‘Star Wars’ Fan Theory about Yoda and R2-D2 Confirmed
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker brought the Skywalker saga to a close. But just as notably, the movie — at least in the eyes of some fans — raised more questions than it answered. Of course, Star Wars is no stranger to plot holes. In fact, George Lucas himself complicated matters with the prequels, including a particular one tied to 1980’s beloved The Empire Strikes Back.
The ‘Star Wars’ saga has created more than a few plot holes
Considering Lucas only directed the first film, the original Star Wars trilogy fared pretty well as far as plot holes. The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi feature twists, sure. But the first three movies are all fairly consistent, as far as their stories are concerned. Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace changed all that in 1999.
Lucas’ prequel trilogy was determined to tie everything back to the original films. So suddenly, R2-D2 and C-3PO were around since the beginning. Two of the only characters to appear in every adventure, the droids are a major throughline in the nine-film series. And while 3PO’s memory is wiped in Revenge of the Sith, R2’s supposedly remains intact through it all.
Did Yoda recognize R2-D2 in ‘The Empire Strikes Back’?
Since R2 has both a quiet heroism and mischief about him, he wouldn’t be one to fill the original trilogy heroes in. So it’s plausible to most fans that R2 would keep his experience from the prequels to himself. But that doesn’t explain whether characters like Darth Vader or Obi-Wan Kenobi would remember him. Now a new story collection reportedly confirms Yoda remembers him.
In The Empire Strikes Back, young Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) arrives with R2 in tow. The rebel hero is searching for Jedi Master Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz). But when the diminutive 900-year-old comes face to face with Luke and his familiar droid, he reveals nothing. Even after he’s confessed his identity to Luke, the mystery surrounding Yoda and R2’s shared history remains vague.
For decades, fans theorized the two were merely carrying out a ruse to keep Luke on the right path. And according to ComicBook.com, From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back by Jim Zub confirms Yoda knew R2 was Anakin’s old droid from the Clone Wars. The story in question, “The First Lesson,” tells of Luke and Yoda’s meeting from the latter’s perspective.
‘The Mandalorian’ launched a new era for the ‘galaxy far, far away’
The prequels might have mixed results in its mission to tie everything back. But the Star Wars sequel trilogy — which kicked off with 2015’s The Force Awakens — arguably did a poorer job bringing the Skywalker saga full circle. In any case, Lucasfilm appears to be on a much better track with Disney+ hit The Mandalorian.
The series sheds some light on the era between the original and sequel trilogies. And while it has featured several legacy characters already, the show’s focus lies elsewhere. Rather than developing the Skywalker story, The Mandalorian’s hero is a brand-new adventurer. Will the show keep toeing the line between tie-ins and new stories? We’ll see.
