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William Shakespeare died over 300 years before George Lucas wrote Star Wars. However, the English poet’s fingerprints can be seen on two classic Star Wars characters, just ask C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels.

Speaking to a crowd at FanX Salt Lake Pop Culture & Comic Convention 2024, the actor spoke about the connection two Shakespeare characters have with R2-D2 and C-3PO.

“I had been on stage every night in a play called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Anybody seen it? I would do that again in a nanosecond. And here’s the strange thing, for those who don’t know R and G are dead, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are tiny characters in the play Hamlet, that was written by a very famous English person.”

The play retells the events of Hamlet from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s point of view, as the duo struggle to stay afloat amidst all the chaos. Sound familiar? Daniels certainly thought so.

“It was crazy, because a few years later I realized these two characters R and G are battered about by events in the world, monarchs, and mistreated. They have no say in their destiny. They’re puppets. They’re shoved along. They’re pointless. They’re worthless. Nobody will care if they die,” Daniels noted

“It was about five years later, I realized Artoo and Threepio are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. So, somewhere in my head I’ve got this connection, and I’ve proud of it.”

Now we just need Disney+ to greenlit a Star Wars version of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, starring the two famous droids.

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