- "Don't you call me a mindless philosopher, you overweight glob of grease!"
- ―Threepio
| C-3PO | |
|---|---|
 C-3PO, circa 0 BBY | |
| Vital statistics | |
| Designation | C-3P0 |
| Aliases | See-Threepio; Threepio; Goldenrod; The Professor |
| Continuity | Star Wars |
| Category | Main character |
| Type | Droid |
| Series | 3PO series |
| Model | Protocol droid |
| Gender | Male |
| Base of Operations | Coruscant; formerly Tatooine |
| Status | Alive |
| Constructed | 32 BBY |
| Decommissioned/destroyed | Unknown [1] |
| First Appearance | Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope |
| Played by | Anthony Daniels |
C-3PO (or, See-Threepio) is one of the central characters featured in the Star Wars franchise. Played by British actor Anthony Daniels, Threepio first appeared in the 1977 film Star Wars. Daniel reprised the role for the film's two sequels, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Following the first Star Wars film, Daniels also played the character in the critically-reviled 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special. He also played Threepio in episode 17 of season 4 of The Muppet Show where he was reunited with several of his Star Wars co-stars. In the episode, Threepio performs a dance routine for the audience with R2-D2. In 1985, Anthony Daniels took a break from wearing the uncomfortable droid costume, but wasn't quite ready to retire the character of Threepio altogether. He provided the voice for Threepio in all thirteen episodes of the Droids animated series. More than fifteen years after the release of Return of the Jedi, Daniels was back in costume for the three-film prequel trilogy beginning with 1999's Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. As before, Daniels reprised the role for the film's two sequels, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, albeit in a diminished capacity. Daniels also provided the voice for the character in the Star Wars: Clone Wars micro-series and the Star Wars: Clone Wars animated series. Along with co-star Kenny Baker (R2-D2), Anthony Daniels is the only other actor from the franchise to appear in all six Star Wars feature films.
Biography[]
The Phantom Menace
Threepio circa 32 BBY
C-3P0 was originally constructed by nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker in the year 32 BBY. Built from scrap materials found in Watto's junkyard on Tatooine, Anakin designed Threepio as a service droid to help his mother Shmi with her chores. Anakin only partially completed construction on the droid, and had only programmed him with rudimentary functions and a voice actualizer. It was at this time that C-3P0 first met astromech droid R2-D2, a spunky robot that would one day become Threepio's lifelong partner. As it turned out, Anakin left Tatooine to go to Coruscant to learn the ways of the Jedi and was unable to complete construction on Threepio. Threepio remained on Tatooine for the next ten years with only mild upgrades made to his systems. [2]
As time passed, Threepio was programmed with the primary functions expected of a 3P0 model protocol droid. In addition to general etiquette, Threepio specialized in Human/Cyborg relations and was fluent in over six-million forms of communication, including computer languages and extinct dialects.
Attack of the Clones
In 22 BBY, Threepio became an unwilling participant in a skirmish known as the Battle of Geonosis - a conflict which precipitated the Clone Wars and the fall of the Old Republic. At this time, Threepio was reunited with R2-D2 and they became trapped within a droid factory on Geonosis. While navigating through the conjested network of factory equipment, Artoo pushed Threepio from a ledge onto an assembly line belt. The machinery could not distinguish between 3PO model parts and Battle Droid parts, so it mistakenly removed Threepio's head and placed it onto the body of a Battle Droid. Threepio was sent out into battle and even adopted some of the behavioral aspects of a typical a Battle Droid's, including shouting threats such as "Die, Jedi dogs!" Threepio likely would have been blasted to bits in the crossfire, but for the timely arrival of Jedi Kit Fisto who force-pushed Threepio to safety. Artoo arrived on the scene and removed Threepio's head from the Battle Droid body. [3]
Threepio's head was eventually returned to its rightful place and he even received upgraded golden-colored bronzium body plating to replace the gun-metal grey of his previous coverings. Threepio attended the secret wedding of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Naberrie Amidala on Naboo, following which, he remained in Padmé's care, while Artoo went off to have adventures with Anakin. Threepio divided his time between servicing Padmé's family on Naboo and attending her as her official aid in the Galactic Senate.
The Clone Wars
Threepio participated in several diplomatic missions for Amidala throughout the three-year period of the Clone Wars, many of which involved putting Threepio into dangerous situations.
Revenge of the Sith
In 19 BBY, Threepio's former master Anakin Skywalker fell to the Dark Side of the Force and assumed the Sith lord name of Darth Vader. When Amidala learned of this, she had Threepio pilot a skiff to the volcanic world of Mustafar where Vader had assassinated the elder members of the Separatist Council, thus ending the war. Although Threepio had no real involvement with the events taking place on Mustafar, he was present for the aftermath which saw the pregnant Amidala fall gravely ill shortly following a traumatic lightsaber duel between Vader and his former mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi. Threepio accompanied Kenobi and the ailing Amidala to a medical station on Polis Massa where he bore witness to the birth Padmé's twin children Luke and Leia. Padmé Amidala passed away seconds after they were born. Threepio attended the late senator's royal funeral on Naboo. Afterward, both C-3PO and R2-D2 were entrusted to the care of Bail Prestor Organa, senator from Alderaan and the adoptive father of baby Leia. To protect his daughter from one day learning the truth about her evil father, he ordered Threepio's memory erased. [4]
"Droids"
The droids eventually came under the possession of the Intergalactic Droid Agency, who leased their services out to paying clients across the galaxy. One of their first clients was a crystal miner from the planet Dodz named Lott Kemp. When the droids arrived however, they learned that Lott had left the planet and so they briefly aligned themselves with a young boy named Jost Ellon. They assisted Jost in refurbishing an antique defense droid known as the Ranger X-One who helped them to liberate the planet from the corrupt alien governor Kugg. [5]
A New Hope
"We seem to be made to suffer."
Under the ownership of Captain Raymus Antilles, C-3PO and R2-D2 were re-assigned to the Rebel Blockade Runner, the Tantive IV. What Threepio didn't know was that one of the ship's more important passengers, Princess Leia Organa, had uploaded a copy of stolen Imperial plans to the Death Star into Artoo's memory circuits. Artoo was given additional mission parameters to find former Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi and provide him with a message to come to Alderaan. Artoo never bothered to disseminate any of this information to Threepio, so when the time came that the Imperial Star Destroyer Devastator boarded the Tantive IV, Threepio was unaware of what was going on save for the omnipresent threat of being "smashed into who-knows-what". Through Artoo's urging, Threepio reluctantly got inside an Escape Pod and his small compatriot jetisoned the ship away from the beleaguered Tantive IV.
The Escape Pod set down on the planet Tatooine, but after numerous memory wipes, Threepio had no recollection of ever being here before. Scanning the sandy wasteland known as the Dune Sea, Threepio commented, "What a desolate place this is." Threepio and Artoo bickered over what to do next and they ultimately split-off from one another and began walking in opposite directions. Seeing a vehicle far off in the distance, Threepio signaled to it, hoping that it would provide him with shelter from the arid environment. As it turned out however, the vehicle that spotted him was a Jawa Sandcrawler. Jawas were nomadic traders who specialized in bartering old droids. They captured Threepio and fitted him with a restraining bolt, before placing him inside one of the cargo cells within the monstrous vehicle. Moments later, the same Jawas found and captured R2-D2.
The droids were then sold to moisture farmer Owen Lars and his nineteen-year-old nephew Luke Skywalker. Again, due to the memory wipes, Threepio had no existing knowledge of the name "Skywalker" or of its personal significance. Threepio was overjoyed to be in the possession of a seemingly benevolent master, and was grateful for being away from the Tantive IV. When Luke learned that the droids had "seen a lot of action", he grew excited and wanted to know more about their adventures. Humbleness prevented Threepio from chronicling their recent actions to any great degree. While removing Artoo-Detoo's restraining bolt, Luke discovered the message that Princess Leia had programmed into him. The message was intended for Obi-Wan Kenobi and Leia begged Obi-Wan to come to Alderaan to assist the Rebel Alliance in their struggle against the Empire. Translating for Artoo, Threepio told Luke that the message was merely old data and to pay it no mind.
The following day, Artoo ran away from the Lars' farm and began trekking across the desert in search of Obi-Wan. Threepio informed Luke and the two boarded Luke's landspeeder and began searching for him. Their journey took them into the Jundland Wastes where Luke was set upon by a tribe of savage Tusken Raiders. Startled by their appearance, Threepio fell backwards over a steep ravine and fractured one of his legs. Obi-Wan Kenobi arrived on the scene and drove the Raiders off, after which he brought Luke, Artoo and Threepio back to his hut where Luke could repair Threepio's leg. Afterward, Threepio shut himself down for a bit, and was not privy to Obi-Wan's tale to Luke of the late Order of the Jedi Knights.
Later, Luke and Obi-Wan learned that the Jawas who had captured the droids had been slaughtered by Imperial Stormtroopers. Threepio assisted them in gathering the corpses and setting them upon a funeral pyre. When it was decided that it would be prudent to heed Artoo's mission parameters, Threepio accompanied the group to a space port in Mos Eisley in search of a pilot to take them to Alderaan. Fortunately for Threepio, the cantina where they were headed had a strict "no-droids" policy, so Threepio was able to avoid the unpleasantness that ensued when Luke was attacked by an alien thug named Ponda Baba.
Luke and Obi-Wan hired a Corellian smuggler named Han Solo and his wookiee first mate Chewbacca to fly them to Alderaan. After exiting hyperspace in the Alderaan system, they discovered that the planet had been destroyed by the Empire's super-space station the Death Star. When their ship, the Millennium Falcon, approached the station, they were caught in a tractor beam and brought on board. Threepio and the others managed to leave the ship without raising any immediate suspicians and they hid inside of a computer maintenance room. While Luke and the others went off to rescue the captured Princess Leia, Threepio and Artoo were left behind to keep an eye on the Falcon.
A squad of Stormtroopers discovered them, but Threepio pretended to be a victim of the "madmen" who locked him in this room. When the Stormtroopers left, he switched off his communicator so as to not arouse any more suspicion. As it turned out though, Luke and the others were in trouble and trying to get a hold of him. When he finally switched his communicator back on, he found that his friends were only moments away from being crushed by a giant garbage compactor. Threepio had Artoo shut down every garbage compactor in the station. Guilt-ridden over his negligence, Threepio admonished himself shouting, "Curse this metal body!" Luke and the others managed to rescue Leia and the droids were able to get safely back onto the Millennium Falcon. Obi-Wan however, lost his life in a final duel with Darth Vader.
Blasting away from the Death Star, the Falcon flew to the fourth moon of Yavin - headquarters of the Rebel Alliance. Threepio did not participate in the ensuing battle, but remained in the compound's control center along with Princess Leia and General Jan Dodonna. Threepio was horrified to discover that R2-D2 had been critically damaged during the fight, but Rebel engineers were able to repair him and the two old friends were reunited. [6]
The Empire Strikes Back
Return of the Jedi
The New Republic
Notes & Trivia[]
- C-3P0 speaks the very first lines of dialogue in Star Wars: A New Hope.
- Clips of C-3P0's dialogue were included in the Star Tours theme-park attraction.
- Voice actor Tom Kane provided the voice for C-3P0 in several of the LucasArts Star Wars video games.
- C-3P0 has also appeared on three episodes of the children's television series Seseme Street.
- For the Star Wars/Muppets PVC figure collection, C-3PO was merged with Beaker.
Parodies[]
- Threepio was lampooned in a Saturday Night Live sketch which involved casting calls for Star Wars. One of the performers (mimicking actor Richard Dreyfuss) tried out for the part, but was denied.
- A pastiche of Threepio, voiced by Billy West, appeared on the "Crimes of the Hot" episode of Futurama.
- In the "Blue Harvest" Star Wars tribute from season six of Family Guy, C-3PO was patterned after the character of Glen Quagmire and voiced by Family Guy creator and voice actor Seth McFarlane.
Appearances[]
- Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (Earliest chronological appearance)
- Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars
- Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1st appearance)
- Star Wars Holiday Special
- Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
- Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
- Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
- Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
See also[]
Media
The World of Star Wars
Star Wars miscellaneous
External Links[]
- C-3PO at IMDB
- C-3PO at CUSWE
- C-3PO at Muppet Wiki
- C-3PO at Wookieepedia
- C-3PO at the Star Wars Databank
References[]
- ↑ Star Wars Tales #19; canonicity in question
- ↑ Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
- ↑ Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
- ↑ Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
- ↑ Star Wars: Droids, Volume 1 #1
- ↑ Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
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