Smoking PSA

"Smoking does dreadful things to your lungs, and is very bad for your heart…Well I know I don't have one, but Humans do and I think we should set a good example."

- C-3PO

The Smoking PSA is a 1983 non-canon public service announcement (PSA) starring the droids C-3PO and R2-D2, who warn children about the dangers of smoking.

Synopsis
The following synopsis is based on the 60 second version of the PSA. The droid C-3PO is fiddling with a strange device when he begins searching for the droid R2-D2 and sees a puff of smoke behind an aisle. At first he thinks his counterpart is on fire, but then notices the droid smoking a cigarette. C-3PO chastises his friend, telling him that smoking does not make him grown-up and is harmful to the lungs and heart. When R2-D2 beeps a reply, C-3PO says that although R2-D2 doesn't have a heart, Humans do and the droids should set a good example for them. R2-D2 drops the cigarette and C-3PO praises him. He then directly addresses audience and reiterates the points he made to R2-D2, telling them not to smoke.

While the words "A message from a distant galaxy far, far away" appear, C-3PO asks if R2-D2 believes that he really doesn't have a heart.

Development
The Smoking PSA was distributed by the US Department of Health and Human Services in 1983. Two versions of this PSA exist: a complete 60-second version and a shorter 30-second version. The 60-second version used multiple takes that cut between a shot showing both droids and a shot showing just C-3PO. The shorter version begins immediately with C-3PO discovering R2-D2 smoking and has all of C-3PO's lines in one take until R2-D2 drops the cigarette. After this, there is a full shot of the droids in which C-3PO says "Well done Artoo!" followed by the credits and C-3PO directly telling the audience not to smoke. Since C-3PO breaks the fourth wall and directly speaks to the audience, this PSA cannot exist in the Star Wars universe and is non-canon.

Behind the scenes
According to Anthony Daniels, the PSA was intended to be aired again in 1997, but it was deemed to be promoting the Star Wars Special Edition Trilogy, which disqualified it as a PSA.