Memory wipe

"I'm placing these droids in your care. Treat them well. Clean them up. Have the protocol droid's mind wiped."

- Bail Organa, to Captain Antilles

A memory wipe was a method that was used to selectively or completely erase the memory of a droid. After Cad Bane had kidnapped and ransacked the memory of C-3PO and R2-D2 for information on the Senate Building's layout, he only had the incident wiped from their memories to avoid having any suspicion falling on him. Shortly after the Galactic Empire was formed, Bail Organa had C-3PO's memory wiped clean in order for the droid to not spill any confidential information. When he purchased C-3PO and R2-D2, Owen Lars also wanted the droids' memories wiped after he learned they were looking for Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Memory wipes were an important process, and the lack of one could allow droids to develop new ideas. This happened with the mining droid STALKER-1, who turned into a hunter after years without a memory reset. Memory wipes were far from perfect, however, and both C-3PO and the First Order droid O-MR1 both experienced flashes of erased memories. A macro protocol could be used to wipe the memories of multiple droids simultaneously.

The Galactic Empire did not grant its droids any independence and sought to keep them subservient and docile. Part of this process was frequent memory wipes in order to keep them from getting independent notions. The First Order, a successor group to the Empire, felt the same way and followed the same basic practice.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
 * Ahsoka
 * Star Wars: Rogue One – Cassian & K-2SO Special 1
 * Rogue One: A Star Wars Story novelization
 * Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
 * Star Wars 36: Revenge of the Astromech
 * Star Wars: Uprising
 * Phasma
 * Star Wars Special: C-3PO 1: The Phantom Limb
 * Join the Resistance
 * Join the Resistance: Escape from Vodran
 * Poe Dameron 10: The Gathering Storm, Part III
 * Star Wars: The Force Awakens novelization
 * Star Wars: Uprising
 * Phasma
 * Star Wars Special: C-3PO 1: The Phantom Limb
 * Join the Resistance
 * Join the Resistance: Escape from Vodran
 * Poe Dameron 10: The Gathering Storm, Part III
 * Star Wars: The Force Awakens novelization
 * Star Wars: The Force Awakens novelization

Non-canon appearances

 * LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales Episodes I-III