8 Star Wars Secrets Artoo Definitely Knew In The Original Trilogy (& Why He Didn’t Tell Luke)

As a primary witness to many of the key events throughout the Star Wars Skywalker Saga, R2-D2 knew numerous critical secrets in the original trilogy, and he elected not to tell Luke most of them. Having started as a droid on Naboo in The Phantom Menace only to become Anakin’s droid throughout The Clone Wars era until Anakin’s turn to the dark side, Artoo had intimate knowledge of the Jedi, Anakin, and Luke’s lineage. The canon is clear that the droid’s memory was not wiped, which begs several questions about why he kept so much of this information to himself.

Artoo’s selective memory (or, at least, selective explaining) has been considered a Star Wars plot hole since the Star Wars prequel trilogy revealed how much he knew. The most confounding R2-D2 plot hole is that he didn’t tell Luke that Darth Vader was his father, but Star Wars has never confirmed whether he knew. Maybe R2-D2 didn’t know Darth Vader was Luke’s father because he didn’t see Palpatine christening him Vader, or maybe he believed Anakin was dead because even Obi-Wan didn’t know Anakin was alive. While his knowledge of that secret remains a mystery, there are several secrets he definitely knew and failed to disclose to Luke in the original Star Wars trilogy.

Related

12 Times R2-D2 Saved The Other Star Wars Heroes

R2-D2 has been one of Star Wars’ greatest heroes since his debut in the original film, so here are 12 times when he saved the other heroes.

8 The History of the Clone Wars and The Jedi Order

The Clone Wars

Throughout the Clone Wars, Artoo battled by the side of Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka in some of their most harrowing fights. He also watched Anakin grow from a Padawan to a Jedi Knight and knew The Jedi Order well. In fact, in The Clone Wars episode “Downfall of a Droid,” Anakin needs to rescue Artoo because he has critical information that the Separatists could weaponize (a result of Anakin refusing to wipe his memory). Given that Luke only briefly has access to Obi-Wan and Master Yoda, Artoo could have been extremely helpful, but perhaps Obi-Wan and Yoda pretending not to know him convinced him to keep quiet.

7 Yoda Is The Jedi Master Luke Is Looking For

The Empire Strikes Back

When Luke arrives on Dagobah and encounters Master Yoda, he has no idea that Yoda is the Jedi Master he’s seeking. At any point, Artoo could have explained that this was Jedi Master Yoda; he was well-acquainted with Yoda, and, despite his strange behavior, Yoda recognized Artoo too. It’s possible that Artoo was on to what Master Yoda was doing and didn’t want to intervene, though; Artoo knew him as a respected Jedi Master, so it makes sense that he would trust that Yoda had a reason for his actions. Of course, he could have mentioned his longstanding history with Yoda on the flight over.

6 Artoo and Obi-Wan Go Way Back

The Phantom Menace

Like Yoda, Obi-Wan pretended not to know R2-D2 in front of Luke, despite the fact that he knew Artoo was Anakin’s droid, had fought many battles with him, and had met him as far back as The Phantom Menace. In fairness to Obi-Wan and Yoda both, they had been in hiding and concealing their identities for so long that it’s conceivable that they would not have wanted to betray that cover. For Artoo, acknowledging his history with Obi-Wan would have meant revealing a long, complicated history with the Jedi and with Anakin, which he seems to have been actively avoiding.

5 All About Padmé, Naboo, and Luke’s Heritage

Attack of the Clones

One of the most devastating gaps in Luke’s knowledge is awareness of his mother, and perhaps no one in Star Wars could tell Luke more about her than R2-D2. Artoo was first Padmé’s droid, and he is with her for many of her major moments, including her wedding to Anakin and Luke’s own birth. The idea that Luke doesn’t know that Padmé was a queen and a senator, fought so brilliantly for justice during The Clone Wars, and comes from a planet that in another storyline could have been home to him is crushing. Maybe that’s why Artoo conceals this secret; maybe it’s just too painful.

4 His Father Was Not Exactly A Spotless Jedi Knight

Attack of the Clones

While it’s debatable whether Artoo was aware that Anakin had become Darth Vader, he definitely knew about Anakin’s complicated, troubled history with the Jedi. Anakin was constantly being reprimanded by Obi-Wan and having outbursts that were not in keeping with the Jedi code. Artoo was also present for Anakin’s wedding, perhaps the most direct defiance of the Jedi’s “no attachments” policy imaginable. When Obi-Wan was describing Anakin as a cunning warrior, Artoo could have easily disrupted that vision of him, but withholding this secret is easy to explain. There was no reason for Artoo to tarnish the very limited image Luke had of his father.

3 Obi-Wan Avoided Some Responsibility for Anakin’s “Death”

Revenge of the Sith

Assuming that Artoo doesn’t know that Anakin is Darth Vader makes Obi-Wan slightly stretching the truth about how Anakin died downright alarming. What Artoo certainly knows is that Anakin told him to stay with the ship and then did not return with Obi-Wan. It’s unclear whether Artoo witnessed Anakin choking Padmé or was told that Anakin had died, but this creates the possibility that R2-D2 now not only thinks Obi-Wan is responsible for Anakin’s death but also invented a villain to get away with it. In all likelihood, though, Artoo either believed Obi-Wan (there was plenty he didn’t see on Mustafar) or trusted him enough to let it go uncorrected.

2 Leia Is His Sister (And He Should Not Be Kissing Her)

The Empire Strikes Back

Perhaps the most inexcusable of Artoo’s kept secrets is the knowledge that Luke and Leia are twins, given that the two of them kiss in The Empire Strikes Back. Artoo was there when Padmé gave birth, so when things were beginning to get flirtatious between Luke and Leia in the original trilogy, it might have been nice for him to mention it. The best-case scenario is that he was worried about the safety of the twins if the secret was revealed, but it’s also possible that he inherited some of Anakin’s bad behavior and was enjoying a bit of trouble.

1 A Decade’s Worth of Stories About Anakin

The Phantom Menace

Throughout the original Star Wars trilogy, Luke seems desperate for information about his father, and Artoo has years of memories with Anakin, starting when they accidentally fought in the Battle of Naboo in The Phantom Menace. Their bond, as Obi-Wan points out throughout The Clone Wars, went beyond typical for a Jedi and a droid, and Artoo could have validated Luke’s belief that Anakin had good in him. R2-D2 witnessed some of Anakin’s best moments and knew him when he was an innocent boy on Tatooine; it might have been healing for Luke to hear these stories. Perhaps, like the stories about Padmé, they were simply too painful to share.