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Star Wars is arguably the most popular film franchise of all time. Generations of moviegoers were brought up on the galaxy far, far away, and have seen as the epic space opera delivered countless twists throughout the years. Some twists worked better than others, and now the iconic Mark Hamill has gotten honest about one particular plot hole that he's noticed throughout the years. And it involves R2-D2.
George Lucas' vision for the Star Wars franchise started in the middle of a nine-film saga, before taking the story backward in time for the prequels. Revenge of the Sith was a particularly important aspect of this storytelling, as Episode III had to wrap up the narrative threads and set up the events of A New Hope. That includes the fate of R2-D2 and C-3PO, who were originally owned by Anakin Skywalker. 3PO's memory was wiped to protect baby Leia, but why didn't R2-D2 tell Luke the truth about his identity? A fan recently posed this question to Mark Hamill himself, and he responded with:
Well, that was honest. It looks like not even Mark Hamill has a reason why R2-D2 wouldn't tell Luke about his true identity, and relationship to Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker. After all, the little droid knew his father and Obi-Wan Kenobi quite well. I guess there are some parts of Star Wars we shouldn't overthink.
Mark Hamill's blunt response (complete with a gif) comes to us from the legendary actor's personal Twitter page. A fan tweeted at the 68 year-old actor when his young daughter realized that R2-D2 should have been able to communicate with Luke about his father's history. Unfortunately Hamill had no insight to give, and admitted he personally shrugged off this plot hole. Hey, nobody said Star Wars was a perfectly crafted franchise.
The plot hole presents itself at the very end of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith's runtime. As the Skywalker twins are separated for their own safety, Leia is given to Bail Organa and taken to his home planet of Alderaan. Both C-3PO and R2-D2 are given to Organa, and sent to serve on the iconic ship Tantive IV, where they'd eventually appear in A New Hope's opening sequence. But while 3PO's memory was wiped, R2 didn't meet the same fate.
Star Wars fans can re-watch the Skywalker Saga on Disney+. You can use this link for a free 7-day trial to the streaming service.
R2-D2 might not speak in English, Luke was always able to communicate with the little droid. As such, it makes sense that he might reveal the truth about Luke's lineage, and Darth Vader's true identity. But that never happens, with the plot twist instead happening in the iconic "I am your father" scene from Empire Strikes Back.
Despite being a little droid, R2-D2 played a major role in both the events of original trilogy and prequels. What's more, he worked with Obi-Wan and Anakin throughout the Clone Wars, which was given life via an animated series. He contributed to major events throughout the Star Wars canon, R2 took a backseat to BB-8 in the sequel trilogy.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is available on DVD and Blu-ray now, and will arrive on Disney+ on May 4th. Check out our 2020 release list to plan your trip to the movies once theaters open back up.
