Someone referred to it as R2, and while I tried my best to suppress it, my inner nerd spilled forth. I pointed out that it couldn't be an R2 unit because the top would be round like R2-D2's (it turns out that this isn't entirely true, thus adding to my immense body of useless knowledge). Compounding the error, it bothered me that I couldn't tell them what the actual model was, so I applied my Google Fu which led to Wookiepedia and the entry for the R4-E1 Unit. While perusing the entry and sharing my new found knowledge with my cubemates, I came across the following words, which stopped me dead: "Masculine Programming".
Whaaaaaa?
Apparently, astromech droids were assigned genders, which makes no sense to me. I mean I can see C-3PO, who actually had a humanoid shape and a voice, needing a gender assigned. It would probably be quite confusing if someone tacked on a pair of tin jubblies and then gave him a voice like Barry White. Identity issues would abound (not to mention what that would have done to Anakin's already troubled formative years).
The astromech droids, on the other hand, have as much sexual presence as a mini-fridge, which is to say none (feel free to keep your disagreements on this point to yourselves). Nevertheless, it turns out that they all had a gender programming, including our beloved R2-D2. Even stranger is that when I inquired if my cohorts had ever considered R2 as a male or a female, one replied that he had always thought of R2 as a guy, and oddly enough, I found I did too.
So now I'm trying to figure out if I think of R2-D2 as a guy because I'm a guy projecting myself onto it, or if it's behaviors were somehow male. I don't recall any belching or R2 watching sports, so that doesn't help. I guess I should ask some women what they thought to see if that changes things. Feel free to comment with your own observations.
Either way, one this is for sure: now I'm going to feel a little dirty every time I see R2 interface with another machine.
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