C-3PO
C-3PO | |
---|---|
Star Wars character | |
First appearance | Star Wars (1977) |
Created by | George Lucas |
Portrayed by | Anthony Daniels |
Voiced by |
Other:
|
Performed by | Michael Lynch (Episode I) |
In-universe information | |
Nickname | Threepio (3PO) |
Species | Droid |
Occupation | Protocol droid |
Affiliation |
|
Creator | Anakin Skywalker |
Homeworld | Affa |
C-3PO (
Despite his oblivious nature, C-3PO has played a pivotal role in
Creation and development
For the second film, The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Lucas thought C-3PO should get "completely blown apart" because it would be "interesting to have all this sympathy for a cardboard carton". He considered involving original-trilogy villain Darth Vader in this story arc by having the Sith lord "take [C-3PO's] heart and smash it [...] or turn it into an alarm clock". Because both C-3PO and Chewbacca were fan favorites—and disliked one another—Lucas wanted the Wookiee to be forced to carry the dismantled droid in a bonding experience.[15]
In the
Appearances
C-3PO has been played by Daniels in 11 Star Wars films
Daniels also played C-3PO in the live-action segments of
Daniels reprised his role of C-3PO for the
Daniels made several appearances as C-3PO on numerous TV shows and commercials,[g] notably on a Star Wars-themed episode of The Donny and Marie Show in 1977,[27] Disneyland's 35th Anniversary, a Star Wars-themed episode of The Muppet Show in 1980[28] and Multi-Coloured Swap Shop in 1981.[29][h] Along with R2-D2, he also has a role as the character on Sesame Street episodes 1364 and 1396.[28][27] They also hosted several documentaries including The Making of Star Wars and Star Wars: Connections.[i] Daniels reprised his role in Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka.[j]
Skywalker saga
Original trilogy
Star Wars (1977)
In Star Wars,
Throughout the film C-3PO is a
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
In The Empire Strikes Back, C-3PO is responsible for identifying the Empire's
While exploring a room in Cloud City, C-3PO is blasted by an off-camera
With the help of the city's administrator, Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and C-3PO escape the city. Having C-3PO on Chewbacca's back proves to be beneficial, in that when Boba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch) escapes the city with a frozen Han, C-3PO notifies them of pursuing stormtroopers. While escaping Vader's forces, R2-D2 begins repairing C-3PO. Upon making their way to the Rebel's rendezvous point, C-3PO is fully repaired.
Return of the Jedi (1983)
In
C-3PO accompanies the strike force to the Forest Moon of Endor to disable the shield generator protecting the second Death Star. When he, Han, Luke, Chewbacca, and R2-D2 are captured by the Ewoks, C-3PO is perceived to be a god by the latter. When the human prisoners are threatened by the Ewoks, Luke uses the Force to levitate the droid above the crowd as demonstration of the supposed god's ability.[31] Later that night, C-3PO narrates the history of the Rebel Alliance's fight against the Galactic Empire to the tribe, convincing them to help the Rebels at the Battle of Endor. After the Empire's second Death Star is destroyed, C-3PO joins the protagonists on Endor in celebrating the fall of the Empire.
Prequel trilogy
The Phantom Menace (1999)
C-3PO returns in
Attack of the Clones (2002)
In
After Anakin and Padmé's visit to Tatooine, C-3PO accompanies them to the planet
Revenge of the Sith (2005)
In
Television series
Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
Threepio has a brief cameo in the series.[34]
Ahsoka (2023)
In "Part Seven: Dreams and Madness", when Captain Hera Syndulla is put on trial for breaking protocol, Threepio arrives to claim that Senator Leia Organa had approved of these measures.
Sequel trilogy
The Force Awakens (2015)
The Last Jedi (2017)
In
According to Daniels, "In The Last Jedi I became a table decoration, which I regretted, because Threepio was worth more than that."[38]
The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
In
Anthology films
C-3PO makes a brief appearance alongside R2-D2 in Rogue One (2016),[40] accompanying Rebel Alliance troops to Scarif alongside Princess Leia.
Other media
Canon
Novels
After the events of Return of the Jedi, C-3PO continues to serve Leia Organa in several novels including Bloodline.
Comics
C-3PO appears in
He also appears in Star Wars: Poe Dameron.Legends
Novels
In April 2014, most of the licensed Star Wars novels and comics produced since the originating 1977 film Star Wars were rebranded by Lucasfilm as Star Wars Legends and declared non-canon to the franchise.[43][44][45]
According to the
In Star Wars media involving the
In Expanded Universe material set after Return of the Jedi, C-3PO assists Leia, Luke, and their allies in the Alliance (and later, the
In
In
Following the events of Han and Leia's marriage, C-3PO returns with them to Tatooine in Tatooine Ghost. There he helps Han and Leia in their search for an Alderaanian moss painting storing a valuable code. He also reunites with Kitster Banai and Wald, childhood friends of Anakin Skywalker from Episode I. With their help, C-3PO and the others discover Shmi Skywalker's diary, whereof Leia remarks that the droid described reminds her of C-3PO. Due to his memory wipe in Episode III, C-3PO does not mention to Han and Leia his connection to Anakin. The code is eventually found and destroyed.[55]
In
In
In
In The Crystal Star, C-3PO accompanies Luke and Han to Crseih Station to investigate the possible existence of Jedi trainees; but instead find Waru, a creature from another dimension, from whom they learn of Waru's alliance with Lord Hethrir and of the kidnapping of the Solo children. Hethrir is destroyed following a confrontation with Leia, Han, and Luke while Waru returns to his dimension.[60]
In
In The New Rebellion, C-3PO, along with R2-D2 and a young mechanic named Cole Fardreamer, is instrumental in stopping Kueller from regaining power by disabling the explosive devices he had placed in a large number of droids.[62]
In
Animated series
C-3PO appears in the animated segment of the Star Wars Holiday Special: The Story of the Faithful Wookiee set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. He and R2-D2 accompany Luke Skywalker and crash on the surface of Panna. They are almost eaten by a dragon but a mysterious bounty hunter, Boba Fett rescues them. Fett presents himself as an ally to the heroes and offers to help them. Initially, Luke thinks that Fett seems friendly but C-3PO is unsure. While Fett and Chewbacca set off to find the cure, C-3PO looks after Luke and Han with the upside-down position to slow down the disease's progress. R2-D2 intercepts a transmission between Darth Vader and Fett so the droids inform the heroes about Fett's true allegiances before the bounty hunter blasts away.[66]
During the Droids series, set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, C-3PO and R2-D2 are traded to various masters.
In Clone Wars, C-3PO's outer plating are upgraded to a shiny bronzium coating[67][o] due to his tenure as Padmé's servant.[68] He also disapproves of combat droids, once demanding to "have a serious talk with their programmer".[69]
Comics
In 1994,
In
In the non-canon Star Wars Tales story
Television
The
Legacy
In 1977, a photograph appeared on a Topps Star Wars trading card in which C-3PO appeared to have a prominent phallus. It was later withdrawn from circulation.[10] In 2007, the official Star Wars website hypothesized that this was caused by a part of the suit that had fallen into place just as the photograph was taken. In 2019, Daniels said the costume had become compromised during C-3PO's oil bath in A New Hope; the warm liquid had caused the costume to separate, leading to "an over-exposure of plastic in that region".[76] He further speculated in his 2019 autobiography that an artist could have painted in the extended appendage.[10]
C-3PO was inducted into the
In 2012, the
One of NASA programs to collaborate with the private sector in the development of commercial space transportation it's named 'C3PO', acronym for Commercial Crew & Cargo Program Office.[79]
Nicolas Ghesquière, creative director of Louis Vuitton, and Rodarte have created fashion designs inspired by C-3PO.[80] The cover photo of the August 2015 issue of GQ featured comedian Amy Schumer wearing a replica of Princess Leia's bikini and sucking one of C-3PO's fingers. Lucasfilm and Disney objected to this image and tweeted a public statement that it was unauthorized.[80]
In the Italian version of the original trilogy, C-3PO was named "D-3BO".[81] Anglicisms were not common in the Italian language during the 1970s and 1980s, and the names of various characters were changed to be easier to pronounce and recognize for Italian speakers. Some of these changes were reverted in the dubbing of the prequel and sequel trilogies, where the original name C-3PO was used instead. Other name changes in the Italian version of the original trilogy include R2-D2, Han Solo, Leia Organa and Darth Vader, who were called respectively "C1-P8", "Ian Solo", "Leila Organa" and "Dart Fener" (or "Lord Fener").
Notes
- Daniels, Anthony (2019). I Am C-3PO: The Inside Story. DK. ISBN 9781465492562.
- Herzfeld, Noreen L. (2002). In our image: artificial intelligence and the human spirit. Fortress Press. ISBN 978-0-8006-3476-6. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
References
Footnotes
- ^ However, Anthony Daniels appears in Solo as another character, making him the only actor to be involved in all twelve theatrical Star Wars films.[6]
- ^ a b Later titled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
- ^ Richard Dreyfuss was amongst the actors who auditioned.[10]
- ^ The Story of the Faithful Wookiee. The animation style of C-3PO was later used for Droids and Clone Wars. Genndy Tartakovsky paid homage to Nelvana's animation style by making C-3PO's eyes move as Nelvana did.
- wampasare kept)—to trick the Imperials into going into the wrong room.
- ^ C-3PO appears as a servant of the Disney Princesses, which notably does not include Princess Leia.[23]
- ^ Kellogg's C-3PO's cereal in 1984 and Currys & PC World Meagastore in 2010
- ^ Daniels wore the costume and discussed it with Noel Edmonds in an interview.
- ^ As it was produced in 2002, there were no scenes from Revenge of the Sith nor the changes contained in the 2004 DVD Special Edition releases.
- ^ Only actor from the first theatrically released Star Wars film to play the same character in both series.
- ^ "R2-D2 and C-3PO act more like children..." Herzheld, p. 62.
- ^ "One quickly senses the dependence R2-D2 has on C-3PO as a translator, a dependence that is returned by C-3PO's emotional need for R2-D2, as well as for the human characters" Herzfeld pp. 62–64.
- ^ "The closeness of the two robots is exemplified by C-3PO, who both urges R2-D2 to take care of himself and offers his own circuits to repair R2-D2 after a mishap." Herzfeld, p. 62.
- ^ As seen in The Force Awakens.
- ^ As later seen in Revenge of the Sith. This was his first appearance in gold plating (in the series) and one of the attempts to maintain continuity by bridging Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.
- ^ Anthony Daniels wrote in the introduction to the trade paperback of the first arc that "Some of the pages are as convincing in character to me, as though I were actually there, playing the part."[73]
- ^ Daniels wrote all of C-3PO's dialogue for the comic.[73]
Citations
- ^ "Star Wars: Rebel Assault". Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
- ISBN 978-1-4197-1780-2.
- ISBN 978-5-0010-1452-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-5-0010-1453-9.
- ^ "Here's who C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels played in 'Solo: A Star Wars Story'". EW.com. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ StarWars.com Team (24 March 2022). "Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022 Announces First Celebrity Guest". starwars.com. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
Daniels has the distinction of being the only actor to work on all 11 Star Wars feature films, appearing as C-3PO in all three trilogies in the Skywalker saga as well as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Daniels also made a cameo appearance in Solo: A Star Wars Story in the role of Tak.
- ^ Mallenbaum, Carly (15 December 2015). "Anthony Daniels confirms it: C-3PO's always had a silver leg... 'til now". USA Today. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- ^ "The Official Anthony Daniels Web Site". Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2008.
- ISBN 0-306-80271-6
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Daniels 2019.
- ^ Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy (DVD). Star Wars Trilogy Box Set DVD documentary. 2004. 37 minutes in.
- ^ Scanlon, Paul (25 August 1977). "George Lucas: The Wizard of 'Star Wars'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
- ^ Romano, Steven (20 August 2015). "Actors Who Almost Appeared in Star Wars". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
- ^ Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy (DVD). Star Wars Trilogy Box Set DVD documentary. 2004. 67 minutes in.
- OCLC 506251987.
- ^ a b c Gilbey, Ryan (3 September 2015). "'The secrecy has been ludicrous': Star Wars actor Anthony Daniels on the new film and his life as C-3PO". The Guardian. London, England. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
- ^ Macnab, Geoffrey (13 December 2017). "Film reviews round up: Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Ferdinand, Shot Caller, Mountains May Depart". The Independent. London, England: Independent Print Ltd. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
- ^ Thomas, William; Freer, Ian (3 December 2015). "The Star Wars Holiday Special: may the farce be with you". empireonline.com. Archived from the original on 26 December 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
- ^ a b c Jessica Boulton (20 September 2015). "Star Wars' C-3PO on how R2-D2 was no Force to reckon with and Princess Leia in a bikini was boring". mirror.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
- ^ Ben Child (19 November 2014). "Star Wars' R2-D2 originally a key character in The Lego Movie". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 February 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- ^ Kristin Baver; Amy Ratcliffe (21 July 2017). "From a Certain Point of View: What is the Best Episode of Forces of Destiny So Far?". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on 21 July 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
- ^ "Ralph Breaks the Internet – Press Kit" (PDF). wdsmediafile.com. Walt Disney Studios. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
- ^ Eisenberg, Eric (20 September 2018). "Why Princess Leia Isn't in Wreck-It Ralph 2's Disney Princess Scene". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on 4 January 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
- ^ "Lego Star Wars Holiday Special". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
Anthony Daniels as faithful droid C-3PO.
- ^ "Star Wars: Blips". tv.apple.com. Apple TV. May 2017. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
featuring heroes of the Star Wars universe like Chewbacca, C-3PO and of course, R2-D2
- ^ "Star Tours: The Adventures Continue Coming to Tokyo Disneyland Park in 2013". StarWars.com. 13 November 2012. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
- ^ a b Louis Chilton (1 November 2019). "Sidelined, suffocated, and nearly baked alive: The story of the man who didn't want to play C-3PO". independent.co.uk. The Independent. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- ^ a b Chris Hamilton (28 March 2014). "Star Wars: The Muppet Connection". starwars.com. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- ^ "Star Wars at the BBC: C-3PO meets Noel Edmonds". bbc.co.uk. BBC. 10 January 1981. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
- ISBN 978-0-87972-191-6. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
- ^ a b Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
- ^ a b Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (Novelization)
- ^ a b Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
- ^ John Saavedra (27 May 2022). "Star Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi Cast: Meet the New Characters". denofgeek.com. Den of Geek. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
Anthony Daniels appears very briefly as C-3PO in the party scene on Alderaan. You can see him walking around in the background of the Organa's home with R2-D2.
- ^ Shepherd, Jack (14 April 2016). "Star Wars: Why C-3PO has a red arm in The Force Awakens". The Independent. London, England: Independent Print Ltd. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
- ^ "C-3PO (See-Threepio)". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
- ^ Hooton, Christopher (23 January 2017). "Star Wars 8 gets official title: The Last Jedi". The Independent. London, England: Independent Print Ltd. Archived from the original on 25 January 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
- ^ "Star Wars: Anthony Daniels Promises 'Weird Stuff' From C-3PO in the Rise of Skywalker". Empire. 25 November 2019. Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ Libbey, Dirk (5 September 2019). "Anthony Daniels Teases C-3PO's Red Eyes As A 'Magnificent Piece of Storytelling'". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on 9 September 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
- ^ Fullerton, Huw (18 December 2016). "11 of the best Star Wars Easter Eggs in Rogue One". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 18 December 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
- ^ "Star Wars Special: C-3PO (2016)". marvel.com. Archived from the original on 19 March 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
- ^ "Star Wars Special: C-3PO # 1 - Exclusive Preview!". starwars.com. 12 April 2016. Archived from the original on 25 August 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
- ^ McMilian, Graeme (25 April 2014). "Lucasfilm Unveils New Plans for Star Wars Expanded Universe". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 29 April 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
- StarWars.com. 25 April 2014. Archivedfrom the original on 10 September 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
- ^ "Disney and Random House announce relaunch of Star Wars Adult Fiction line". StarWars.com. 25 April 2014. Archived from the original on 14 May 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
- ^ Hansen, John (26 October 2014). "'Star Wars' flashback: 'The Constancia Affair,' 'The Kashyyyk Depths,' 'Planet of Kadril' and unpublished newspaper strips (1979-80) (Comic book reviews)". Cold Bananas Movie & TV Reviews. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
- ISBN 0-345-38625-6.
- ^ Windham, Ryder (2000). Star Wars Tales #6. Milwaukee, OR: Dark Horse Comics. pp. 51–53.
- ^ Star Wars Republic: The New Face of War
- ^ Star Wars: Clone Wars Chapter 15
- ^ Star Wars: Clone Wars Chapter 16
- ^ The Truce at Bakura
- ^ The Glove of Darth Vader
- ^ The Courtship of Princess Leia
- ^ Tatooine Ghost
- ^ Dark Force Rising
- ^ The Last Command
- ^ Dark Apprentice
- ^ Planet of Twilight
- ^ The Crystal Star
- ^ The Black Fleet Crisis
- ^ The New Rebellion
- ^ Ambush at Corellia
- ^ Showdown at Centerpoint
- ^ Vision of the Future
- ^ Lucas Seastrom (15 November 2018). "The Star Wars Holiday Special and the Debut of Boba Fett". starwars.com. Archived from the original on 15 November 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
The sequence would present an adventure where Han Solo, Chewbacca, Luke Skywalker, and their companions [C-3PO and R2-D2] are on the search for a mystical talisman. They run into trouble when they encounter Boba Fett, who at first pretends to be an ally but is later revealed as an agent of Darth Vader.
- ^ Star Wars: Clone Wars Chapter 21
- ^ Star Wars: Clone Wars Chapter 1
- ^ Star Wars: Clone Wars Chapter 23
- ^ "Star Wars: Droids Special". Dark Horse Comics. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
- Syfy Wire. Archivedfrom the original on 20 January 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ISBN 978-1-302-51077-0. Archivedfrom the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
- ^ a b c d Windham, Ryder (2015). Star Wars Omnibus: Droids. New York: Marvel. pp. i–ii.
- ^ Dietsch, TJ (19 September 2017). "Star Wars Spotlight: Droids – The Protocol Offensive". Marvel Entertainment. Archived from the original on 13 June 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
- ^ Empire's End
- ^ Rossen, Jake (10 September 2019). "Anthony Daniels Finally Explains the Mystery of That Obscene C-3PO Trading Card". Mental Floss. Archived from the original on 11 September 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
- ^ Adrian Shaw (14 October 2012). "US navy to build robot firefighters like C-3PO". mirror. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ "A new robot inspired by C-3PO being developed for the US Navy will fight fires and throw grenades". NewsComAu. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ^ "Commercial Crew & Cargo Program Office". 3 July 2013. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
- ^ a b Marriott, Hannah (26 July 2015), "Star Wars: Why C-3PO Is This Season's Fashion Hit", The Guardian, US Edition, archived from the original on 3 April 2019, retrieved 11 December 2016
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External links
- C-3PO in the StarWars.com Databank
- C-3PO on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki