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Why on earth would they send a shiny gold protocol noisy droid down a covert sabotage mission on Endor? Having R2-D2 makes sense but apart from bad writing I can't think for another reason

to translate R2-D2?

wautd wrote:Why on earth would they send a shiny gold protocol noisy droid down a covert sabotage mission on Endor? Having R2-D2 makes sense but apart from bad writing I can't think for another reason

Maybe while C-3PO was turned off, the Rebels had filled the annoying noisebox with explosives, hoping that they could pass him off as a malfunctioning protocol droid which had mysteriously ended up outside, and then blown up when they take him inside?

Seriously, maybe R2-D2 had specifically requested that C-3PO accompany him as a translator, and maybe the Rebels were hoping that C-3PO's ability to mimic alien voices/sound could come in handy.

Would have made sense if they camoflaged C3PO by painting him green

Come to think of it, IIRC in SW:Rebellion protocol droids were used as spies. (altough I think 3PO would be a bad spy as he must be the most wussy droid ever )

wautd wrote:Would have made sense if they camoflaged C3PO by painting him green

Come to think of it, IIRC in SW:Rebellion protocol droids were used as spies. (altough I think 3PO would be a bad spy as he must be the most wussy droid ever )

Well, you do have to remember that aside from Luke, everybody in the movies didn't seem to show much serious sympathy towards the droids... I don't think they'd have had much compunction about reprogramming Threepio to "forget" that he'd been a Rebel (said programming can be changed by turning Threepio off and plugging a datapad into him, and entering a reactiivation code).

Also, you forget that Threepio has been pretty innovative at times-- note in ANH, when the stormies break into the control room-- he manages to send most of 'em off, and then gets past the guard at the door by telling him R2 is malfunctioning. Also, he was able to get into Jabba's palace (admittedly, he didn't know what Luke had planned...).

So I wouldn't be so fast to discount dear ol' See-Threepio as a spy...

wautd wrote:Come to think of it, IIRC in SW:Rebellion protocol droids were used as spies. (altough I think 3PO would be a bad spy as he must be the most wussy droid ever )

The idea of protocol droids being modified for espionage was also done in the ISB as one of its sample scandocs in Chapter 3. It didn't go well.

Well 3PO did end up being quite useful by communicating with the Ewoks. Maybe its standard to bring along at least one protocol droid for communicating with the locals.

Threepio's a good luck charm for Solo.

My guess is he was there to keep a record of the events, kindda like a self propelled camera, he did learn to tell stories somewhere.