star Wars films, R2-D2 makes non-canon cameo appearances in several other films, including: Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness, where he was seen flying in debris; Close Encounters of the Third Kind, in which he is seen on the underside of the alien ship; in Raiders of the Lost Ark, in which he is seen on the wall of the room containing the Ark; in Poltergeist, where he is seen in several objects on Robbie's room; and in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, where he is seen flying among rubble and debris in the sky. In Ready Player One, R2-D2 is also seen as a toy model in Wade and Samantha's apartment. He also appears in the Wreck-It Ralph sequel, Ralph Breaks the Internet.

In an early script to 2014's The Lego Movie, R2-D2 was set to be one of the main characters, but was written out due to the directors failing to obtain the rights to the character.[15][16]

Production

A fan-made R2-D2

Several R2-D2 models were built for the original Star Wars films; one that was remote controlled and rolled on three wheeled legs, and others which were worn by English actor Kenny Baker and walked on two legs.[17][18] Deep Roy (who also doubled Yoda in several scenes), served as Baker's double, in both Episodes V and VI; providing stunts and filling in when Baker was unavailable.[19][20][21] The original props for Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope were designed by John Stears and built by Stears' team and Peteric Engineering. The revised fibreglass droids used in The Empire Strikes Back were built by Tony Dyson and the White Horse Toy Company. The radio controlled R2 was operated by John Stears in A New Hope, Brian Johnson in The Empire Strikes Back and by Kit West in Return of the Jedi.

Kenny Baker, who portrayed R2-D2 in costume, was not involved in the Star Wars Holiday Special. R2-D2 was portrayed entirely by a radio controlled unit, operated by Mick Garris[22] (Lucas' receptionist at the time).[21][23][24] In the credits, R2-D2 is credited as playing himself. Garris later went on to operate the radio controlled R2-D2 at various events, including the Oscars.[25]

There were a total of 15 R2-D2s on the set of Attack of the Clones. Eight were radio-controlled; two were worn by Baker; the remainder were stunt models that could be moved by puppet strings or towed by wires. The robotic R2-D2's were prone to failure, particularly while shooting the Tatooine scenes in Tunisia.[26]

Radio-controlled units were extensively utilized for the Prequel trilogy due to advances in technology, though Baker was still used in some scenes. R2-D2 had three principal operators: Don Bies,[27][28] Jolyon Bambridge[29][30] and Grant Imahara.[31][32]

The sound effects for R2-D2's "voice" were created by sound designer

Star Tours–The Adventures Continue
attraction.

Although Kenny Baker is credited, Anthony Daniels (who portrays C-3PO) has stated that Baker did not film any scenes in Revenge of the Sith.[34] Baker himself has said he probably only appears in footage caught while shooting the previous two movies.[35]

For The Force Awakens, producer

Kathleen Kennedy hired two fans, Lee Towersey and Oliver Steeples, to build new R2-D2 robots for the film, after being impressed by their working replicas that were brought to Star Wars Celebration Europe in 2013.[36]
Towersey was also one of the two puppeteers, along with Hassan Taj, who operated the droid in The Rise of Skywalker.

Cultural influence

See also: Cultural impact of Star Wars
Boeing 787-9 in a special R2-D2 livery, which is colloquially referred to as R2D2JET; this aircraft is seen here at Tokyo International Airport
(March 2016).

R2-D2 was inducted into the

Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh. The Smithsonian Institution included R2-D2 in its list of 101 Objects that Made America.[37] In 2022 R2-D2 was surveyed as being the most popular movie robot in the United States.[38]

The Phalanx CIWS is nicknamed R2-D2 due to the shape of the radar housing.[39]

Marc Rotenberg of the Electronic Privacy Information Center called a security robot intended for schools and malls R2-D2's "evil twin"; William Santana Li, who co-founded the company that built the robot, said he wanted people to think of the robot as "a mash-up of Batman, Minority Report and R2-D2".[40]

R2-D2 and C-3PO guest starred in a two episodes of Sesame Street in 1980.[41] The two droids were featured as presenters at the 50th Academy Awards.

In the Pinky and the Brain final series "Star Warners" who parodies Star Wars Brain plays R2-D2 and Pinky plays C-3PO.

Ewan McGregor, who portrayed Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, said in an interview, "As soon as R2-D2 comes on the set, everyone goes a bit silly." He said "there is something about him that makes you feel great affection for him". In the DVD audio commentary for Revenge of the Sith, George Lucas says R2-D2 is his favorite character, and that it is intentional that R2-D2 saves the day at least once in every film.

R2-D2 had appeared in some episodes of The Simpsons. Also in the sixteenth Halloween special ("Treehouse of Horror XVI") in the I've Grown a Costume on Your Face segment Apu Nahasapeemapetilon appears disguised and later turned into a real version of R2-D2.

R2-D2 is parodied in several episodes of Family Guy. The final scene in "Blind Ambition" where Peter Griffin receives a medal of honor after a blind Peter saves Horace's life parodies the ending in the original 1977 Star Wars. In the episodes parodying the original Star Wars trilogy, Cleveland Brown plays R2-D2's role, while Quagmire plays C-3PO.

The 2015

Jewish R2-D2" dubbed by Rob Schneider.[citation needed
]

In 2015, Hasbro released a Bop It game using the design of R2-D2 on September 4, 2015 for "Force Friday". The top part of the unit (his head) becomes the 'Bop It' button, the bottom part of his head becomes the 'Twist It' and his legs are the 'Pull It'. The game is based on the Bop It Micro Series and the voice is replaced with voice recordings from C-3PO. Instead of the game saying "I'm going to sleep." before the unit shuts off, this version says "I'll just switch off for a while."[42]

The navigation system of the

SR-71 plane has been affectionately called R2-D2.[43]
The system had R2-D2 like navigational purposes and was mounted behind the pilot directed upward.

In the late 70's - early 80's Sandy Frank Adaptation of the Japanese cartoon "Science Team Gatchaman" renamed Battle of the Planetsfor the US audience, the Narrator is a robot named 7-Zark-7, who has an uncanny resemblance to R2-D2 and a personality similar to C3PO. This character was developed exclusively for the American Adaptation.

The telescope dome of Zweibrücken Observatory in Germany was repainted to resemble R2-D2 in 2018.[44]

Zweibrücken Observatory in 2019

In the Latin American Spanish dubbing of the Star Wars films, the name R2-D2 is pronounced as "Arturito" (Little Arthur), which sounds similar to the English pronunciation.[45]

In the Italian version of the original trilogy, R2-D2 was named "C1-P8".[46] Anglicisms were not common in the Italian language during the 1970s and 1980s, and the names of various characters were changed to be easier to pronounce and recognize for Italian speakers. Some of these changes were reverted in the dubbing of the prequel and sequel trilogies, where the original name R2-D2 was used instead. Other name changes in the Italian version of the original trilogy include C-3PO, Han Solo, Leia Organa and Darth Vader, who were called respectively "D-3BO", "Ian Solo", "Leila Organa" and "Dart Fener" (or "Lord Fener").

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ Every episode of the Skywalker saga and one anthology film.
  2. ^ Later titled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope

Citations

  1. ISBN 978-1-4197-1780-2
    .
  2. ^ McNary, Dave (February 14, 2017). "'Star Wars': R2-D2 Role to Be Filled by Jimmy Vee in 'The Last Jedi'". Variety. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  3. ISBN 1-85410-940-5
    . contrary to what some critics said at the time, Bubo was invented before R2-D2.
  4. ISBN 978-0-8108-8248-5. Archived
    from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  5. ^ Bill Chambers (2000). "Film Freak Central Interviews Editor Walter Murch (page 4)". FilmFreakCentral.net. p. 4. Archived from the original on August 10, 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  6. ISBN 9780316257459. Archived
    from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  7. ^ "R2-D2". AI - Artificial Intelligence!. Archived from the original on 2023-02-07. Retrieved 2017-04-16.
  8. ^ Cameron K McEwan (November 16, 2015). "Doctor Who actor Jimmy Vee is the new R2-D2 in Star Wars Episode 8". Metro. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  9. ^ Jason Ward (September 16, 2015). "LITTLE ACTOR JIMMY VEE IS ARTOO-DETOO IN STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII". Makingstarwars.net. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  10. ^ Fullerton, Huw (December 18, 2016). "11 of the best Star Wars Easter Eggs in Rogue One". radiotimes.com. RadioTimes. Archived from the original on December 18, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  11. ^ a b c McMillan, Graeme (April 25, 2014). "Lucasfilm Unveils New Plans for Star Wars Expanded Universe". The Hollywood Reporter. Los Angeles, California: Eldridge Industries. Archived from the original on April 29, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  12. ^ Lucas Seastrom (15 November 2018). "The Star Wars Holiday Special and the Debut of Boba Fett". starwars.com. Archived from the original on 15 November 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2023. The sequence would present an adventure where Han Solo, Chewbacca, Luke Skywalker, and their companions [C-3PO and R2-D2] are on the search for a mystical talisman. They run into trouble when they encounter Boba Fett, who at first pretends to be an ally but is later revealed as an agent of Darth Vader.
  13. StarWars.com. April 25, 2014. Archived
    from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  14. ^ "Disney and Random House announce relaunch of Star Wars Adult Fiction line". StarWars.com. April 25, 2014. Archived from the original on May 14, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  15. ^ Child, Ben (19 November 2014). "The missing piece: Star Wars' R2-D2 originally a key character in The Lego Movie". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 February 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  16. ^ McMillan, Graeme (November 8, 2014). "R2-D2 Was Almost in 'The Lego Movie', Directors Say". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  17. ^ Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope audio commentary (DVD).
  18. Empire of Dreams
     (Documentary). Star Wars Trilogy box set.
  19. ^ "The 8 Nerdiest Roles of Deep Roy". The Robot's Voice. 6 March 2012. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  20. ^ Brummer, Alicia (January 1991). "Deep Roy – Alive in the Valley". Sand to Sea. Archived from the original on March 29, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  21. ^ a b "Deep Roy Biography". Archived from the original on October 15, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  22. ^ "The Other R2-D2". Star Wars Insider. April 2008. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  23. ^ Vaughn, Michael (April 7, 2014). "The Master of Horror Himself Mick Garris! Talks getting his start with Lucas,Working with Stephen King and More!!!". Gorehound Mike. Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  24. ^ "Cinema Raiders- Star Wars Holiday Special". 20 December 2011. Archived from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  25. ^ P, Ken (January 13, 2003). "AN INTERVIEW WITH MICK GARRIS". IGN. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  26. ^ Bad Karma Droid. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (DVD).
  27. ^ "Don Bies Interview". Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  28. ^ "The Man Behind R2-D2". New Mexico Museum of Space History. September 30, 2015. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  29. ^ "Flying Camera Systems – About Us". Archived from the original on March 18, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  30. ^ "Jolyon Bambridge, BFI Filmography". Archived from the original on April 18, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  31. ^ "Grant Imahara at MythBusters". Discovery. Archived from the original on July 2, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  32. ^ "Meet Grant Imahara from MythBusters". mouser.com. Archived from the original on July 2, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  33. ^ Ben Burtt. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope audio commentary (DVD).
  34. ^ "Anthony Daniels interview". Set. April 2008. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  35. Associated Newspapers. Archived from the original
    on 2020-04-04. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
  36. ^ Cast & Crew Highlight at Star Wars Celebration Panel Anaheim. YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-11-08.
  37. ^ "R2-D2". 100 Objects that Made America. Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on October 28, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  38. ^ Barber, Marianne (February 16, 2022). "Most Popular Movie Robot in Every U.S. State". mroelectric.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  39. ^ Sieff, Martin (November 3, 2006). "Phalanx Has a Future". Spacewar.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  40. ^ Markoff, John (November 29, 2013). "A Night Watchman With Wheels?". The New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on January 4, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  41. ^ Chris Hamilton (28 March 2014). "Star Wars: The Muppet Connection". starwars.com. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  42. ^ "Bop It R2D2 Review". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-11-08. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  43. ^ "Nortronics NAS-14V2 Astroinertial Navigation System". Time and Navigation. Smithsonian. Archived from the original on November 22, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
  44. ^ "German Professor Who Is A Hardcore Star Wars Fan Has Just Repainted An Observatory Into R2-D2". Bored Panda. 25 March 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-11-22. Retrieved 2019-11-16.
  45. ^ "El verdadero nombre de R2-D2". wordpress.com. February 8, 2012. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  46. ^ Misculin, Luca (9 November 2015). "Tutto Star Wars, spiegato per immagini" (in Italian). il Post. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.

Further reading

External links

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