C-3PO

"I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations."

- C-3PO

C-3PO, sometimes spelled See-Threepio and often referred to as Threepio, was a 3PO unit protocol droid designed to interact with organics, programmed primarily for etiquette and protocol. He was fluent in over six million forms of communication, and developed a fussy and worry-prone personality throughout his many decades of operation. Along with his counterpart, the astromech droid R2-D2, C-3PO constantly found himself directly involved in pivotal moments of galactic history, and aided in saving the galaxy on many occasions.

C-3PO was built from spare parts by Anakin Skywalker, a human slave who lived in Mos Espa, a city on the Outer Rim world of Tatooine. He served Skywalker and his mother Shmi for over ten years, performing household chores and helping Skywalker earn his freedom by winning a pod race.

Skywalker left Tatooine but returned ten years later when his mother passed away, and C-3PO was given to Skywalker, now a Jedi Padawan, by Shmi's stepson Owen Lars. C-3PO, Skywalker, R2-D2, and the Naboo senator Padmé Amidala immediately became embroiled in the Clone Wars, a galaxy-wide conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

Skywalker married Amidala and gave C-3PO to her as a wedding gift, and C-3PO faithfully assisted her in her senatorial duties throughout the three-year conflict. The two often entered the front lines of the war, at times fighting alongside Skywalker and R2-D2. At the end of the war, Skywalker became a Sith Lord, Amidala passed away, the Jedi Order was exterminated, and the Republic was reorganized into a Galactic Empire. C-3PO's memory was erased, though R2-D2's memory was not. C-3PO and R2-D2 were assigned to the Alderaan cruiser Tantive IV, where they served senator Bail Organa for nineteen years. At some point during this time, 3PO's right leg was fitted with a mismatched droid plating.

They then became embroiled in the Galactic Civil War, when Leia Organa of the Rebel Alliance entrusted them to bring a copy of the Death Star plans to the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi on Tatooine. After meeting Skywalker's son Luke and the smuggler Han Solo, the droids helped rescue princess Leia from the Empire's Death Star. They became directly attached to the three humans, helping them and their rebellion defeat the Empire and restore freedom to the galaxy, most notably when he convinced the Ewoks to aid the Rebels at the Battle of Endor.

The Tatooine Years
While C-3PO was programmed for etiquette and protocol, he claimed that he became acquainted with the binary language of moisture vaporators. At some unknown point, C-3PO fell into disrepair and was rebuilt from spare parts by Anakin Skywalker, a human slave who lived in Mos Espa, a city on the Outer Rim world of Tatooine. He served Anakin and his mother Shmi by performing household chores. During his time with Skywalker and Shmi, C-3PO's wiring was left exposed since Skywalker was unable to outfit him with an outer covering.

Following the Trade Federation's invasion of the Mid Rim planet of Naboo, C-3PO's life entered a new chapter when his owner Anakin met several off-worlders at the shop of his owner, the junk dealer Watto and then invited them to seek shelter at his home during a sandstorm. The Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, the Queen of Naboo Padmé Amidala, the Gungan Jar Jar Binks, and the astromech droid R2-D2 were brought to the slave quarters that Anakin shared with his mother Shmi. As a result of this invitation, Amidala and R2-D2 were introduced to C-3PO. Upon meeting R2-D2, C-3PO was shocked when the candid astromech droid commented that he was "naked". Despite the exchange, the two droids fast developed a friendship of sorts, working together to help Skywalker make final adjustments to his podracer in time to race it in the Boonta Eve Classic race. While working on the podracer, the two droids discussed space travel and noted the clumsy actions of Binks.

On the day of the race, C-3PO represented his owner in the opening flag parade, carrying Skywalker's flag onto the course prior to the start of the race. He then stood on the sidelines with R2-D2 and two of Skywalker's playmates, Kitster Banai and Wald, who cheered their friend on. Skywalker won the race, which, thanks to a deal that Jinn had struck with Watto, earned the boy his freedom from slavery and secured Jinn the hyperdrive generator he needed to leave the planet. As Skywalker prepared to depart Tatooine, he said his goodbyes to C-3PO, apologizing for not having completed the droid's construction, and expressing his wishes that Shmi wouldn't sell him.

Later, his owner Shmi was sold to the moisture farmer Cliegg Lars, who freed then and married her. Shmi brought C-3PO along with her and the protocol droid found himself in the service of the Lars family, who owned a moisture farm in the Jundland Wastes. C-3PO's new owners covered him in a silver plating to shield him from Tatooine's sandy environment. Ten years after his parting with Anakin Skywalker, Shmi was kidnapped by a group of Tusken Raiders, fearsome nomads native to Tatooine's desert wastes. Sensing his mother's pain and anguish through the Force, Anakin returned with his secret lover and childhood friend Padmé Amidala to find his mother. Skywalker had advanced in his Jedi training as a Padawan under the tutelage of Obi-Wan Kenobi while Amidala had become a Senator in the Galactic Senate.

When Skywalker and Amidala visited the Lars' moisture farm, they found C-3PO working on a moisture vaporator. He initially didn't recognize Skywalker until the latter finished his name for him when introducing himself. Greeting his Maker, C-3PO discovered that Skywalker had come in search of his mother, and brought the two guests into the homestead's courtyard, where they were met by Cliegg Lars, as well as his son Owen Lars and her girlfriend Beru Whitesun. Learning of his mother's peril, Skywalker took Owen's speeder bike to find her, and soon returned with her corpse, having recovered it from a Tusken village. C-3PO was present when he arrived, and later attended a funeral for Shmi on the farm's property. When R2-D2, who had been waiting aboard Amidala's nearby yacht, interrupted the funeral with an urgent message for the Padawan, C-3PO translated the astromech's binary beeps and whistles. After viewing the holocomm message, Skywalker and Amidala prepared to depart Tatooine for Geononsis to rescue Skywalker's Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Mission to Garel
About five years before the Battle of Yavin, Senator Bail Organa sent C-3PO and his astromech counterpart R2-D2 to escort the Imperial Minister Maketh Tua and the Aqualish arms dealer Amda Wabo to the planet Garel. Minister Tua wanted to obtain a shipment of T-7 ion disruptor rifles, illicit weapons which had been banned by the Imperial Senate following the brutal pacification of Lasan. She intended to mass-produce the weapons on Lothal, a formerly backwater Outer Rim world that had become a manufacturing base for the Empire. Since Tua could not speak the Aqualish language, C-3PO was assigned the job of acting as her translator. Unknown to C-3PO, but known to R2-D2, their true mission was to prevent the T-7 ion disruptors from falling into Imperial hands.

Upon arriving in Lothal, C-3PO and his companions boarded the Star commuter shuttle ST-45 which ferried them to Garel. Unknown to C-3PO, members of a Lothalian rebel cell were also traveling on the shuttle. Two of rebels, the human teenager Ezra Bridger and the astromech droid Chopper created a noisy ruckus. Another rebel, the former Jedi Kanan Jarrus pretended to be irate and demanded that the petulant Chopper be sent to the back of the shuttle. The The pilot complied, but in retaliation Bridger demanded that Tua's droids be sent to the back as well. Despite Tua's and C-3PO's protests, the protocol droid and his astromech counterpart were forced to move to the rear compartment.

Bereft of a translator, Tua was forced to turn to the Mandalorian girl Sabine Wren, who posed as an Imperial Academy student fluent in Aqualish. However, Tua was also a member of the Lothalian rebel cell who were planning to deliver the shipment of weapons to the Devaronian crime lord Cikatro Vizago. Sabine learnt that the weapons were stored in Garel's Bay 7 but misled Minister Tua into believing that they were in Bay 17. After the shuttle landed in Garel's spaceport, C-3PO and R2-D2 accompanied Minister Tua and a force of stormtroopers to Bay 17. When they found nothing, C-3PO explained that Sabine might have accidentally mistranslated "Bay 7" as "Bay 17".

While traveling to Bay 7, C-3PO's counterpart R2-D2 was accosted by Chopper, who had been sent to distract the Imperials. Chopper rammed himself right into R2-D2, then shook his arm in apparent anger. In response, R2-D2 whipped out his electroshock prod, but did not use it as C-3PO ordered him to apologize. But then, Minister Tua recognised Chopper from the shuttle ride to Garel and ordered her stormtrooper guards to hurry to Bay 7. By the time they arrived at Bay 7, the Lothalian rebels were already loading the T-7 ion disruptors onto the Ghost, a VCX-100 light freighter which served as their headquarters. A blaster fight broke out and in the ensuing confusion C-3PO and R2-D2 fled aboard the Ghost, which fled into hyperspace. The two droids were then taken prisoner by the Lothalian rebels who placed restraining bolts on both of them.

The Lothalian rebels then traveled back to Lothal to sell their stolen weapons to Vizago at a pre-arranged rendezvous point. Despite his restraining bolts, C-3PO managed to used the ship's intercom to contact the Imperial authorities telling that he and his astromech counterpart had been kidnapped by "criminals." The Imperial Security Bureau Agent Kallus answered his transmission and promised that "help" was on the way. Using C-3PO's transmission to trace the Ghost coordinates, Agent Kallus brought an Imperial attack force consisting of a Gozanti-class cruiser, two AT-DP walkers, and several stormtroopers to the Lothalian rebels' meeting place. Mistaking the Imperials for "friends", C-3PO approached them but was fired upon and narrowly escaped disintegration. Meanwhile, R2-D2 helped the Lothalian rebels to overload and destroy the T-7 disruptors.

Following the brief skirmish, both droids and the rebels managed to escape their Imperial pursuers. The rebels also returned C-3PO and R2-D2 to their rightful owner, Senator Organa, who paid them some credits for destroying the weapons. Due to the stress of his adventures at Garel and Lothal, C-3PO requested that he be allowed to rest for a while; which the Senator obliged. Senator Organa then questioned R2-D2 about the Lothalian rebels.

Cymoon 1
"It appears the Millennium Falcon is being dismantled by native scavengers..." "Well go out there and stop them!" "Me? Go out..." "There's a blaster in the cockpit! Do whatever you have to do! Threepio!?" "Oh. Oh... dear."

- Han Solo and C-3PO

Several weeks after the Battle of Yavin C-3PO was involved in the Assault on Cymoon 1. Cymoon 1 was a moon located in the Corellian Industrial Cluster, and Weapons Factory Alpha&mdash;the largest weapons factory in the galaxy, was the main target of the assault. Chewbacca and 3PO piloted the Millennium Falcon throught the debris fields that sorrounded Cymoon 1, and landed in the huge refuse fields that fenced in the factory. Chewbacca left the relative safety of the Falcon and hiked towards the factory, while 3PO stayed behind to wait for the signal to begin the Falcon's autopilot when the team had achieved their objective of hacking into the main power core and rigging it to explode. The Falcon would swoop in and pick up Han, Leia, Luke and R2 while Chewbacca covered their retreat from a large metal structure that overlooked the rendezvous escape point&mdash;before he to escaped aboard the freighter.

The team was posing as an envoy from Jabba the Hutt, due to Han's previous ties to the Crime lord. Leia (who was disguised as one of the Hutt's bodyguards) contacted 3PO and Chewbacca via comlink and notified them that they were entering the factory. 3PO was very happy for he had feared that the Imperials would see through their rouse and kill them all on sight. 3PO also noted that the tide of war seemed to be in their favor after the destruction of the Death Star&mdash;3PO had a "very good feeling about this". A short time later Leia and Han contacted 3PO and let the droid know that the plan had moved to phase two. Han was worried about leaving 3PO alone on his ship, but 3PO assured him all was in working order&mdash;but was concerned that the old YT-1300 light freighter continued to so easily be mistaken for garbage.

3PO recieved a comlink call several minutes later, it was Han, he told 3PO to start the autopilot so they could begin their escape. 3PO commenced the autopliot&mdash;but nothing happened. About five minutes later Han again contacted the droid, 3PO told him what had happened. 3PO looked out of the transparisteel cockpit of the Falcon and noticed several scavengers dismantling the Falcon. Han ordered 3PO to take a blaster pistol and go stop them. But 3PO was unsure of himself&mdash;he was but a protocol droid programmed for translation and ettiquete.

3PO didn't act for several minutes until Leia once again got in contact with him. She told the droid that they were going to die if the Falcon did not soon reach them. 3PO reminded her of the the scavengers who continued to tear down the freighter, he requested that another member of the team should come assist him he would be better suited to intimidate the aliens. But Leia became angry and ordered the droid to "Do whatever you have to," 3PO gave in&mdash;for it was the House of Organa that he served. 3PO took the blaster pistol and addressed the tentacled aliens in Basic, he requested they "at once return to your domiciles," If they would not, 3PO would not hesitate to use force&mdash;in the form of the blaster pistol. The protocol droid fumbled and dropped the blaster, it fell at the feet of one creature, 3PO realized he'd made a mistake and surrendered. The creature examined it and shot 3PO in the chest. The super-heated gas did no real damage to 3PO's golden chest plate&mdash;but the kinetic energy of the blast blew off the droid's arms and legs. The aliens gathered up 3PO as Han called him and asked what he'd done to the Falcon. The droid asked if he could "close down for a while..." But due to the droids injuries, Han was unable to hear the golden droid as he was carried off by the tentacled aliens.

The scavengers stuffed 3PO into a sack and was carried one one of the alien's back. As a result of the attack, 3PO sustained a memory relapse and believed himself to be talking with Captain Antilles. He requested a peaceful diplomatic mission from "Antilles" before the alien he was strapped to was hoisted into the air and thrown by the might Chewbacca. Chewbacca blasted the other scavengers while 3PO confessed to "Antilles" that he cared for neither action or adventure. The aliens fled while the wookiee went to work repairing the damage they had caused to the Falcon so he and the droid could go rescue the other team members who were under attack by Darth Vader. 3PO heard through Chewbacca's comm, that Han and Leia were doomed. 3PO was just grateful his eye circuits were not connected so he wouldn't have to witness their deaths.

Though they were not killed for Chewbacca repaired the freighter, gathered up 3PO, and flew the Falcon to pick up the other team members. The Falcon fled into hyperspace as the golden droid admitted to "Antilles" that the mission had been the strangest diplomatic mission he'd ever experienced.

Within two days, the Millennium Falcon and its compliment rendezvoused with the Rebel Fleet on the edge of the galaxy. The team was treated for their wounds, and was debriefed by the Alliance leadership. Threepio was completely repaired by Alliance engineers. Soon thereafter, Artoo and Threepio argued whether Threepio had been incorrectly reassembled. Soon, Luke and Artoo left the Rebel Fleet to return to Tatooine.

Behind the scenes
Anthony Daniels, C-3PO's portrayer, met George Lucas in 1975. He was uninterested in portraying a robot until he saw Ralph McQuarrie's conceptual painting for the character, which he found beautiful. When filming the movie, Daniels wrote out what he imagined R2-D2 was saying to help him get through a scene. Daniels is reprising the role of C-3PO in Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. J.J. Abrams initially asked if he only wanted to supply the voice due to his age, but Daniels was happy to wear the costume again. To that end, the prop mechanics of the suit were reworked for Daniels from the ground up for easier application and removal, with no changes visible on-screen.

Non-canon Appearances

 * William Shakespeare's The Phantom of Menace: Star Wars Part the First
 * Epic Yarns: A New Hope
 * Epic Yarns: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Epic Yarns: Return of the Jedi