Why R2-D2 Is In Poe’s X-Wing In Rise of Skywalker’s Final Battle

Here’s why R2-D2 was in Poe Dameron’s X-wing during Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’s final battle. The fan-favorite astromech droid was one of the first Star Wars characters audiences met when the original film debuted in 1977, and he had a key supporting role in the franchise’s initial six movies. When it came time to produce the sequel trilogy, R2-D2 was largely left on the sidelines and didn’t have much of a part to play. Even when C-3PO accompanied the main group of Resistance heroes to Pasaana, R2-D2 stayed behind with General Leia. His most significant scene in the sequels comes in The Last Jedi, when he has a brief reunion with Luke Skywalker aboard the Millennium Falcon.

Despite not giving R2-D2 much do to within the core narrative, director J.J. Abrams didn’t want to ignore him when it came time to stage The Rise of Skywalker’s climactic battle. As the Resistance commences their offensive on Exegol, R2-D2 is shown as Poe’s flying mate in the pilot’s X-wing. This came across as strange, since R2-D2 and Poe barely had any interaction in the sequels prior to that point. While it certainly isn’t the biggest question audiences might have about The Rise of Skywalker, it’s still a puzzling little detail.

Unfortunately, nobody involved with The Rise of Skywalker has provided a clear cut explanation for this decision. The only context the movie provides is BB-8 (who is Poe’s droid) participates in the ground assault to disable the Final Order’s navigation tower. He opens up a hatch for Jannah so she can throw explosives down the opening. From this, viewers can garner BB-8 was needed for this part of the Resistance’s plan, leaving Poe to partner with R2-D2 in the air.

On-paper, this makes sense, but the concept doesn’t land with the intended impact due to R2-D2’s diminished role in the modern films. The imagery of him in an X-wing during an epic space battle is meant to evoke memories of A New Hope and even The Phantom Menace, and it comes up short. In A New Hope and The Phantom Menace, R2-D2 was paired with a main character he had already spent a decent amount of time with onscreen. Before flying with Luke and Anakin, R2-D2 established a relationship with both that carried over to the set piece. Since R2-D2 has minimal screen time in the sequels, seeing him in an X-wing with Poe carries no weight. It’s little more than just empty nostalgia drawing from classic Star Wars iconography.

After pushing R2-D2 to the side to allow new droids (and merchandising opportunities) like BB-8 and D-O to take the spotlight, his inclusion in The Rise of Skywalker’s final battle reads as the filmmakers’ attempt to rectify neglecting one of Star Wars’ most important characters. Sadly, it isn’t enough to make up for nearly three films where R2-D2 isn’t a factor, especially because the droid’s wingman is Poe – who was much closer to BB-8. Abrams may have achieved his goal had he put R2-D2 in the old Red Five with Rey. Not only is that the ship R2-D2 flew in during the original trilogy, he and Chewbacca accompanied Rey to Ahch-To. R2-D2 clearly had a stronger bond with the previous Skywalker generations, but audiences can feel somewhat confident that he at least knows Rey on some level. Having him fly with Poe works in theory (Poe needs an astromech), but the idea is not executed well.

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Chris Agar
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Chris Agar is a news editor for Screen Rant, also writing features and movie reviews for the site as one of Screen Rant’s Rotten Tomatoes approved critics. He is a graduate of Wesley College’s Bachelor of Media Arts and Master of Sport Leadership programs. In 2013, Chris was hired to write weekly box office prediction posts in conjunction with the Screen Rant Underground podcast’s Box Office Battle game and his role expanded over the next few years. In addition to covering the latest news and hottest movie topics daily, Chris has attended numerous media events for Screen Rant, including San Diego Comic-Con, delivering content his readers care about. He credits Star Wars and Toy Story with launching a lifelong fascination with movies that led to his career, and now he has a wide range of cinematic tastes, enjoying the latest Hollywood blockbusters, Oscar contenders, and everything in between. Chris’ favorite film genres include sci-fi/fantasy, crime, action, and drama.

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