In Star Wars, no character exemplifies fun and a rambunctious attitude quite like R2-D2. This iconic droid, who played a crucial role during the Skywalker Saga, appears in almost every animated series and side project. Aside from his look, the independent astromech is best known for his various beeps and whistles that he uses to communicate. However, before George Lucas started filming A New Hope, the droid was almost introduced without his most iconic trait.
During pre-production, many concepts were introduced that could have drastically altered the film's course and lore. For example, Han Solo almost had a lightsaber, and Obi-Wan Kenobi was almost a monstrous alien. One of the most significant changes revealed on the official Star Wars website was that R2-D2 would have spoken English instead of emoting through various sound effects. This design choice would have meant that R2, much like his partner C-3PO, would have had a distinct voice that spoke in full and articulate sentences. Not only is this a shocking concept, but it's a rather unsettling one for such a ubiquitous and beloved character.
Threepio and the other droids seen during the Clone Wars don't come across as scary or disturbing, despite having fully-voiced lined, is because of their faces. Their humanoid faces and bodies make them more relatable and much less unsettling. Seeing Artoo without a relatable face and speaking whole sentences, on the other hand, is a disturbing sight for any longtime Star Wars fan. At one point, he also slated to have a chrome finish which, coupled with an intelligent voice, would make him look too much like a soulless machine in contrast to his distinct personality. Thankfully, concepts in Star Wars are always subject to change. Since Threepio is the resident cautious, high-strung protocol droid, it made more sense to make Artoo more distinct from him in both design and personality.
The decision to take R2-D2's voice out of the equation was a genius call that helped make the character more memorable than through voiced dialogue. The beeps and whistles managed to convey emotions uniquely and endearingly. For example, when Artoo is annoyed, his beeps become louder and more frantic. He expresses happiness and excitement with high-pitched, long-lasting beeps and whistles. These subtle changes might not seem like much, but they become as memorable as some of Star Wars' most famous lines.
Since A New Hope's release, the franchise has introduced many other droids that look and act similar to Artoo. Still, they tend to lack the innate personality and charisma that he possesses. Artoo is a born leader, and his actions demonstrate that in more ways than if he had a polished chrome body and conventional dialogue. Artoo proves himself time again to be a clever astromech that knows his way around a fight despite his lack of arms. He was even present during the Clone Wars, fixing his friend Threepio during the First Battle of Geonosis. After the fight ended, the two droids were the sole witnesses to Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala's wedding.
If R2-D2 still had fully-voiced lines, his strong personality would have outshined Threepio's and undermined what makes the duo work so well together onscreen. Their fundamentally different characters are exemplified by the juxtaposition of their designs and behaviors. If Artoo could speak, he would lack one of the features that distinguish him most from Threepio. A lack of dialogue was a brilliant choice for Artoo because it makes him rely on actions instead of words to impact the characters and world around him. His efforts have even motivated his protocol droid companion to let go of his apprehensions and keep moving forward. Artoo can communicate very effectively through his behaviors as well. He can express anger and frustration by running into a character, for example. When he wants to get someone's attention, he tilts from side to side.
While the idea of R2-D2 having voice lines was never implemented, there was one feature on the original Artoo that did make it into the franchise: the mechanical arms that came out of his head are instead seen on the droid Chopper in Star Wars Rebels. No other examples of the concept have been shown since, however. Ultimately, this decision was for the best because it gave us the iconic droid that fans worldwide know and love today.