Half Baked Acolyte Thoughts with Dani:
So I have a theory that we will one day see R2D2 in The Acolyte if we get a continuation. I was sitting at my desk yesterday, half dozing and half baked and my mind was just wandering, thinking of other theories I have when I randomly started dreaming about Osha talking to R2D2 like she did with Pip? That made me instantly sit up wide awake, like, holy forking shirtballs, is it even possible?
So I started digging into Artoo's history as well as rewatching The Acolyte. So please feel free to keep reading if you want to get into the mess that is my brain.
First thing that correlates with my theory is that they started manufacturing R2 units during or prior to 132BBY - which is the year that The Acolyte is set.
(From Wookieepedia)
(From Wookieepedia)
And that got me thinking about Astromechs and how Osha was a meknek. And that made me think about Pip's functionality, which I then went looking for in the pictures we got from the Visual Dictionary preview.
And I started thinking about how similar Pip's functions are to Artoo. Pip needs a Meknek (he's their tool) to do what Artoo can do by himself.
Then I thought about how we're introduced to Osha as a Meknek by fixing a shield generator on a Trade Federation ship. Which then led me to Artoo's first introduction of fixing Padme's shield generator while they were FIGHTING with a Trade Federation ship. Which then lead me down the rabbit hole of remembering that Anakin & R2D2 took out the Trade Federation ship at the end of The Phantom Menace. (The part on top of Artoo's head in the thumbnail looks very much like Pip's droid head unit! Which also made me think of his light functionality in Episode 5 and Artoo's light!)
Osha loved Pip and helped created his personality by her interactions with him. R2 droids are most known for their "compassion".
(From Wookieepedia)
He's strangely loyal, just like Pip is loyal to Osha. While fighting Mae, Pip was mindwiped by Mae and Mae takes over his ownership (which she is then mind wiped as well). Artoo has never been mind wiped and has been with multiple owners.
(From Wookieepedia)
(From Wookieepedia)
Then I started rewatching for any potential easter eggs and I found a few in the first 2 episodes. Sorry for the grainy pictures because I had to take a photo of my monitor but here we go. In Episode 1 when we are introduced to Osha she sits up in her bed and there's a photo of what looks like R2D2 or of a general Astromech R2 droid. Then we have Jecki mentioning R2 droids in Episode 2 when Osha helps her with the ship.
Maybe I'm crazy but what a great way to connect The Acolyte with the main storyline, by having Artoo be there from the very beginning. I really hope we get another season, because I for one, would be very excited to see Osha hanging out with Artoo. They would be really good friends. It would be cool if that's what makes him such a good Astromech, because Osha is one too. This would also tie Osha to Padme and then to Anakin by being Artoo's previous owner. I really hope I'm right.
@amandla
