For all his prissy manners and complusive odds-quoting, C-3PO is about as self-aware as a droid can get. Perpetually paired with a brash astromech droid, he and his partner, R2-D2, make up the New Republic's most famous droid team.this protocol droid was built from spare parts by the nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker. The droid’s presence was a secret, as Anakin didn’t want him taken away by his master, Watto. The number 3 in the droid’s name was Anakin’s attempt to indicate that the droid would be the third member of his family, beside himself and his mother. By the time Anakin was freed from slavery by Qui-Gon Jinn, C-3PO was nearly completed. All he lacked was an outer skin and minor modifications. Eventually, C-3PO was given a gold outer skin, and was reunited with the astromech droid named R2-D2 some years before the Battle of Yavin. His first job was said to be programming binary load lifters. A protocol droid whose main functions are etiquette and translation, he is outfitted with a TranLang Communication module, and is fluent in over six million galactic languages. These range from the obvious and common dialects to abscure and archaic languages from forgotten systems.
He was designed to work closely with humans, his form and speech mirroring theirs in most ways. His voice is pleasant, with a slightly clipped accent and a precise tone that always somehow suggests the edge of panic.
Threepio has apparently been fitted with extensive personality modules in his AA-1 VerboBrain, allowing him to experience emotions and feelings almost as much as the humans and aliens he interacts with. Indeed, he seems to take unusual pleasure in worrying, complaining, whining, and arguing. His two favorite topics of discussion are how difficult his life is, and how much trouble Artoo has caused him. Although his creative circuits were designed with parameters to assure accurate translations, the lack of periodic memory wipes has enabled Threepio to develop his talent for interpretation and embellishments more fully than other protocol droids.
C-3PO is bipedal, with a large gold-colored body, though for some unexplained reason, his right leg is silver from the kneww joint to the tip of his foot. He is equipped with two visual photoreceptors and audio sensors, olfactory sensors, a vocabulator speech/sound system, energy transducers, and pelvic servomotors. Broadband antenna receivers allow him to communicate with similiarly-equipped droids, and to receive transmissions. Because of his eloborate multijointed construction, Threepio requires frequent lubrication baths to keep his locomotion systems operating efficiently.
C-3PO has long been paired with a tripodal utility astromech droid named R2-D2. Artoo is an astromech utility droid, and was used extensively during the time of the Old Republic as a starship maintenance droid within the Naboo droid pool. He was part of the contingent of astromechs which was aboard Queen Amidala’s personal starship when she fled Naboo for Coruscant, shortly after the Trade Federation invaded the planet. When the ship was damaged while trying to run the Federation’s blockade, R2-D2 and its companions were dispatched to repair the shield generators. Of the four astromechs dispatched, only R2-D2 managed to complete the work and return to the ship. He was rewarded by the Queen with a thorough cleaning, and accompanied her to Tatooine and Coruscant. On Tatooine, R2-D2 made the acquaintence of the incomplete protocol droid C-3PO, which was being constructed by Anakin Skywalker. Although their encounter was brief, it set the tone for future meetings. After the Battle of Naboo, in which R2-D2 helped young Anakin destroy the Federation’s droid control ship, R2-D2 was thrust upon the intergalactic scene.
Artoo is designed to operate in deep space, interfacing with fighter craft and computer systems to augment the capabilities of ships and their pilots. He monitors and diagnoses flight performance, maps, and stores hyperspace data, and pinpoints technical errors or faulty computer coding. He is well versed in starship repair for hundreds of styles of spacecraft.
He converses in an information-dense, low-redundancy electronic language that sounds to the untrained ears like beeps, boops, chirps, and whistles. Although he can understand most forms of human speech, R2-D2 must have his own communications interpreted by another droid or computer.
Artoo has a domed head, which has infrared receptors, electromagnetic-field sensors, a register readout and logic dispenser, dedicated ebergy receptors, radar eye, heat and motion detectors, and a holographic recorder and projector built into it. His cylindrical body has many doors that open, revealing hidden instruments, including a storage/retrieval jack for computer linkup, auditory recievers, flame-retardant foam dispenser, electric shock prod, high-powered spotlight, grasping claw, laser welder, circular saw, and a cybot acoustic signaler.
The meter-high droid has two treaded "legs" running down opposing sides of his body. A third treaded leg canm be extended to provide extra stability in rough terrain. He also has flotation devices that allow him to stay near the surface if he is plunged into water or other liquid. A periscoping visual scanner helps guide him if he is submerged.
Threepio and Artoo have developed an odd relationship over the years. The protocol droid is a fussy mother hen, constantly cajoling, belittling, or arguing with his squat counterpart. Artoo is loyal, inventive, and sarcastic, cooly egging Threepio on without seeming to do so. To watch the two droids together, one would expect them to deprogram each other, given half a chance, but in truth, the two have come to learn that they can depend on each other with their lives.
His knowledge of starship programming made him an invaluable resource to the flight crews of the Republic. When the Alliance decide that it was time to break away from the Empire and launch an all-out attack, they used Artoo as a decoy. They figured that most people - even the Imperials - wouldn't suspect that a lowly astromech droid was carrying the top-secret plans to the first Death Star. When the consular ship Tantive IV was intercepted while trying to reach Obi-Wan Kenobi and deliver the plans to him, Artoo's mission was modified. Instead of just holding the Death Star plans, he was also programmed by Princess Leia to seek out Obi-Wan and enlist his aid without human assistance.
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