In the leadup to The Rise of Skywalker, we have seen a ton of C-3PO, as he seems to play a pivotal role in the film’s plotline.
But the same hasn’t been true of R2-D2, who though glimpsed occasionally, hasn’t really received much of a focus whatsoever. That doesn’t mean he’ll just be sidelined entirely, however, and a recent TV spot officially confirmed something we’ve wondered about.
Check out these TV spots (huge thanks to Zcure1 on Twitter!) and see if you notice R2…
Did you see him? He’s in Poe Dameron’s X-Wing!
Back in October I wrote about how merchandise of Poe’s new orange X-Wing included R2-D2 in the droid slot, and now we get an actual glimpse of footage (though it’s obscure and hidden to the casual view) of R2-D2 indeed flying with Poe, seemingly in the final battle. Perhaps that’s why we haven’t seen a full shot of Poe’s X-Wing in this final battle?
I think this is really, really cool, and I can’t wait to see it on the big screen very soon. R2 is a hero and has flown in so many pivotal battles, flying with Anakin Skywalker in the Clone Wars, and then with Luke Skywalker in the destruction of the first Death Star. I can’t think of a better droid to have as one’s co-pilot in a huge battle than R2, and it’ll be cool to see that one last time.
But I also think we might know why this happens too. We’ve seen footage of Finn and Jannah leading the Resistance charge, riding Orbaks on the top of a Star Destroyer. And rolling right alongside them is BB-8! That means, obviously, that BB-8 isn’t available to fly with Poe during this battle, so it’s likely that Poe turns to R2 instead. I can just imagine how this might play out, and I’m super excited to see it!
Star Wars Thoughts 