A Case for C-3PO
Who was your favourite hero from the
Original Trilogy when you were a kid? Were you a fan of Luke’s determination
and Jedi powers, or maybe you preferred Leia’s bold defiance of the growing
Imperial forces? While there’s rarely a Star
Wars character I don’t have a soft spot for, the first character who really
resonated with me from this franchise was none other than the golden protocol
droid C-3PO.
I was a really nervous kid, content to
mostly stay inside by myself while others my age were out making friends and
playing sports. It was through this that I discovered many of my passions, including
gaming, Disney movies, and of course Star
Wars. Through this, I really identified with the plight of C-3PO. In all
this craziness, here’s a droid who doesn’t want any part of it, but still
manages to be a key component in getting the main heroes the victory they
deserve.
In the wake of Star Wars’ return to popular culture, I’ve noticed many people
returning to the Original Trilogy after not having watched it in years and
forming new opinions based on how they see it at an older age. One thing I’ve
noticed repeated several times is how people don’t seem to be a fan of C-3PO as
a character, even going so far as to say he doesn’t fit in with the rest of the
cast.
So let’s see why people don’t like
him. One of the major criticisms of 3PO is his overall personality. Some find
him too whiny, others find his bickering with R2 to be insufferable. Primarily
in Empire Strikes Back, 3PO spends a
lot of the movie arguing with Han about the best course of action to take in
escaping the Empire, lamenting the doom of everyone aboard the Millennium Falcon several times, and his
constant fights with R2 get old fast.
The other, biggest criticism I’ve seen
recently is that despite being cast in a major role and appearing in every Star Wars movie to date, 3PO doesn’t
accomplish anything that another character could’ve done. This is supported by
what he does in the prequels and Force Awakens, which is honestly not
much. Granted, Phantom Menace gives
him an origin story and he adds a bit of humour to Force Awakens (his first appearance in that movie is one of its
funniest scenes), but he still doesn’t contribute much to the overall plot.
Honestly, I see where the criticism
comes from. 3PO is essentially Lucas’s first attempt at humour in Star Wars, before a certain
fish-rabbit-man came along and tarnished his reputation as a writer. Knowing
that, even I can admit that my beloved protocol droid has a few moments where
he can be more than a bit annoying. I don’t love C-3PO because he’s
particularly funny, though, nor do I love him because he does a lot of stuff. I
leave that to characters like R2 or Chewie.
The reason I love C-3PO is because he isn’t those things. To me, C-3PO
represents how we would react when thrust into these insane situations. We all
like to think of ourselves as Luke or Obi-Wan or Rey, always having a perfect
handle on the situation regardless of what the circumstance is. Obviously, that
isn’t the case. In reality, we’d all act like C-3PO, running around in a panic
and yelling at Han to slow down or we’ll all be killed.
Despite being a droid, C-3PO is
arguably one of the most human characters in Star Wars. Yes, he’s whiny, yes, he doesn’t contribute much, and
yes, sometimes he just doesn’t fit in with everybody else, but I don’t feel
that makes him a bad character. To me, C-3PO is a testament to everybody who
could never fit in with the cool kids, to every kid that feels like an outcast,
and to anybody who wants to go on an adventure. We might never be Luke
Skywalker, but at least we can live knowing he keeps someone like us with him
on these adventures.
BREAKING NEWS
Lots of news straight from a galaxy far,
far away this week! It’s time to look at what’s new and what’s next for Star Wars in a segment that honestly
needs a better name!
First off, something I missed last
time: Star Wars Land at Disneyland and Walt Disney World has a set opening date
for 2019! I’ve been keeping track of the construction at both parks since it
broke ground, and while they’re slowly making progress, it’s pretty obvious
that we’re still quite some time away from visiting that remote outpost we’ve
been promised.
Over onto the movie side of things,
Disney has officially confirmed production has begun on the untitled Han Solo
film. This movie’s been shrouded in mystery for some time, and we still don’t
know much about it aside from the facts that it’ll star a younger Han, Chewie and
Lando and take place before A New Hope.
Other actors have been cast, but we’re yet to find out what roles they’re set
to play. Phil Lord and Chris Miller have always been fantastic directors, so I
have good faith they will deliver an entertaining story about our favourite
smuggler.
Onto Last Jedi news, Star Wars fans
everywhere have been speculating the meaning of the title, especially whether
it’s using the singular meaning for Jedi or the plural. Well, wonder no more!
We’ve now learned via the French, Spanish and other translations of the title
that the Jedi in the title is in fact
using the plural term. So what could this mean? Obviously Luke is one of the
last Jedi, but who’s the others? Rey seems the most popular answer, but it’s
important to note she’s not a Jedi yet, despite likely beginning her training
in this movie. Another option could be Luke’s class of dead Padawans, or, while
it’s unlikely, maybe even Kylo Ren.
Disney has also released the official Last Jedi themed packaging that will be
seen once Force Friday makes its grand return on September 1 this year. If you
don’t remember, Force Friday was celebrated when the first Force Awakens toys were released back in September 2015. I remember
it because I spent way too much money that day.
The packaging itself features Rey,
Finn and Poe striking a heroic pose against a white background, contrasting
with the dark Force Awakens packaging
that prominently featured Kylo Ren.
So, let’s tear the packaging (ha ha)
apart and see if we can find any secrets hidden in this image. Finn seems to be
about the same, except he’s now wearing a white shirt underneath his jacket
instead of the black Stormtrooper undershirt from Force Awakens. Poe seems to have found himself a replacement jacket
for the one he gave Finn. Finally, Rey is wearing her hair down, and appears to
be in the same outfit she wore in the final scenes of Force Awakens.
There’s nothing really new or special
here (though I do find it a little interesting Kylo Ren is nowhere to be
found), but it is nice to see our heroes changing their looks a little bit
going forth. April and Star Wars Celebration is fast approaching, and I doubt
we’ll have to wait much longer before we get to see more of what Rey and crew
will be doing next.
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