The little robot kicks ass

R2D2 is the unsung hero of Star Wars. He saves ass everywhere you turn. Not to mention he gets the whole shebang rolling by finding Luke. Time and again he consistently shows better judgment than the humans. Also he zaps an Ewok. But, I think the real turning point of Star Wars is the difference between what Annikan and Luke decide when their friends are in trouble. When Padme falls off the ship when they are chasing Count Dookoo in Part II ObiWan persuades Anikan to stay on the ship and not rescue her. When Luke learns from Yoda that Leia and Solo are in deep in Empire, he ignores Yoda's urgings to complete his Jedi training and goes after them. Sometimes the force requires you to go against the Jedi Masters better judgement.

George Lucas was the Grand Marshall at the Rose Bowl this year. I was reading a post from some guy who was channel-surfing and saw Vader leading the pack of StromTroopers down the streets of L.A. and thought the Battle for the Republic was on.