PT R2D2 should have been Anakin's instead of C3PO

Just occurred to me what a major misstep this was in the prequels.

It would make much more sense for Anakin the tech wiz kid to have a droid like R2D2 and for Padme to have the protocol droid C3PO.

I don't understand what Lucas was thinking here.

 

They both belonged to Anakin. He gave Padme Threepio as a gift to keep her company during the war. His relationship with R2 is expanded upon during ROTS.

 

R2 originated as a droid on Padme's ship.

 

I don't agree. 3PO was Ani's and he was meant to help his Mum, in part.

 

Personally speaking......

I like the fact that Anakin starts out with Threepio, and Padme with Artoo, and they end up sort of surreptitiously swapping places.

It also adds a slightly more realistic (Star Wars-realistic), true-to-life quality that Anakin's friend, Kitster, is wowed by Artoo ("A real astromech droid!"), and finds himself incredulous at Anakin's "luck". Quite a lot of irony there.

In the GFFA -- at least, in the time of the Old Republic -- it is apparently much cooler, on a backwater "slave" planet, anyway, to "own" an astromech droid (c'mon, the Swiss Army Knife, super-duper droid to end all droids) than it is some ambling, prissy protocol droid. I mean, why wouldn't it be?

So I don't like this contention that it would make "more sense" for Anakin to have an astromech droid. It overlooks other variables.

The dude's a slave, remember? Can't get everything his own way.

And Threepio has his own story logic. Anakin capitalized on whatever was lying around in Watto's junkshop to build his mom something useful (Threepio does have some ambulatory function and technical prowess). I figure he also wanted to test himself on something creative. Threepio can even be read as Anakin building his mother a crude replacement to make up for his extended absences (working in Watto's shop, working on his podracer, etc.). There is a hidden tragic dimension to the things we do.

 

There's also thematic reasons for C-3PO being Anakin's "child." C-3PO is the more human-like droid of the pair--in that he worries, is vulnerable, and isn't naturally inclined to larger-than-life heroism, among other things. R2-D2 is almost a god-like character in comparison--the deus ex machina that always swoops in and saves everybody at the last minute.

But it's important that C-3PO start off as a human-like machine created by a "god" (Anakin, the Force-conceived Chosen One). Then his journey to "literal" godhood--as he is viewed by the Ewoks--becomes much more powerful. C-3PO finallly becomes a deus ex machina in his own right, and he achieves it by being the masterful storyteller he always claimed not to be. C-3PO is then at a higher level than even R2-D2, because C-3PO himself has at long last become "the Maker"--he's George Lucas.

 

And ended up as a droid on Anakin's ship.

 

Anakin and Shmi weren't doing much space travel, so an astro droid makes less sense than a protocol droid. More importantly, the fact that either parent owned one of the droids creates for a certain kind of irony when you consider that like Luke and Leia, the droids are also their children.

 

Anakin was still the "tech wiz kid" anyway. He did modify R2 to beyond a standard astro droid.

 

Oh, yes. The droids are crucially important on an allegorical level -- on multiple allegorical levels.

Nice! The expression of one idea, and then its opposite.

That's Star Wars, alright.

That's certainly a design facet worth noticing. The droids are like heirlooms.

Generational passing-on ---------------> this is major in the saga.

Indeed! Even Padme, according to Anakin, programs Artoo to guard her room and warn them of an intruder, when they're trying to catch the assassin at the start of AOTC.

There is certainly a hint, I think, that Artoo has those rockets because Anakin has upgraded him. Which adds some extra meaning to the "droid factory" sequence in AOTC -- when Artoo swoops in and is the one to save Padme from undergoing rapid chemical alteration.

 

Whoa

Threepio.... IS George Lucas?! I had never even considered this before 0_0

I wonder then if this trend will continue in the ST given George's significantly decreased control. However, George is definitely VERY influential. That shows in a lot of works even outside of his own, like advice he gave to some other filmmakers (I believe he made a significant contribution to one of the Godfather films)

 

All the characters are George! Think about it.

Threepio is more the "chatty" side of the story ---------> the explaining side (which is almost worthless).

Think of the yellow text of every movie, and the blue text just before that. Threepio and Artoo.

 

Many creatives are influential.

 

That's worth saying. A lot of Threepio's personality, for instance, can be credited rather directly to Anthony Daniels, I think.

Though it is also worth pointing out ---------> it is George Lucas' story (well, so far it has been, anyway).

George is the one that came up with the concept of Threepio, approved of Daniels' choices, and ultimately chose to weave him into all six movies, deciding where and when.

 

I always thought of it as a commentary on Padme and Anakin's relationship. When we see that the droids have switched owners in ROTS, it's a subtle, wordless reminder that these two humans really complete each other in a beautiful way. Anakin built a droid that was more suited for Padme's needs, and Padme had a droid that more suited Anakins needs. They both had something to give each other. Yin and Yang.

 

Yeah Anthony Daniels truly gave life to the 3PO character. Giving the character a true essence.

 

Yes! I am so glad to see that someone else agrees here!

The way I see it, SW has two primary stories to tell - the you're told, and the one you're given to see. The plethora of threads here detailing the many, many images with rhymes/mirrors, hidden symbolism, etc are what have truly made me appreciate it. It seems there's a hidden story in almost every scene, stories which culminate into the ultimate one supported by what is heard. I really have to thank users like HevyDevy, Samnz, and you, Cryo, for pointing out all these things that I would otherwise never have seen

Don't misunderstand, I adore the story we're told, but to me, that now takes a backseat to the visual one, and I find that with this perception, the told story becomes SO much more powerful

 

You're a real heartbreaker, Han Burgundy! Yes!!!

Completely! I couldn't imagine Threepio any other way -- can you?

I actually think Threepio is sort of the "unsung hero" of the OT (for all his bumbling and not-getting-it).

This video, a concatenation of Threepio's "best" moments (from the OT), gave me more respect for the character, and the OT generally ->>

It's endlessly esoteric.

Depends how far you want to go.

Thank you for the compliment.

BTW, this is still the single-best thing on Star Wars I've ever read ->>

http://www.mstrmnd.com/log/1241