The Birth of R2-D2
How Douglas Trumbull's 1972 low-budget, bleeding heart science fiction classic yielded not just the basic look of, but the humanity of R2-D2 and robots everywhere.
As a prequel of sorts to the Death Star escape sequence, here's a comparison between the arrival of the B-17 to Hawaii on the morning of December 7th, 1941 after a long flight, and the arrival of the Millennium Falcon to the remnants of Alderaan after a similarly long flight. Both crews notified by an incessant beeping noise, followed by the incredible news of their destination's demise.
R2.