I had a post planned for tonight, but I’m going to push it aside for another day and talk about the wonderful life and career of Kenny Baker.

With a very busy day at work, my nose was down and my head was far away from the outside world. That is until the text messages started rolling in.  With *beep* after *beep*, i knew something was going on int he world outside my office walls. Sure enough, our good friend and lovable Astromech Droid Kenny had passed away at the age of 81.

The amount of text i recieved that day made me think, “The people I love knew how much Kenny and R2-D2 meant to me”. And how could I not love that “bucket of bolts”! Brave, intelligent, caring, funny and full of spunk, R2 was a genuine scene stealer in all three original films, three prequels and comes through as always in Force Awakens.

But it was Kenny thatbrought R2 to life. From his worried turns, to his happy dance steps and even falling on his face after being stunned by Jawas. I’m sure it wasn’t easy to bring a bucket of metal to life on screen, but Kenny did it and did it well. He loved what he did and it extruded out of that R2 unit and into our hearts.

Generations of Geeks and Nerds, Past, Present and Future, owe Kenny Baker a debt of gratitude for what he gave us.  A life truly blessed with the ability of bringing joy to the world.

Goodnight Mr. Baker… And May the Force be with You.