R2-D2 Is the Most Important ‘Star Wars’ Character

As Disney+ builds out the Star Wars universe with The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, I’m starting to despair that it will ever get to the point. When do we get a series about the one critical character at the center of everything without whom the story falls apart? When does R2-D2 get his due?

Without R2-D2, there is no Star Wars. R2-D2 kicks off the entire story in A New Hope by resisting Luke’s attempt to erase his memory and instead projecting the hologram of Leia’s urgent message asking Obi-Wan for help. He leads Luke to Obi-Wan by escaping from Luke and rolling off into the Tatooine desert, and later locates Leia on the Death Star. Even after all of this, the Rebel Alliance would be destroyed without the little droid because R2-D2 holds the plans for the Death Star without which Luke would not know where to strike to blow it up.

About the Author

Kyle Smith

Kyle Smith is the film critic for the Wall Street Journal.

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As Disney+ builds out the Star Wars universe with The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, I’m starting to despair that it will ever get to the point. When do we get a series about the one critical character at the center of everything without whom the story falls apart? When does R2-D2 get his due?

Without R2-D2, there is no Star Wars. R2-D2 kicks off the entire story in A New Hope by resisting Luke’s attempt to erase his memory and instead projecting the hologram of Leia’s urgent message asking Obi-Wan for help. He leads Luke to Obi-Wan by escaping from Luke and rolling off into the Tatooine desert, and later locates Leia on the Death Star. Even after all of this, the Rebel Alliance would be destroyed without the little droid because R2-D2 holds the plans for the Death Star without which Luke would not know where to strike to blow it up.