star wars - Was R2D2 inspired by Daleks?

I know this is a potentially silly question but thinking about how both can fly in the newer versions of their respective franchises (and this animation from the official Doctor Who tumblr), I just have to ask:

Was the R2 design inspired by Daleks?

Answer

There is an interesting resemblance, now that you point it out, but at least according to the Wikipedia article:

George Lucas’s creation of R2-D2 was influenced by Akira Kurosawa’s 1958 feature film The Hidden Fortress (USA release 1962), particularly Tahei and Matakishi, the two comic relief characters that serve as sidekicks to General Makabe. Lucas also drew inspiration from the robots Huey, Dewey, and Louie from Douglas Trumbull’s 1972 film Silent Running.

it seems the character of R2-D2 to be influenced, like many themes in Star Wars, from eastern (Asian) works.

However, the appearance of both droids was not Lucas’s work. He hired the illustrator Ralph McQuarrie, to do the job. From his professional life, there doesn’t seem to be any connection to the BBC, but he could still have been a fan of the show or at least have picked up the picture of a Dalek via some detours. It could be possible for him to have been inspired by the Daleks which appeared first in 1963, while as we know, A New Hope was first shown in theatres in 1977, 14 years later (even if we account for pre-production and planning, and also for the Daleks to reach popularity, there is still enough time).

Still, the interviews I checked coming from {Wookiee|Wiki}pedia didn’t even hint on Doctor Who or any Dalek influence whatsoever. So, since Ralph died last month, my personal conclusion would be if he was inspired by the Daleks he appears to have taken it to his grave (so, we will never know). Unless I missed the relevant interview (which is quite possible).

Comments

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