Star Wars: How R2-D2 Got His Name & What It Really Means
R2-D2 is easily one of the Star Wars franchise's most enduring characters, one of the few to appear in all nine entries of the Skywalker saga. Even without a hint of expression, the droid has endeared himself to audiences with his cheeky personality and loyal nature. But despite Artoo's status as a pop culture icon, fans are left in the dark regarding the astromech's more mysterious elements, such as his name.
In the Star Wars universe, R2-D2's name stands for Second Generation Robotic Droid Series-2. But in real life, the name came about while Star Wars creator George Lucas was working on his 1971 feature debut "THX 1138." During a sound mix session with "The Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now" sound technician Walter Murch, the filmmaker heard a phrase that would inspire his soon-to-be-beloved robotic creation.
As Lucas explained in the book "The Making of Star Wars," "We were working late one night on 'THX 1138,' and we were looking for 'Reel 2, Dialogue 2' and so somebody yelled out, 'Get R2D2' – and Walter Murch ... and I both loved that name so much that we decided that it was a good name for something. We just kept playing with it, so I put it down in my notebook, and that's where it came from."
It makes for a cute and sentimental story, connecting Lucas' early sci-fi effort with his blockbuster triumph. But while the origin of Artoo's name is easy to decipher, the same can't be said about other inhabitants of the galaxy far, far away.
Stories behind other Star Wars names vary wildly
Star Wars has mythos that feel as rich and varied as any real civilization. As the franchise has been handed down to different creators and interpreted by fans, a myriad of origins regarding its most iconic elements have persisted. Even the names of many of these classic characters have differing stories behind their creations.
Such is the case for R2-D2's companion, C-3PO (Anthony Daniels.) For many years, the neurotic protocol droid was long rumored to be named after the C3 district post office of George Lucas' hometown. Even if this played a part in naming the character, it was done so unconsciously, with Lucas stating in "The Making of Star Wars," "Once I had R2-D2, I had to do something sort of like it, so I just made up another one." Similar explanations exist for the origins of names such as Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness).
Among the most varied name origins was that of the iconic Darth Vader. A longstanding assumption was that the Sith lord's moniker originated from the German term "Dunkel Vater," which roughly translates to "Dark Father" in English. However, further examination of early drafts of "A New Hope" had Vader and Anakin Skywalker as separate people, with the reveal that he's Luke Skywalker's (Mark Hamill) father not solidified until later rewrites of "The Empire Strikes Back." The name came after Lucas attempted several unique combinations, such as Dark Water and Darth Wilson, until finding "Vader" the most suitable.