BEFORE R2-D2 AND C-3PO MET LUKE SKYWALKER
Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO animated series debuted on ABC Television in 1985, and was paired with the animated Ewoks series for one hour of Star Wars Saturday morning fare. Both series were produced by Lucasfilm in collaboration with Nelvana Studios, who had created the animated short “The Faithful Wookiee” for 1978’s The Star Wars Holiday Special.
In stories imagined before the events of the Clone Wars and the prequel trilogy were known, Droids explored the pre-A New Hope adventures of Artoo and Threepio (Anthony Daniels) with a cast of characters unique to the series. The overall theme of Droids is friendship, expressed in the often-comedic interactions between Artoo and Threepio – very different droids who may often bicker and fuss, but are, down to their circuits and wires, best friends.
The storylines, look, and feel of the show were very different than its Saturday morning counterpart, Ewoks, which made for a visually diverse and entertaining hour of storytelling. Droids would last one season of 13 episodes (plus a TV movie, “The Great Heep”), with Ewoks continuing to a second and final season in 1986.
The series was executive produced by George Lucas and Miki Herman, with various episodes produced by Michael Hirsch, Patrick Loubert, or Clive A. Smith.
THE STORY
Droids imagines a time when Artoo and Threepio would have worked for various owners before the events of A New Hope, introducing new characters such as Jann Tosh, Kea Moll, Jord Dusat, and Thall Joben. “There will be villains to face, people in trouble to rescue, and enemy space vehicles to battle,” reads the original show description.
