CT How did Owen and Beru Lars and Obi-Wan Kenobi not recognize C-3PO and R2-D2?

In the prequel trilogy, it was shown that they knew them. But in the original trilogy, they don't seem to know who they are.

 

Most droids come off assembly lines and appear nearly identical. As a rule, people don't pay much attention to droids. They're just high end appliances.

 

When you've seen one droid, you've seen them all.

 

well C-3PO had totally different coverings, and they only saw R2 for like a minute in ATOC before he went back to the ship.

and most droids like them looked relatively similar.

 

"You all look the same to me"

 

Obi-Wan: "I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid."
R4-P17: "Am I a joke to you?"

 

He didn't own that droid though. If your workplace hands you a laptop for work, you don't suddenly own it, even if you use it.

As for the original question: I think this one has been asked and answered about a bazillion times by now
There really is little reason for them to think that they know these droids. They have been surrounded by plenty of them for years on end, their types are common and all are of the same design with just a little variation in colour. Also, as mentioned above, 3PO had different coverings than he did when the Larses last met him, making it even less likely that they would recognize him. Adding to that, they never get to mention their names to Owen, and Beru never sees them at all.

Obi Wan could perhaps remember such a combination of droids hanging out together, but droids have never been more than devices to him anyway. Not that he definately doesn't know who they are. The glance that Alec Guinness gives upon hearing the story plays very well with him having a hunch who these droids might be. His following answers play right into his act of not telling more than necessary. So whether he recognizes one, both or neither of the droids, his statement that he doesn't remember ever owning a droid remains true.

 

There are estimates of quadrillions of living beings in GFFA. I'm assuming the droid population might be less, but that could still be trillions of droids, they are all not going to have unique voices and mannerisms.

 

Be mindful with all SW plot holes .................. you're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.

 

C3PO spends half his time telling people who he is! He has a very distinct identity, so, unless there are lots of posh uptight anglo-droids walking around the back end of nowhere on Tatooine, I think Owen would remember him.

 

Probably because we know the movies better than Lucas does.

 

… from a certain point of view.

 

When Uncle Owen buys him from the Jawas, C-3PO never actually introduces himself. Owen asks a couple of questions and buys him. He then tells Luke to take them and get them cleaned up. Luke then leaves with 3PO early to find R2. Owen does not interact with either droid after purchasing them, and since 3PO has different coverings from before, this means he is not aware of 3PO being 3PO.

As far as Obi-Wan is concerned, he is not lying. He never owned R2 or 3PO. He never says he doesn't recognize or remember them. He merely says he doesn't remember owning a droid, which is true. He never owned either one of them, and he was not the owner of R4-P17.

But this is not a plot hole. It's more of a continuity error created by the prequels, but still easily explained away.

 

Obi Wan should have been a Jedi lawyer as his truth stretching ability is legendary.

 

They were alcoholics. That’s why they didn’t have any children, cause you know, Owen couldn’t ignite his Sabre.

Remember droids? They couldn’t even remember what they had for breakfast.

 

It would be a fair argument if
a) Beru ever interacted with the droids (she doesn't)
b) 3PO looked like he did when he worked for them (he doesn't)

There isn't really any reason for Owen to think that this particular droid could be 3PO, if he even remembered all that much about 3PO in the first place. 3PO doesn't give his name, and he looks completely different from the last time Owen saw him. Owen's behaviour in ANH doesn't exactly suggest that he's the type who cares much about droids outside of them doing work for him either. As you say, remembering someone from 15 years ago can be tricky. And that is even more true when said person would suddenly look completely different.

 

I just figured Owen and Beru paid so little attention to their droids (seeing them as mere machines not friends) and probably had so many over the years that after 20 years it would be easy to not recognize 3PO-especially if he was grey when he left them and is now gold. As far as R2, it's entirely possible Obi-Wan did recognize R2 but just didn't tell Luke. Technically he may have been referencing the fact that he never specifically "owned" a droid-since Jedi forbad ownership of possessions-and he was just playing off of that feigned ignorance. Obviously R2 himself didn't see it that way, as he said he belonged to him, R2 clearly knew who he was at least. Also, Obi-Wan did keep plenty of other things from Luke as well, including the fact that R2 was presenting him with a message that was recorded by luke's own sister-and that he was watching it himself and didn't know...That must have been weird for Kenobi really.

 

Too much Jawa Juice.

 

He'd better squeeze those Jawas before breakfast, or there'll be hell to pay.

 

I recognize that 3PO had new coverings, but his voice seems very distinct to me. Owen lived with 3PO for a while (maybe a few years?) and his voice hadn't changed, so it still seems a bit weird to me.

 

Owen was so traumatized that he had his mind wiped.

 

How many droids did the Lars go through over the decades they farmed on Tatooine? They bought them cheap off Jawas, most probably they were stolen rather than recovered lost in the Jundlasd Wastes like Threepio and Artoo had been.