R2-D2 - The Droid We Were All Looking For. A Tribute To Kenny Baker

In a year where we've lost so many of our brightest stars, David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Prince, and Muhammad Ali, we have just lost another bright star. This star didn't just shine bright in our galaxy. But in another galaxy, far, far away.

Kenny Baker, the actor who played R2-D2 in all seven Star Wars movies, had passed away yesterday at 81 years old.

Baker was born Birmingham, England on August 24, 1934. He was educated at a boarding school in Kent.

He got his first glimpse of show business when he joined a theatrical troupe with dwarves and midgets. He joined a circus for a brief time and learned how to ice skate. He even became part of a successful comedy group called Minitones with Jack Purvis.

But it was in 1976 when he met American Graffiti director George Lucas  that Baker got his big break.

George Lucas was in the middle of writing and directing this strange science fiction-fantasy adventure called Star Wars. It was unlike anything up to that point. It had a huge cast of characters. A wide-eyed farm boy, a feisty princess, a reluctant space pirate and his gorilla side-kick, and two robots, one golden and human-like, and a small one shaped like a mail box.

Lucas was looking for a small actor to fit in the small robot. And Baker was the actor he was looking for.

The filming of Star Wars was a true nightmare for everyone involved. And especially for Kenny Baker. Whenever the cast and crew went out to lunch break, they would often forget Baker was still in the robot, but remember him eventually. And this was in the hot desert of Tunisia!

Almost everyone involved thought the film would flop. Even Kenny Baker thought the film looked very strange.

But when it was released on May 25, 1977, not even George Lucas expected the film to be as successful as it was. Not only was it the highest grossing film of all time at the time (and still the 2nd highest grossing film of all time behind Gone With The Wind when adjusted for inflation). Not only did it become a major lucrative franchise that is still pumping out sequels and spin-offs. But it became a cultural phenomenon that is still going strong today.

It doesn't matter if you've seen any of the movies or not. We all know Star Wars. It's one of those things we've all had a connection with at some point in our lives. We all know the dialogue, the images, and we all know the characters.

Fans love to argue who the real hero of Star Wars is. It's easy to say Luke Skywalker. After all, he blew up the Death Star, rescued Princess Leia, and redeemed his father. Others might argue Anakin Skywalker was the hero all along, because he was the one who brought balance to the Force. And others would point to Princess Leia, as she was the one who led the Rebellion against the Empire in the first place.

But I think we can all agree that the true hero of Star Wars is R2-D2.

Who was the one who Princess Leia trusted with the secret plans to the Death Star? R2-D2. Who showed Luke Skywalker Princess Leia's message, and led him to Obi-Wan Kenobi which started Luke on his life-changing journey to saving the galaxy? R2-D2. Who saved Luke, Han, Leia, and Chewie from being flattened like pancakes in the garbage compactor? R2-D2. Who aided Luke Skywalker in his fight against the Death Star? R2-D2. Who threw Luke Skywalker his lightsaber at Jabba's sail barge, allowing him to rescue his friends? R2-D2. And... Who completed the map to finding Luke Skywalker helping Rey and the Resistance to find him? It wasn't C-3PO. It wasn't Chewbacca.

It was Artoo-Detoo!

R2-D2, along with C-3PO, is the only character who can be seen in all seven (eventually nine) Star Wars movies. Some might think this is just a coincidence. But the reason might actually be more important than you think. George Lucas has stated that R2-D2 is the tape recorder of the whole story. He's the one capturing all the events in his data. And he's the one who eventually comes to our planet  and shares those memories. He's the "Journal of the Whills".

R2-D2 paved the way for many famous robots in film history, like Wall-E and even BB8. BB8 was the breakout star of The Force Awakens. He became the must-have toy of Christmas. And we all love that droid.

But it's R2-D2 who will always be our favorite droid.

Some might think that Kenny Baker wasn't really all that important to R2-D2. That basically any small actor could have been inside that robot starring it around. But what these people fail to realize is that it's not just about starring the robot. It's about giving the robot it its soul. Like any great actor should.

Kenny Baker wasn't just a small actor. He was an amazingly talented actor. But even more than that, he possessed this charm and good nature. Everyone who has worked with him has said ho kind and warm-hearted he was.

And that is exactly what R2-D2 is. Kind and warm-hearted. In some ways, R2-D2 is the heart and soul of Star Wars. He's simple, pure, and full of personality. He seems small and ordinary, but comes with many surprises. It's not easy for any actor to pull that off in any character. But to bring that to a robot? Nearly impossible.

If it wasn't for Baker, Artoo would have been just like any robot in science fiction prior to that point. It was Baker's warm heart that gave Artoo his appeal.

I never really got to meet Kenny Baker, but I was fortunate enough to see him in person at Star Wars Celebration in April 2015. It was the last day of the convention. My family and I were in line for Mark Hamill.

We saw them wheeling Kenny Baker in a wheel chair. I tried to contain my excitement of being in his presence. He looked so old and frail. Kenny Baker had been fighting an illness for a few years. He was told to not go to too many conventions because of his illness. And yet he still made an effort to be there to greet his fans.

Baker was thinking of all the kids who love R2-D2, and what it meant to meet the actor who brought their favorite character to life.

Even in his last years, Baker put his fans and others before himself. He was a man who cared deeply about making other people feel happy. And in a world where there seems to be hate and darkness all around, selfless acts like that shine so bright.

Kenny Baker WAS R2-D2. Not just in the movies. But in real life. Both looked small. But their personality and talents are what made them stand tall.

There will be a Star Wars movie every year until the end of time. And there will be many small actors inside Artoo-Detoo. But it's Kenny Baker who we will all remember as the original Astromech Droid.

Kenny Baker. Thank you for encouraging Luke Skywalker to get off that dusty farm and save the galaxy. Thank you for retrieving the Death Star plans to the Rebel Alliance. Thank you for all the times you saved Luke, Leia, Han, and everyone in the galaxy. But most of all, thank you for the joy you brought to all of us. You were the Droid we were all looking for. And you will never be forgotten.

May the Force be with you. Always.

Twitter, @simonpegg 13, August 2016.