Present in almost all the films of the saga, R2-D2 is an iconic character of the Star Wars license. The little droid was notably Anakin Skywalker's assistant during the prequels. But does R2-D2 actually know what happened to Anakin? Does he know that Darth Vader is actually his former master?
R2-D2 and Anakin
Introduced in A New Hope (1977), the first film in the franchise, R2-D2 quickly became a central figure in the saga. Present in the original trilogy, he blindly serves Luke Skywalkerand his friends. A faithful and courageous droid, R2-D2 regularly crosses paths with his lifelong companion: C-3PO. In the prequel, he works for the Republic. He first assists Obi-Wan Kenobi, before becoming the faithful colleague and friend of Anakin Skywalker. We even find the famous droid in the postquel.
In short, R2-D2 is everywhere, all the time. So much so that the little droid has finally seen, heard and experienced everything. He has witnessed the fall of the Republic, the rise of the Empire, the deaths of Vader and Palpatine and even the rise of the New Order. In fact, if R2-D2 could talk, he would be an impressive storehouse of information, testimonies and stories, each crazier than the last.
But one question remains: does R2-D2 know that his former Master has become Darth Vader? Does he know that Vader and Anakin are one and the same person?
Does R2-D2 know that Darth Vader is Anakin?
In the prequel, the astromech droid regularly shares his path with Anakin. However, in the original trilogy, the two characters almost never cross paths. In any case, it is doubtful that Vader could have had empathy for a simple droid. In any case, if R2-D2 knows that Anakin and Vader are one and the same, he never warns young Luke. If R2-D2 is aware of Vader's identity, he could have warned Luke that he was in reality his father.
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If R2-D2 is very close to Anakin (he is even his best man), he ultimately never fully sees his change. When Anakin submits to Palpatine on Coruscant, after the latter has thrown Mace Windu out of the window, the little droid is absent, and therefore does not witness this very dramatic scene. However, R2-D2 is indeed present on Mustafar, when Anakin coldly eliminates the separatist leaders (even if he does not see him in action). In fact, it is even the last time he will see Anakin. During his confrontation with Obi-Wan, R2-D2 is with Padmé, seriously injured, in his ship.
In the novelization of Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover, a dialogue between R2-D2 and C-3PO provides more details on the matter. C-3PO asks his friend if Anakin is right about the Jedi's betrayal. R2-D2 then replies: “I don't know. Anakin doesn't talk to me anymore.” This then suggests to what extent Anakin was beginning to detach himself from the light side of the Force. A line that in any case leads us to think that R2-D2 had no knowledge of Vader's dual identity.
At the end of Revenge of the Sith, former senator Bail Organa allows R2-D2 to retain his memories, unlike the vast majority of droids. For example, C-3PO's memory was erased. But not R2-D2's. However, at no point in the original trilogy does R2-D2 seem to be aware of Vader's true identity. So everything suggests that R2-D2 simply didn't know that Anakin had transformed into Vader. Too bad, it would have been an additional asset for Luke and his team. And probably a considerable time saving.