Deadly Movies Connections | R2D2 in Close Encounters and more
It’s rare that Deadly Movies writes about the Star Wars movies (I do cover sci-fi by the way) because, these days, in the world of online film writing you need a PHD in Lucas bumming to be able to write about them without the fear of backlash over minor inaccuracies. But Hay-Ho. Connections, in-jokes, and cameos a rife in the Star Wars movies, you could choose from a host of famous Easter Egg moments such as the clan of E.T’s in ‘The Phantom Menace‘ or the two Millennium Falcons in ‘Attack of the Clones‘. But it’s the cross-movie exploits of R2D2 that I want to indulge in. Since old-man Lucas became a regular client to Mistress CGI’s whore house, little Kenny Baker has had less and less waddling to do inside the world’s most famous soup can. Today the boffins at Industrial Light and Magic can show us R2D2 zooming about the place with the utmost ease, without having to strap a 70 year-old littler-person into harness to fling him around a soundstage. With that in mind, it’s somewhat of a surprise that R2D2’s best universe trotting exploit takes place way back in 1977s ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind‘. Towards the end of the movie, when Jillian (Melinda Dillon) peers out of her hidey-hole in the mountain, one of the many space ships flies over head. Attached to the hull is non other than R2D2, hanging upside-down.., chilln’n’illn. Be Boop!
Look at the engraving over Indy’s left sholder
Close Up: R2 gets a head rub
Not content with one Spielbergo crossover, R2 also popped up in ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark‘, etched into a pillar behind Indy. R2 appears to be getting a head massage from a naked man who I’ll assume is Anthony Daniels. Oh and if that’s not enough for you, ILM had a wet moment when they placed R2 flying through space in JJ Abram’s ‘Star Trek‘ reboot, presumably cashing in excess air miles.
With Abrams officially in charge of more of outer space than god himself he naturally felt obliged to shove R2 into his 2013 Star Trek sequel. Like a dildo R2 was plunged Into Darkness.
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Well spotted!