Editing R2-D2 (section)

==Design==
George Lucas's creation of R2-D2 was influenced by the peasant Matashichi from [[Akira Kurosawa]]'s 1958 film ''[[The Hidden Fortress]]''.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} Lucas and artist [[Ralph McQuarrie]] also drew inspiration from the robots Huey, Dewey, and Louie from [[Douglas Trumbull]]'s 1972 film ''[[Silent Running]]''.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}

The name derives from when Lucas was making one of his earlier films, ''[[American Graffiti]]''. Sound editor [[Walter Murch]] states that he is responsible for the utterance which sparked the name for the droid. Murch asked for Reel 2, Dialog Track 2, in the abbreviated form "R-2-D-2". Lucas, who was in the room and had dozed off while working on the script for ''Star Wars'', momentarily woke when he heard the request and, after asking for clarification, stated that it was a "great name" before going back to writing his script.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmfreakcentral.net/notes/wminterview4.htm|title=Film Freak Central Interviews Editor Walter Murch (page 4)|author=Bill Chambers|date=2000|publisher=FilmFreakCentral.net|page=4|access-date=March 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810072318/http://filmfreakcentral.net/notes/wminterview4.htm|archive-date=August 10, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Jay Jones|first1=Brian|title=George Lucas: A Life|date=2016|publisher=Hachette|isbn=9780316257459|page=162|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8rAmDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT162|access-date=4 October 2017|archive-date=7 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207092431/https://books.google.com/books?id=8rAmDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT162|url-status=live}}</ref>

R2-D2 stands for Second Generation Robotic Droid Series-2, according to a ''Star Wars'' encyclopedia published after the release of the film ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://artifintell.weebly.com/r2-d2.html|title=R2-D2|website=AI - Artificial Intelligence!|access-date=2017-04-16|archive-date=2023-02-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207092443/https://artifintell.weebly.com/r2-d2.html|url-status=live}}</ref>{{EpIV}} [[Tony Dyson]], owner of the special effects studio The White Horse Toy Company, was commissioned by special effects supervisor Brian Johnson to fabricate the revised mechanical design for ''The Empire Strikes Back'', making several units operated by remote control. A number were used by Baker, and two were stunt double models made for the scene where the droid was shot from the swamp onto the shore on [[Dagobah]].