R2 was an astromech droid who served with Rebel pilot Keyan Farlander during the time he spent aboard the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser known as the Independence.
Following his training, this particular droid went with Farlander on his first mission, which involved Rebel fighter pilots assisting in the capture of the Imperial corvette called the Talon. After boarding the vessel, Rebel commandos communicated with the pilots, requesting a replacement R2 unit to interface with the corvette's systems. Farlander piloted his X-wing starfighter into the Talon's airlock and was guided through the ship by the droid, who even rescued Farlander by incapacitating an attacking Stormtrooper with an electrical discharge. Upon reaching the bridge, the R2 unit disabled all operational laser cannons and downloaded information from the ship's computer. After Farlander fatally shot an Imperial officer attempting to destroy data disks, he and the R2 unit returned to their fighter and departed with the other Rebels.
Throughout his many starfighter missions, the droid continued to fly alongside Farlander. After the pilot returned from missions in ships that did not require an astromech, such as an A-wing fighter, the droid would frequently meet Farlander in the hangar bay.
In Star Wars: X-Wing, R2 could be observed in the cinematics shown both before and after the missions, and also when a player switched to a view facing the rear while flying missions. During crucial moments of the mission, it can occasionally be heard.
In The Farlander Papers, which was reprinted and expanded slightly in X-Wing: The Official Strategy Guide, the droid's role was expanded in the story of Farlander's first mission. Players were allowed to participate in the mission as part of a historical simulation in the game, however, it did not include the adventure inside the Talon. A black and white photograph of R2-D2 represented the droid in the guide.