R5-M2
Production information
Product line	R-series[1]
Model	R5-series astromech droid[1]
Class	Astromech droid[2]
Technical specifications
Plating color	Black[3] Blue[3] White[3]
Chronological and political information
Era(s)	Rebellion era[1]
Affiliation	Alliance to Restore the Republic[1]

[Source]

R5-M2 (Arfive-Emmtoo) was an R5-series astromech droid owned by Rebel Alliance Captain Shawn Valdez, an evacuation officer assigned to Echo Base on the ice planet Hoth during the Galactic Civil War. R5-M2, specially programmed to plot sublight tactical courses for starships, played an extremely valuable role during the Battle of Hoth in 3 ABY by assisting Valdez in planning evacuation routes from Echo Base.

BiographyEdit

R5-M2, or Arfive-Emmtoo, was a member of the R5-series astromech droid line, which proved to be commercially unsuccessful but was nonetheless in high demand during the Galactic Civil War for use in combat starships. By early 3 ABY, R5-M2 was owned by and served alongside Rebel Alliance^[1] Captain^[4] Shawn Valdez, a popular^[1] and charismatic evacuation officer stationed at the Alliance High Command headquarters of Echo Base on the ice planet Hoth.^[5]

R5-M2 was present inside Echo Base's central hangar, chirping melodiously, when Rebel accessory Han Solo returned from conducting a routine scouting mission of the base's exterior with Commander Luke Skywalker, in which Skywalker ultimately went missing after falling prey to an ambush from a native wampa ice creature. The droid passed in front of Solo's path as the latter passed through the congested hangar.^[6]

During the Battle of Hoth days later, R5-M2 played a small but pivotal role in helping the Rebellion successfully evacuate Echo Base immediately in the face of overwhelming Imperial assault. R5-M2, who was specially programmed to plot sublight tactical courses for space travel,^[7] proved extremely valuable^[1] by coordinating plans, providing tactical support to Valdez,^[8] and planning evacuation routes from the base during the battle.^[1]

CharacteristicsEdit

The astromech droid R5-M2 became but another droid who played an invaluable role in the Rebel Alliance's struggle against the Empire^[7] when the Rebellion effectively put R5-M2's special sublight course-plotting programming to good use during the Battle of Hoth. R5-M2 assisted in the Rebel escape from Hoth by planning evacuation routes from Echo Base.^[1]

R5-M2's exterior plating included a black head and a blue-and-white color scheme. However, one of R5-M2's forward manipulator arms was missing from its body during its service time at Echo Base.^[3]

Behind the scenesEdit

R5-M2 first appeared briefly in the 1980 film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back as one of the many droid extras populating the Echo Base central hangar during the scene in which Han Solo first enters the base following his patrol of the Hoth wastelands with Luke Skywalker.^[6] The droid was later identified by number and given a brief role with the Rebels of Echo Base on the "R5-M2 (Arfive-Emmtoo)" card of the November 1996 Hoth Limited expansion set of the Star Wars Customizable Card Game.^[3]

The 1998 Star Wars Encyclopedia, which contains a character entry for R5-M2, includes on the same page a picture of R5-A2,^[9] an astromech droid from the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.^[10] The accompanying image caption of the R5-A2 picture misidentifies that droid as R5-M2, while the actual R5-M2 is pictured in an adjacent image with a caption identifying him simply as an "R5 unit." The Star Wars Encyclopedia does not include a character entry for R5-A2.^[9]

AppearancesEdit

• Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (First appearance)

SourcesEdit

• Star Wars Customizable Card Game – Hoth Limited (Card: R5-M2 (Arfive-Emmtoo)) (First identified as R5-M2)
• Star Wars Encyclopedia
• Star Wars: The Action Figure Archive
• The Official Star Wars Fact File 37 (AST6, Astromech Droids)
• Star Wars Trading Card Game – The Empire Strikes Back (Card: Rebel Troop Cart) (Picture only)
• Star Wars: The Legacy Collection (Hoth Recon Patrol (Battle Pack))
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

Notes and referencesEdit

External linksEdit

•  "The Rebel Troop Carrier, from Echo Base to Rancho Obi-Wan," The Official Star Wars Blog (Picture only)