ST "I don't speak that, droid" - is it a big deal that Rey and Poe can speak "droid" in TFA

So, given that this exemplary piece of nit-picking (I mean this as a compliment) has been stinking up the Cave, I thought I'd start a fresh thread for this niche debate.

Some seem to think it's a contradiction/ issue that Rey can understand BB8 in TFA.

I personally think that by the time we even meet Rey, it's been established that Poe can also speak Droid, and before TFA the Rebels crew seem to be able to understand Chopper just fine.

Others seem to think that because Luke seems to need either Threepio or a translator to understand Artoo (also up for debate), this is a contradiction in lore.

For those sad few of us that have been caught up in this minutiae, have at it here rather than inflicting the tedium on the cave-dwellers.

EDIT: here is the last post on the subject that I made in the cave:

I admit that as painted in the OT, you could definitely argue that with Luke, it's more like Artoo is his dog - i.e. he can infer what Artoo might be thinking, but to get it absolutely right he needs the translator. But I'm not sure it's a huge issue.

That said, when people talk about writers using things for convenience - I'm not sure when that became necessarily a bad thing. When you're trying to convey a story, sometimes simplicity and the easiest solution are also the best solution (not every time of course). But is it more important that Poe and Rey struggle to understand BB8 without a translator? Or that Rey can't understand Chewie? Without a protocol droid around, and bearing in mind Poe and Rey share scenes with BB8 and that now Han has gone whoever flies with Chewie needs to understand him, surely it makes sense to just decide, you know what, these characters can understand each other.

Especially as there's nothing in any backstory that would render that decision impossible or even implausible (IMO). Rey speaks languages and has self-taught a variety of skills because she has had to learn various skills for her survival/ day to day existence and/ or she also has an enormous amount to time to kill in her the drudgery of her life Jakku.

 

I would assume there is a pretty standard droid language with slight variations and that it's common for any pilots especially to understand it.

I doubt Finn would have any use for it as infantry / sanitation.

 

nooooo this should be left in the Cave.

it hurts my brain even thinking it's an issue. WHO CARES IF SHE CAN SPEAK ASTROMECH!? only a few nitpickers, But we're only giving it more attention it doesn't deserve!

 

Yeah, that makes sense "in-universe".

I think realistically, it's more a decision made by the story-tellers to help the scenes flow better. If Characters can understand what BB8 is saying, it's just simpler. To all intents and purposes, Luke does understand Artoo enough. What matters most is what the audience can understand simply and easily. So it doesn't bother me if that means having a protocol droid, some kind of translation device or just having characters that need to speak droid.

I agree that this seems to be a crazy issue, but I was enjoying the nitty-gritty of the arguments By taking it out of the cave 1) we're not clogging up the cave and getting in the way of their posting and 2) those that want to can actually argue the points properly without being accused of trolling.

 

I don't think it's a contradiction in lore. I also don't think Luke ever understood words or phrases from R2. Luke being unable to speak Binary is not sufficient evidence that other humans can not, I think.

I do think Rey's ability to speak droid makes her a very talented linguist. Same for anyone who converses with a Binary speaking droid.

I also wonder why Rey would bother to learn Binary in any sort of comprehensive manner. If she needs it to trade, which seems odd, why would she just not use a translator? And why would using it to trade generate the type of comprehension Rey displayed? It's also odd that she would bother to try and comprehend Wookie. The cost / benefit analysis here is all skewed.

 

I find it hard to believe that either Poe or Rey can understand astromech. At least Poe is longer together with BB-8, but Rey just met this droid. Do all droids speak the same droid language, so that she maybe learned it from another droid?

 

Well, I think in the visual dictionary BB8 speaks a newer variation of Artoo's language. I wonder if Chopper speaks another. Either way it doesn't bother me because if the film shows me characters able to understand the droid, I assume this is not that exceptional unless someone comments that it is (i.e. Rey's force innate power/ Luke's strength with the Force/ Anakin's midichlorian count).

Ha - I can't believe I just looked this up but: BB-8 converses in 27th generation droidspeak code, a compressed variant of the most common astromech language.

So if you want to get all lore-nerd on it and pull the canon card, it seems like this is an evolution of the droidspeak used in the saga to date. If the GFFA is anything like are world, I would imagine that newer models developed over the 30 years since ROTJ may have been designed to be easier to understand.

As for who can speak it - well, we have two characters in TFA that can speak it - Poe and Rey. Poe would obviously have a reason to, but I think you can argue that Rey has learned all sorts of languages growing up by Niima outpost, but the other thing to remember with her character is that she has applied herself to numerous skills as one way of killing the time, whilst also being prepared for the moment she leaves Jakku. Now, granted, that's pretty much all offscreen backstory, but then most backstory is. We know she was ditched as a 5YO in a very harsh environment. It's a dog eat dog place. We know she is a survivor, she can handle herself, has a natural curiosity and an innate understanding of machinery and tech honed during years of exploring fallen Imperial and Rebel wrecks. I think those pretty easy gaps to fill.

But again, I come back to, who really cares? Does it really spoil anything that Rey or Poe can understand BB8? Are you that lore-centred that it bugs you?

 

I assume Astromech droids all speak the same or very similar language. Rey knows many languages as she found an old Computer from the Empire and spent her time studying Languages, this isn't shown in the movie, But it's in the Novel or 1 of the TFA related books.

 

ok, this would explain it a little bit.

 

This is simply the most ridiculous thing to me.

If she's economical, she would generate the least possible amount of skill in a language to get by.

But, this girl apparently likes her linguistics.

 

You're forgetting the amount of time she has to kill as well. All alone at night. Unable to sleep. I can see her honing every skill she can in order to survive another day until her family returns. It would also help keep you sane.

 

http://www.slashfilm.com/star-wars-the-force-awakens-questions/5/

Check out the last question on the page (and the picture of the page from Rey's Survival Guide)

But you probably didn't need this book as it can be inferred from the movie since it was shown she spoke and/or understood different languages. You didn't see her speaking to a droid until BB-8 came along but you could see some inhabitants around Niima Outpost were droids.

 

It's not that I really care, it's just funny. Linguistics is such an odd hobby for her to have in my opinion.

 

Not a hobby. Survival essential.

 

Sure, if she wants to study languages to simply talk to people, I see the need for all this linguistics I suppose. But, Rey seems to have went above and beyond what would be required for her to survive. She's simply a connoisseur of linguistics.

 

No - this is where "opinion" blurs into obtuseness. Rey hasn't studied linguistics, or shown a natural aptitude for picking up languages. In a place such as the Niima outpost, learning languages is just as important to survival as being able to fight. It's not that she's thought "why the hell not?" And bought a droid/basic dictionary. It's that being multilingual is essential to that kind of lifestyle. And learning languages doesn't stop - you can see it here - even native speakers use words incorrectly, and sometimes usage evolves.

Genuine question - can I ask where you live, roughly, and how much traveling you've done?

 

I think a very small amount of skill in only the most prominent languages would be necessary. That is what it would require to trade. I'm not sure why she would just bother to pick up Wookie. Your basic dictionary analogy is interesting. She learned using a computer display at her residence, so it's not terribly inaccurate.

She apparently also prefers complete isolation in what I've read of her backstory.

Nope, can't give up my location. Too valuable.

 

In novel or not, I don't care... I mean it's just a show... people needs to realize that Star Wars is just a Fantasy. If you start to pick every single detail nothing makes sense...

 

Can you see how obtuse you're being? She has lived there for years. To make "a" trade, small amount is necessary. Fluency can be quickly achieved.

 

Rey is mechanically minded. She instantly recognised the distress calls of BB-8 and ran to help. Makes sense to me that she would know droid language as understanding tech is the only thing keeping her alive. But it also speaks to how particular her character is about minor details.

If she was a moisture farmer instead of a scavenger she would probably be able to talk to Vaporators.

As for Poe, like Rey he is an above and beyond personality. I can understand a lowly farmboy in Luke not knowing droid languages, but if we accept Poe is the "best" pilot in the Resistance why not also accept he'd understand the driods that help him fly?

 

I highly disagree fluency can be quickly achieved. If there's a genuine need for it, and desire it'll be quicker. I don't think trade would develop fluency in a language, if it is simply that. So, if she either feels there's a need beyond trade, or she simply wants to pick up some languages, I believe she could become proficient in various languages.

 

Rey studied different languages spoken on Niima Outpost. She did not study linguistics.

 

Not a big deal. Wookiee seems just as incomprehensible to me, but Han understands it, and so can Rey, apparently.
It seems clear to me that it could be learned, like any other language. It's a series of sounds meant to me to be interpreted by variety of beings. It's not like it's a digital data stream (like an old modem).

 

There was a genuine need to be proficient in both Wookie and Binary, and presumably, several others? Eh. I suppose as suspension of disbelief goes, this isn't too bad.

Whether she studied linguistics is a question that will come down to how you define that term. She certainly studied several languages and generated her proficiency using that method.

 

Some people (like Rey) simply are much more gifted at picking up languages. Nothing unusual about it.