Does R2-D2 know that Vader is Anakin?

Perhaps two of the most instantly recognisable icons of the Star Wars franchise are the Sith Lord Darth Vader and the astromech droid R2-D2. While these two characters never actually crossed paths in the original Star Wars trilogy, the prequels confirmed a shared history between the two. Before falling to the dark side and becoming Vader, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker had been the owner of R2-D2. Anakin and R2 first met in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and gathered in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. When Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith began, the two flew combat missions together during the Clone Wars.

Revenge of the Sith saw Anakin fall to the dark side, becoming Darth Sidious' Sith apprentice. What was unclear, however, was how much R2-D2 knew about Anakin's fall to the dark side and rebirth as Darth Vader. The astromech droid was still at Anakin's side after his fall, but they soon went their separate ways. In the original trilogy, Artoo never told the young Luke Skywalker that Darth Vader was his father, suggesting that he never learned of Anakin's transformation. However, given his closeness to Anakin in his early days as Darth Vader, some fans might have expected Artoo to know the truth from the beginning.

R2-D2's History With Anakin Skywalker, Explained

The droid Astomech was Anakin's before he met Luke Skywalker

Chronologically, according to the internal universe Star Wars timeline, R2-D2's first appearance in the Skywalker Saga was in The Phantom Menace. Here, the droid was introduced as one of several astromechs aboard the Naboo Royal Starship belonging to Queen Padmé Amidala. In his first appearance, Artoo was the only droid among all the Royal Starship's astromechs to survive an attack by Trade Federation forces. However, despite Artoo's valiant efforts, damage from the attack forced the ship to crash-land on the remote world of Tatooine, where the Queen's Jedi protector Qui-Gon Jinn met the young Anakin Skywalker. Qui-Gon had brought R2 with him on his excursion to Tatooine, allowing the droid to make contact with Anakin for the first time.

Anakin and R2 had their first real collaboration at the end of The Phantom Menaceduring the Battle of Naboo. Taking refuge in the cockpit of a Naboo N-1 starfighter, which had R2-D2 docked, Anakin found himself drawn into the battle when he accidentally activated the ship. Qui-Gon had told Anakin to stay in the cockpit, giving him all the excuse he needed to stay in the ship while the autopilot took it into battle. With Artoo as his co-pilot, Anakin managed to take down several Vulture Droids, before inadvertently destroying the Trade Federation Droid Control Ship. This accidental victory saw all the Battle Droids fighting the Gungans on Naboo's surface shut down, helping Naboo win the war against the Trade Federation.

After the Battle of Naboo, Anakin reunited with R2-D2 in Attack of the Cloneswhen he and his current Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, were tasked with protecting Padmé following an assassination attempt. Artoo had remained Padmé's loyal astromech droid after the events on Naboo, and Anakin had put the droid to good use during his mission. During Anakin's time as Padmé's protector, Artoo stood guard over Padmé as she slept, saved her life at the droid factory on Geonosis, and provided simple, reassuring companionship to her and Anakin when they returned to Naboo. At the end of Attack of the ClonesWhen Anakin and Padmé married in secret, R2-D2 and Anakin's protocol droid, C-3PO, were the only witnesses to the wedding. As a wedding gift, Anakin and Padmé exchanged droids, meaning that from now on R2 officially became Anakin's astromech robot.

Artoo continued to serve Anakin as the galaxy descended into all-out war, as seen in the animated series. Star Wars: The Clone Wars. During the Clone Wars, Anakin demonstrated his unwavering loyalty to his droid. When R2 was lost in battle in Clone Wars episode “Droid Falls”, Anakin refused to give up his droid, even though other Jedi insisted that he should let Artoo go. At the time of Revenge of the SithAnakin and R2 were still working closely together, with the astromech drone providing vital assistance during the Battle of Coruscant. However, R2 was not present when Anakin submitted to Palpatine, becoming the Supreme Chancellor's Sith apprentice. Anakin took R2-D2 with him to Mustafar, where he went to eliminate the Separatist leaders, but this would be the last time R2-D2 would see Anakin Skywalker.

R2-D2 did not know that Anakin Skywalker had become Darth Vader

Anakin stopped talking to R2-D2 after his turn to the Dark Side of the Force

Revenge of the Sith offers the best evidence to determine whether R2-D2 knew that Anakin Skywalker had become the Sith Lord Darth Vader. When Anakin was dubbed Darth Vader by his new master, Palpatine, aka Darth Sidious, Artoo was not present. While it is possible that Anakin informed Artoo of what had happened after the fact, it seems unlikely, as he did not even tell his wife that he had joined the ranks of the Sith. The novelization of Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover (now branded Legends and unofficially part of the current Star Wars canon) also provided more insight into Artoo's experiences in the film.

In the novel, when C-3PO asked Artoo if Anakin was serious about the Jedi betraying the Republic, the astromech droid replied, “I don't know. Anakin doesn't speak to me anymore.” This suggests that Anakin hid his transformation into Darth Vader from R2-D2. Further evidence that Anakin successfully hid his true nature from his astromech droid can be found in Revenge of the SithScenes from Mustafar. When Anakin embarked on his final mission before being forever encased in the cybernetic armor that would define Darth Vader, he took R2-D2 with him. However, he ordered Artoo to stay with his ship, meaning the droid did not see Anakin kill the Separatist leaders, nor did he hear the Separatists refer to Anakin as “Lord Vader.” He also saw Anakin strangle Padmé and fight Obi-Wan Kenobi.

R2 likely knew that Anakin had turned against the Jedi, judging by his change of attitude and comments about the Jedi becoming traitors. However, R2-D2 most likely never knew that Anakin was calling himself Darth Vader and probably believed, just like Obi-Wan, that Anakin had died on Mustafar. If Artoo had ever known that Anakin was Darth Vader, it would certainly have had a greater impact on the original trilogy. At the end of Revenge of the SithWhile Bail Organa ordered C-3PO's mind wiped, Artoo was allowed to retain his memories. This was presumably because the humble astromech, who spoke only in beeps and whistles from the track, was not considered as much of a security risk as the notoriously talkative C-3PO.

It is also possible that Artoo's heavy involvement in the Clone Wars meant that the droid's memories could still be useful to Captain Antilles and Bail Organa as they began working to oppose the Empire. However, at no point in the original trilogy did Artoo alert Luke Skywalker or Princess Leia to the fact that Darth Vader was their father, suggesting that Artoo never knew that the Empire's masked enforcer was his former master.

R2-D2 must have discovered the truth about Darth Vader eventually

The astromech droid's crucial role in the Star Wars saga suggests that he eventually learned everything

George Lucas originally stated that Star Wars was told from the point of view of a droid. While this statement was primarily referring to the role of R2-D2 and C-3PO in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New HopeIt was supposed to be true for the entire saga as well. As revealed in The Making of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith by Jonathan W. Rinzler, Lucas' original plans for Star Wars if the entire saga were a tale contained in a larger historical text entitled The Whills' Journal. The story would have been relayed to a Keeper of the Whills by R2-D2, effectively making Artoo the narrator of the entire story. Star Wars saga. From a real-world perspective, this explains why Lucas didn't mind-wipe R2-D2 in Revenge of the Sith.

George Lucas originally stated that
Star Wars
It was told from the point of view of a droid.

While it seems unlikely that R2-D2 knew that Anakin Skywalker had become Darth Vader when the Jedi turned to the dark side, Lucas's original vision for R2-D2 would suggest that the droid discovered the truth at a later date. This probably occurred following the Battle of Endor. Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi. Luke Skywalker initially kept his true parentage a secret from his friends, waiting until shortly before his final confrontation with Vader to tell Leia that she and he were both children of the Sith Lord. However, after Anakin Skywalker's redemption at the end of his life, Luke would likely have let all of his friends, including R2-D2, know the truth. This means that it is likely that Artoo only learned what truly became of Anakin Skywalker after his redemption and death.