Individuality vs. Conformity: An Exploration of the Hybridity of Droids in Star Wars

While Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Chewbacca rescue Princess Leia in Star Wars: A New Hope, a squadron of stormtroopers breaks into a Death Star control room and finds R2-D2 and C-3PO. In an effort to divert the squadron, C-3PO–who at this point has only been a prudent, honest, and cowardly machine–exclaims, “They’re [Han, Luke, Chewbacca] madmen! They’re heading for the prison level. If you hurry you might catch them.” In response to this cry, the stormtroopers flee to find the “madmen,” ignoring the possibility that these droids may be part of the Rebellion (Lucas A New Hope). Given that C-3PO is a robot, a viewer might not expect him to exhibit this type of dishonesty. After all, C-3PO is meant to be a servant, and it seems unlikely that a servant would be effective if he was misdirecting his master. Why, then, would C-3PO blatantly mislead these stormtroopers without instruction?

When thinking of C-3PO as simply a robot, actions like these make little sense. However, when considering that C-3PO associates with the film’s many dishonest protagonists, 3PO’s actions seem more plausible. At this point in the film, the viewer has seen Obi-Wan use the force to manipulate stormtroopers, Luke and Han impersonate stormtroopers to freely roam the Death Star, and Princess Leia lie about the location of a Rebel base (Ibid.). Perhaps 3PO’s interactions with these characters influenced him, enabling him to act dishonestly in certain situations, suppressing his naturally honest and prudent characteristics. As a result, C-3PO represents a form of hybridity, drawing influence from the human rebels, changing his otherwise robotic character. This hybridity epitomizes how the Rebellion views droids as companions, rather than mere machines.  

On the subject of hybridity, the intermixing of elements from different cultures on a single subject, Robert Young points to raï, an Algerian music genre. Literally meaning “an opinion,” raï grew to popularity around the 1970’s, in the decades following the Algerian War of Independence from France. Unlike other music genres, raï draws influence from both the Middle East and the West; the songs are rooted in a style of Maghrebian sung poetry, but also share musical elements with popular Western genres like rock, disco, and jazz. Following Algeria’s decolonization, French influence remained as part of a new, hybrid culture, in the form of raï music. Because raï balances the people’s interests in the West with their Islamic and Maghrebian origin, it exemplifies the hybridity that occurred in the postcolonial era (Young 69-79). While this form of hybridity is manifest in an art form, the hybridity I observe with droids is manifest in behavior; through their habits and dialogue, certain droids’ personalities in Star Wars are hybrids between calculated robots and emotional humans.

Through the hybrid, emotional, and individualist characteristics of droids on the side of the Rebellion and Republic, the portrayal of droids in Star Wars demonstrates the pluralist values of the protagonists. Conversely, the portrayal of droids on the sides of the Trade Federation, Separatists, and Empire demonstrates the antagonists’ views of droids as objects and tools. This essay seeks to explore this ideological difference by comparing the characteristics of droids on the protagonists’ sides, such as C-3PO, with the droids on the antagonists’ sides, such as the Trade Federation battle droids.

Of all the droids in Star Wars, C-3PO’s tone, behavior, and dialogue seem to most reflect the characteristics of a person. In The Empire Strikes Back, after Luke wakes from his treatment after his mission on Hoth, 3PO joyfully says to Luke, “It’s so good to see you fully functional again,” demonstrating his care and concern for Luke’s well being (Kershner). Additionally, C-3PO says this with great enthusiasm, reinforcing the idea that he has an emotional connection to Luke. 3PO’s reaction in this scene suggests that his concern for Luke extends beyond an objective obligation to serve his master. Later, in Return of the Jedi, Luke delivers a hologram message to Jabba the Hutt in which he gives R2-D2 and C-3PO away as a token of his goodwill. When realizing this, C-3PO is clearly both shocked and upset, asserting that R2 is “playing the wrong message” (Marquand). We cannot know the exact reason for 3PO’s response, whether he was upset about becoming a servant to Jabba or upset about Luke giving him away. Either way, C-3PO is disappointed by his situation, and his reaction is emotional, not objective. Both of these instances exemplify C-3PO’s hybridity with his Rebel associates. Despite being a scientifically designed machine, he exhibits emotions and idealism similar to those of a person, therefore being an emotional hybrid of a droid and a human.

In addition to his emotions, the Rebellion also may have influenced C-3PO’s outlook. In A New Hope, 3PO loses his arm in an attack by Tusken Raiders. Reacting to this ordeal, he cynically tells Luke, “I don’t think I can make it. You go on Master Luke. There’s no sense in you risking yourself on my account. I’m done for” (Lucas A New Hope). Luke, an optimistic and hopeful character, cheerfully replies, “No you’re not. What kind of talk is talk is that?” (Ibid.), as if scolding C-3PO’s negativity. At the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back, Luke and Han are both left outside on Hoth, facing a high risk of death. R2-D2 apparently expresses concern for Luke’s life, invoking C-3PO to reply, “Don’t worry about Master Luke. I’m sure he’ll be alright. He’s very clever, you know, for a human being” (Kershner). In this instance, 3PO is the optimist. Over time, he has absorbed some of Luke’s optimism so that his outlook is more like Luke’s. Similar to how he adopted some of the Rebels’ emotions, 3PO has adopted their outlook in a different manifestation of hybridity.   

In Edna Aizenberg’s “‘I Walked with a Zombie’: The Pleasures and Perils of Postcolonial Hybridity,” she also observes the allegory and implications of hybridity in film. In the film White Zombie, for example, Caribbean-native blacks become zombies and infect a white woman so that she becomes a zombie. Aizenberg writes that, “Here, hybridity menaces, unmasking the fear of black and white intermingling, the terror of black (male) bodies dominating whites” (Aizenberg). In this instance, the film condemns the interaction between different groups and, by extension, hybridity. Certain instances in Star Wars have the opposite effect; they demonstrate that hybridity and mixing of cultures can save lives. The first instance I mention, when C-3PO misleads the stormtroopers in the Death Star, demonstrates how C-3PO’s hybridity saved him; using a Rebel’s dishonesty, he misdirected the stormtroopers so they did not suspect he and R2 were enemies. In Return of the Jedi, while the Ewoks capture the Rebels, they worship C-3PO as a god. Han implores C-3PO to use his “divine influence” (Marquand) to convince the Ewoks to let the Rebels go, but C-3PO says, “It’s against my programming to impersonate a deity” (Ibid.). Eventually, however, C-3PO and Luke convince the Ewoks that 3PO is a god and demand the Rebels’ release. Afterwards, he speaks with the Ewoks to make their alliance (Ibid.). In this instance, C-3PO seems to overwrite his original programming to save his friends, acting on a similar precedent of justified dishonesty to the instance in the Death Star. Here, C-3PO’s non-robotic characteristics save his friends, demonstrating the benefits of cultural intermingling and hybridity.

C-3PO is not the only Rebel droid with these qualities. K-2SO, a reprogrammed Imperial droid in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, also violates orders and acts according to what he thinks is proper. When arriving at Jedha, Cassian Andor tells him to wait with the ship while he and Jyn Erso explore the city. Despite these commands, K-2SO leaves the ship and joins the battle to aid his companions. When Cassian confronts this transgression, K-2SO asserts that “it was boring, and you [Cassian and Jyn] were in trouble” (Edwards). Immediately after saying this, K-2SO catches a stormtrooper’s grenade and casually throws it behind him into a squad of stormtrooper reinforcements, proving the advantage of his presence (Ibid.). Through his statement, K-2SO demonstrates hybridity with the Rebels in two ways. First, he claims to have experienced boredom, a human feeling that one might not expect a robot to feel. He may have inherited this trait from the Rebels. Second, he violates Cassian’s orders and acts for what he believes to be the greater good, a defining characteristic of the Rebels.

Compared to droids like C-3PO, the Trade Federation’s battle droids are far more ubiquitous and lack certain emotional qualities. Starting off in The Phantom Menace, the battle droids’ dialogue frequently consists entirely of commands and saying “roger-roger” as confirmation. About twenty minutes into the film, we see extended dialogue with a battle droid for the first time. In this instance, Qui-Gon Jinn tells the battle droid commander of his intent to take Queen Amidala and her inner circle to Coruscant. The battle droid responds by asking, “Where are you taking them?” Qui-Gon then repeats, “To Coruscant.” The droid then says, “To Coruscant, uh, that doesn’t compute. Uh, wait, uh–you’re under arrest.” (Lucas The Phantom Menace) In some ways, this instance does make this droid seem human; he listens poorly, hesitates multiple times, and fails to realize his obligation to arrest Qui-Gon for quite some time. However, this droid’s dialogue is unemotional, lacking any enthusiasm, sadness, or fear that we might see with the Republic’s droids.

In the Empire, the MSE droids in the Death Star demonstrate the same unfeeling qualities of the battle droids. In Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View, Glen Weldon’s story, “Of MSE-6 and Men,” entertains the perspective of these droids. Their emotionless qualities are exemplified in this passage:

08:04.12…STANDBY MODE ENTERED

08:15.37…PROXIMITY SENSORS: Bioform Detected.

08:15.38…IDENTIFY BIOFORM: Designation TK-421. Security Level: Lambda

“Morning, G7.”

08:15.40…BIOFORM VOICE COMMAND “morning G7” LOGGED. RESPONSE REQUIRED, AFFIRMATIVE: Beepbeep. (Various 272)

 

The language here consists of coded commands and statements to reflect the droid’s behavior and surroundings. Even when responding to the Imperial worker, the droid processes his greeting as if it is a task and determines the appropriate response, demonstrating no level of emotion or hybridity to resemble a human. Ironically, TK-421, an Imperial officer, appears to have an emotional interest in the droid. At one point he says to the droid, “That was quick, G7. Fastest mouse droid in the fleet. It’s those new rotors I put in, I’m telling you. You know what: We should get you on a racing circuit. Would you like that?” (Ibid., 274), speaking enthusiastically and encouragingly, as if the droid is a pet. Despite this attitude, the MSE droids are still programmed with no capacity for emotion or personality, suggesting that the Empire as a whole does not value these characteristics. While individuals in the Empire may appreciate the droids as more than simple tools, the institution of the Empire does not.

Perhaps most significantly, the portrayal of the droids of the Rebellion and Republic as emotional and individualistic and the Trade Federation and Empire droids as cold and conformist reminds the viewer that the Rebellion and the Republic are the good guys. As a viewer, I want to root for the side that shows emotion and compassion, rather than one that lacks feeling and exemplifies ubiquity. However, looking further, the portrayal of droids represents not just the personalities of the droids, but the values that their side upholds. The Trade Federation’s and the Empire’s views of droids demonstrate a hierarchy, as if the leaders such as Vader and Palpatine are above the droids rather than side by side with them. On the other side, the Rebels and the people of the Republic are willing to partner with droids.

Upon reading this, one might point out instances where the “good guys” in Star Wars mistreat and condescend to droids. For instance, Leia shuts C-3PO off in The Empire Strikes Back after becoming annoyed with his comments, skepticism, and fear (Kershner). In this instance, Leia exercises her power over C-3PO by deactivating him, demonstrating a hierarchy where humans are above droids, similar to the antagonists. Despite this hierarchy, some protagonists repeatedly demonstrate that they care for droids. For example, we see Luke’s fear and panic when he yells R2’s name after a fish attacks the droid on Dagobah (Ibid.). More recently, we see Poe Dameron’s relief and enthusiasm when he reunites with BB-8 at the Resistance Base in The Force Awakens (Abrams). Meanwhile, the leaders on the Dark Side do not show the same care for droids. In the Battle on Geonosis in Attack of the Clones, the viewer sees that Count Dooku maintains a blank, stoic expression while the Jedi destroy countless droids from his army. Dooku maintains this expression even after the clones enter and change the tide of the battle so that his army is losing (Lucas Attack of the Clones).

Certainly, the people of the Republic and the Rebellion do not always value the droids as equals, but they are willing to work with them and allow the droids to become individuals. Because of this acceptance, the Republic and Rebellion demonstrate pluralism: a willingness to work and coexist with others, regardless of background. As viewers, we see the Rebels as accepting and empathetic, acting more ethically than the Empire. As a result, we hope for this group to rise to power over the Empire, because they will rule the galaxy more justly. Hence, the portrayal of the protagonist droids as emotional, hybrid, and individualist reinforces the idea that the Republic and Rebellion are the “good guys” in the films because these sides demonstrate a tolerant, pluralist ideology.

Works Cited

Abrams, J.J., director. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens . Walt Disney Studios, 2015.

Aizenberg, Edna. “‘I Walked with a Zombie’: The Pleasures and Perils of Postcolonial Hybridity.” Vol. 73, no. 3, 1999, pp. 461–466., doi:10.2307/40154871.

Edwards, Gareth, director. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Walt Disney Studios, 2017.

Kershner, Irvin, director. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back. Lucasfilm LTD, 1980.

Lucas, George, director. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Lucasfilm LTD, 1999.

Lucas, George, director. Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. 20th Century Fox Film Corp., 2002.

Lucas, George, director. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope: Lucasfilm LTD, 1977.

Marquand, Richard, director. Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi. Lucasfilm LTD, 1983.

Various. Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View. Random House UK, 2017.

Young, Robert J. C. A Very Short Introduction to Postcolonialism. Oxford University Press, 2010.