astromech droid (R2 series, Industrial Automaton)
One of the most loyal droids in the Star Wars universe - he's the one who saves the Death Star plans.
His full designation is astromech droid, R2 series, built by Industrial Automaton - designed for navigation calculations, starship repairs, and interfacing with ship systems.
He first appeared on screen in A New Hope (Episode IV) in 1977, long before the prequel trilogy set earlier in the story's internal chronology.
In the original trilogy he was played by Kenny Baker, who physically sat inside and operated the droid in most scenes.
In A New Hope, he's the one secretly carrying the Death Star plans entrusted to him by Princess Leia - the event that kicks off the entire saga.
As a loyal companion across generations, he serves first Anakin, then later Luke Skywalker.
He communicates only in beeps and whistles ('droid-speak') - audiences understand what he's 'saying' through the other characters' reactions and the tone of the sounds.
Alongside C-3PO, R2-D2 is the only character to appear in all nine main Skywalker saga episodes.
He can plug into the astromech socket of X-wing starfighters, where he assists the pilot as navigator and repairs onboard systems.
In a few scenes (e.g. Attack of the Clones, The Force Awakens) he can briefly hover using rocket thrusters, though this isn't one of his core functions.
His visual design was created by concept artist Ralph McQuarrie and Joe Johnston, based on George Lucas's original ideas.
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