Why isnt R2D2 programed to speak Basic?

R2D2 is the constant companion of Padme and Anakin and even Obi-Wan in the Prequels and he goes everywhere with Luke and Leia,Han Solo and Chewie in the OT as well, why didnt anyone ever program R2D2 to speak Basic out loud as well as his Binary language? wouldnt it make it easier to communicate with him if he could talk like Threepio does?just not in a pathetic whiny way like he does though.

 

Because most astromech droids are programmed to interface with machines, not living beings. Only special models are equipped with a Basic speech module.

 

Astro droids are not programmed to be able to speak English. The duties of Astro droids are to serve as mechanics that work on repairs and sometimes as nav computers on smaller starships. They were never intended to be droid companions. Artoo was just one of a kind.

 

You're looking for an in-universe explanation to a real-life film-making decision. It's a more interesting dynamic between R2 and 3PO with R2 speaking in beeps, whistles and whirls. And cuter. How much less lovable might R2 be if he spoke like another droid in the saga?

GFFA answer? I suppose astromech droids aren't programmed to speak Basic because it's generally not needed for their routine functioning. Not built to handle the circuitry, etc.

 

I was not talking about Astromech Droids at all or them speaking English which i know they do not, I was specifically refering to why isnt Artoo himself reprogramed to speak Basic by the Alliance or Luke?thats all.

 

It'd require far too much valuable time and effort to reprogram a droid just to get them to speak Basic. Besides, saying they can reprogram them is more than likely easier said than done. I can't reprogram my computer to get an uplink to the space station, can I?

 

Well technically that is possible if you work for Nasa but not for your average internet geek or computer nerd, nice try though.

 

It seems that the folks that hang around R2 seem to understand him after a while and when R2 is plugged a fighter his speech is translated so the pilot can read what he is saying.

 

Matthew78, you totally missed my point.

 

I'm not talking about plugging my computer into theirs if I'm down at Kennedy. I'm talking about simply reconfiguring my laptop to do something it's not designed to do.

 

though, to argue for the devil, there are USB christmas tress - clearly not part of the design for either laptops or desktop PCs, but it's there

and how complicated can installing a vocoder be, if <9-year-old Anakin could do it - though admittedly on a model that's designed to have them... hmm... yeah, actually that seems a lot more like trying to install a graphics card into a stereo

 

Indeed. It's about compatibility. Yes, obviously there are USB Christmas trees, but they're compatible. Like you said, graphics cards are not compatible with stereos.

 

well the same question could be asked, why not reprogram C-3PO so he doesn't annoy people as much, basically make him less human. It's part of the story/movie and it makes it charming.

 

I have a suspicion Threepio was built from a kit. It may have something to do with the fact that there are a billion other droids identical to him.

There is no good in-universe answer. EU has some astromechs that are fitted with vocoders if they spend enough time around people to warrant one. Artoo obviously spends a lot of time around people but never gets one. It was a pure out-of-universe decision to make the character seem more exotic.

 

maybe the restraining bolt has short circuited his voice coder.

he suggests... if you take it off, he might be able to speak basic.

 

Best answer in ages.

 

There are thousands of languages in the empire, robots, such as C-3PO are programmed to interact with all species ("translaters"). Since you do not know who an astro droid will serve, you do not focus on the language. I am certain Jabba would not have been amused to get a droid programmed to speak, but not his own language.

 

R2D2 wasn't programmed to speak basic because he's an astromech droid, not a protocol.

Astromech is basically [no pun intended] made to interact with technology. Computers, hardrives,other droids,systems, all that junk. They're made to serve humans, not to interact with them.

Though it does strike me peculiar that Luke or Chewie didn't try to reprogram him with basic. I guess then he'd have a memory wipe which is a good enough reason not to do it. Plus, why have R2 speak basic when most of the time C-3PO is there to do it for him.

Also, it just works better with the movie. The one who is quirky and funny is the one you can't understand whereas his counterpart is viewed as the annoying whiny one.

 

I've come to the assumption that R2-D2 DOES speak during the two trilogies, but he's so foul-mouthed that he's beeped out to avoid R ratings.


As General Kenobi said earlier, it's one of those things that stops making sense if you think about it - something designed for the sake of story telling, not to be logical in a 'real world' sense. Given all the things crammed into the astromech's body, one would think adding a synthesizer or whatever GFFA device would equate would be easy. My smartphone can 'speak' to me in English and all it's doing is reading, so why couldn't a droid that's apparently fluid in Basic (and seems to know enough Huttese) be allowed to vocalize itself? Wouldn't it make more sense for a pilot to hear his astromech 'co-pilot' tell him stuff instead of having to look down at a transcription? Heck, Biggs probably died because he was trying to catch up with some rambling his astromech doing (hence the 'Wait!' before he exploded... the droid's text was scrolling off screen...).

Granted, if TPM is any indication, astromechs are supposed to be nameless, disposable tools, so perhaps not giving them the option to actually speak is a design choice in minimizing attachment to them (ironically, his beeping is one of Artoo's endearing traits to movie watchers).

 

I think we have a winner here, folks. Here's a balloon for the awesomeness:

[image=http://salug.hosting.cri74.org/Bureautique/openclipart-0.11/png/recreation/party/balloon-red-aj.png]

 

Artoo can speak Basic and has always been able to. He simply chooses not to on the grounds that people would be always coming up to him, asking him dumb questions, seeing if he can lend them a dollar, etc. It's best to just blend in. The less people expect of you, the easier life goes, dawg.



Rick McCallum loves you!

 

He's a mechanic, he needs only to fix things.

 

If Artoo spoke basic, he should speak with Cleveland's voice.

"That's how we do it in my neighborhood, *****!"

 

As to why Luke or anyone else in the Allience doesn't reprogram him, I'd like to say that I think that even if they could, they wouldn't want to. R2's way of speaking is a part of who he is IMO, who he has become. It would to a degree alter his personality.