The New Yorker Sent Star Wars Actor Kenny Baker Off Right

Oh man, it’s a good thing droids can’t cry because we’d have a lot of rusty sensors out there right now.

The New Yorker published a sentimental cartoon today honoring Kenny Baker, the legendary actor who filled our hearts and the R2-D2 costume in most of the small astromech droid’s film appearances. Battling a lung condition for years, Baker passed away on Saturday, August 13 at the age of 81.

Baker was not, in recent years, actively filling the trash can-sized costume of Obi-Wan’s “little friend” and the Skywalker family’s most loyal companion. But the modern day CGI droid’s popularity is thanks to a brilliant original performance—one that brought a literally lifeless droid to life for generations of fans.

Plenty of fans consider him to be the technical hero of the original and prequel trilogies. If loyalty, selflessness, life-saving and duty are the criteria we judge a hero on, they’d be right.

Sure the movies weren’t about the droids, but on the other hand the droids were some of the best parts of the movies. We have Baker to thank for that. He’ll be missed.