When Star Wars debuted in 1977, it marked a major departure from the depiction of sci-fi robots. R2-D2 was a cylindrical, round-headed, three-legged “astromech” droid that communicated in whistles, although it understood human speech. As the trilogy progressed, several things became clear — the little droid was brutally mission-focused, unfailingly loyal, flat calm under pressure, and, if it can be said, more than a little sneaky.
These are all traditionally human attributes. It was also versatile, competent and reliable, and not at all shy or deferential. R2-D2 was no mere automaton — it was an artificial intelligence wrapped inThe post Building R2-D2 appeared first on War on the Rocks.