R2-D2 (ARTOO-DETOO)
Type: R2-series astromech droid
Manufacturer: Industrial Automaton
Designation: Navigator
Affiliation: Royal House of Naboo, Rebel Alliance, New Republic, Galactic Alliance
Weapons: Arc welder, buzz saw
Debut: A New Hope
A plucky and resourceful droid, while R2-D2 could be mischievious and troublesome at times, he was also an extremely loyal and capable machine - as he proved time and again on his many adventures and escapades.
He was originally brought into the Royal House of Naboo, after his construction at an Industrial Automaton factory. Artoo served as a repair droid aboard the Queen's Royal Starship, and as a navigator with Bravo Flight. However, his artificial life changed when the ship was damaged during the Trade Federation blockade of Naboo. Though Artoo was commended for his efforts in repairing the starship's shields, fixing the hyperdrive was beyond his capacity, so the Queen and her entorage was forced to land on Tatooine. There, in an unassuming part of Mos Espa, two of the most influential figures in the coming wars met for the very first time; R2-D2 and C-3PO introduced one another in Anakin Skywalker's hovel. From there, the two droids were seperated for a decade, but met up again just before the Clone Wars. With C-3PO belonging to Anakin, and Artoo still in the service of Padm� Amidala, the droids got to spend a lot of time together. After the Clone Wars, they both travelled with Padm� to Alderaan, where - after many other adventures - they were passed on to her daughter, Leia. Through these adventures, Artoo and Threepio often argued and seemed to be at odds a lot, but their partnership was so great that it was as if the droids were sentient beings.
However, their bickering got them into trouble on Tatooine; Artoo had been tasked with enlisting the help of General Obi-Wan Kenobi, but Threepio wanted nothing to do with his mission. They parted ways, and were both captured by Jawas. Luckily, they managed to stick together, and thanks to some scheming from Artoo, the mission to locate Kenobi was sucessful. The second part, however - to get the stolen Death Star plans to Alderaan - was not. The droids, their new master Luke Skywalker, Kenobi, Han Solo and Chewbacca were captured by the Death Star. This led to the rescue of Princess Leia - in which Artoo played no small part - and the group were soon arriving at the Rebel base on Yavin 4. Using the information stored inside Artoo, a plan was formed to destroy the Death Star. Artoo flew with Luke in his X-wing, but was shot by Darth Vader. Luckily, Luke blew up the battle station, and Artoo was repaired in time for the celebrations. After many more adventures, Artoo was still helping the Rebellion, and was still best friends with Threepio - though he would never admit it. The tale of one of the most unlikely hero of the Rebellion is still unfolding. |
