Star Wars: 10 Things You Didn't Know About R2-D2
3. He Was A Republic Commando
There seems to be no end to R2's talents. No matter what challenge is placed before him, he steps up and deals with it, and that includes becoming a member of an elite Republic Commando group.
In one of the most infamous arcs from season five of The Clone Wars, the Republic hatched a plan to infiltrate the Separatists and steal an encryption module. As most of the Separatist military was run by droids, it was decided that they would have the best chance of completing their mission undetected, and so a unit called D-Squad was formed from four astromechs and a pit droid, led by Zilkin Colonel Meebur Gascon.
Despite their unconventional nature, the team of droids was incredibly successful, managing to escape with the encryption module. They overcame a host of other difficulties, including crashing on a desolate Outer Rim world where they encountered Gregor, a clone commando suffering from amnesia.
Their mission eventually led to them foiling a Separatist plot to attack a Republic space station where a conference was taking place, saving the lives of several high-ranking officials. It's not an exaggeration to say the galaxy would be a very different place without Artoo.