[OT, Star Wars] The Vader/droid connection...

[PenguinKing]

Maybe someone can help me out here. I need to know if there are any scenes in the original Star Wars trilogy where,

a) Vader actually lays eyes on either R2D2 or C3P0, or

b) Aforesaid droids may be reasonably inferred to be within his line of sight.

Yes, you've probably guessed what this relates to - the old "how could Anakin just forget about the droids?" objection. Thing is, I can't bring to mind a single instance where Vader actually got a good look at either of them. Am I missing something here?

- Sir Bob.

 

[Phoenix8008]

Lets see here, In Ep IV, he may have seen them at a distance as they crossed the Landing bay in the Death Star to enter the Millenium Falcon. Later he blasted R2 in the trench run sequence. Neither of these are conclusive.

In Ep V, he gets close to 3PO in the Carbon freezing chamber, but the droid is in pieces on Chewie's back at that point. If someone calls 3PO by name here, I would think he should have reacted. Otherwise you get back to the standard answer to this question, there are lots of that type of droid in the universe and he's not gonna stare at each and every one of them.

In Ep VI, he doesn't get near either of the droids as far as I remember.

That's my best recollections. Any got better memories than me?

 

[Lizard]

Maybe someone can help me out here. I need to know if there are any scenes in the original Star Wars trilogy where,

a) Vader actually lays eyes on either R2D2 or C3P0, or

b) Aforesaid droids may be reasonably inferred to be within his line of sight.

Yes, you've probably guessed what this relates to - the old "how could Anakin just forget about the droids?" objection. Thing is, I can't bring to mind a single instance where Vader actually got a good look at either of them. Am I missing something here?

- Sir Bob.

The first car I remember my mother owning was a red Ford Pinto.

Whenever I see a red Pinto on the road, I do not think, "Hey, that might have been my mother's old car!" At best, I'll think, "Hey, my mother used to own a car like that."

The are tens of millions of R2-D2's and C-3POs. We don't see droids with that designation in the movies, other than the 'stars', for the same reason you will never see two characters named "John Smith" in the same movie (usually). There is no reason for Darth Vader, upon seeing a protocol droid or an astromech droid, to think they might be the exact same droids he knew when he was kid/young man.

 

[Jerrid Al-Kundo]

Here's the part I find creepy:

Episode I: Master Anakin, I know you're my maker and all...

Episode IV: Bless the Maker, this oil bath is going to feel so good...

Anyone else catch that?

 

[RangerWickett]

Well, we know that Obi-Wan is either lying or mistaken about not recognizing Artoo in Ep4. He had enough contact with R2D2 for me to think he'd at least recall the name. And I dunno, I guess Anakin never really talked about himself to Kenobi, or else he would've mentioned that, "Hey, Obi-Wan, did I ever tell you that I made this droid called C3P0? Yeah, he lived with me for a while, and later with my mom. Y'know, he was even at that big battle we had, where all the clones came and saved our butts. Funny, ain't it? Oh, but *waves hand* you don't want to remember that for Episode IV."

Kenobi: "What's Episode IV?"

Skywalker: *waves hand* "You never heard me mention Episode IV."





And how the heck did Owen not remember C3P0 when he buys him again in Episode IV?! I guess it was just R2 using his amazing Continuity-Glue powers to keep things from falling apart.

 

[Zarrock God of Evil]

C3P0 looks a lot differently upon his return to Tatooine in Episode IV than he did when he left it. Owen Lars led a tough and demanding life for more than 10 years in the desert wasteland of Tatooine in between their encounters - I think its reasonable to assume that he may not recognize one protocol droid from the other...

-Zarrock

 

[Ziggurat]

It also bothers me that in Ep. 4 "My first job was programming binary load-lifters; very similar to your vaporators in most respects", when we know that his first job was probably in fact programming exactly the same vaporators he's now responsible for.

both C3PO and R2D2 will obviously have to have their memories erased next episode. At least that will make him forget about those dreadful puns

 

[Vaxalon]

The binary load-lifters, clearly, were in Watto's junkyard. Load-lifters would be useful there.

As for Vader not recognizing C3PO, considering the number of droids of that basic shape (I'm sure C3PO's outer shell is something mass-produced) I'm not surprised.

What interests *me* is that when C3PO arrives at the Lars farm in IV, he doesn't recall it. I figure that C3PO doesn't have much of a memory. After all... you wouldn't want a tranlation/protocol droid to have much in the way of historical memory. You want him to forget most of what happens as it happens, so that he can't be a spy no matter how inadvertent. C3PO really seems to live in the present.

 

[Snoweel]

Maybe 3PO's just a liar?

Anyway, as for the Lars family failing to recognise 3PO again, remember that in that environment, droids must come and go with some frequency.

Maybe Owen was too busy fooling around with his girlfriend Beru back then.

 

[KnowTheToe]

Just posting on this thread deepens my entrenchment in nerd-dom, but I can not resist.
C3PO could of had several owners between the two series and had his memory wiped several times over.

Look at manufacturing now, When anything new comes out it is made in huge quanitities and sold to millions of people (if it is successful) why would anyone remember a droid.

Why would people get attached to R2-D2. He beeps, you can't even understand him.

Anyway Lucas wanted to include the characters and they are just as fun in EP2 as they were in the 4-6, I am sure there will be inconsistancies, but who cares, when isn't there in Sci-fi/fantasy?