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Lucasfilm later specifically credited Baker with helping create R2-D2’s adventurous and appealing personality through those physical details. George Lucas remembered Baker as a talented performer who worked under difficult circumstances and described him as central to the character audiences came to love. That recognition is important because the technological appearance of R2-D2 can easily obscure the human performance involved in establishing the character’s original screen identity.
R2-D2 first appeared in Star Wars, later retitled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, in 1977. The movie became a worldwide phenomenon and transformed science-fiction filmmaking, popular culture and the careers of many people involved in its production. Baker returned as R2-D2 for The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 and Return of the Jedi in 1983, completing the original trilogy. Across those movies, R2-D2 became increasingly established as something more than a piece of futuristic machinery.
The droid repeatedly helped the heroes escape danger, repaired equipment, carried important information and demonstrated a remarkable willingness to move directly into dangerous situations. His enduring friendship with the more anxious protocol droid C-3PO also became one of the franchise’s most familiar relationships.
The pairing of R2-D2 and C-3PO worked partly because the characters approached the world in such different ways. C-3PO, played by Anthony Daniels, expressed his thoughts through elaborate spoken dialogue and often worried about whatever danger was approaching. R2-D2 could not respond in ordinary language, leaving audiences to interpret his electronic sounds and physical reactions. This contrast created humor without requiring R2-D2 to deliver a traditional joke. Baker’s movements could make the droid appear dismissive of C-3PO’s concerns, impatient with instructions or eager to continue toward the next problem. The relationship helped establish R2-D2 as a character rather than merely a device used to move the plot forward. By the end of the original trilogy, audiences did not simply recognize the droid; they had developed an emotional attachment to him.
Baker’s involvement with Return of the Jedi extended beyond R2-D2. He also appeared as Paploo, one of the Ewoks living on the forest moon of Endor. Paploo is remembered for taking an Imperial speeder bike during the film, creating a distraction during the heroes’ effort against Imperial forces. Baker therefore contributed to the movie both inside R2-D2 and as another costumed character. Working inside the Ewok costumes presented its own difficulties, including limited visibility and uncomfortable conditions. Baker later recalled how challenging those costumes could be when performers attempted to move through the forest setting. His wife Eileen also performed as an Ewok, giving the couple a rare shared connection to the production.