Editing C-3PO (section)

== Appearances ==

=== Original trilogy ===
{{Main article|Star Wars original trilogy}}C-3PO first appears in ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' (1977) aboard a [[Rebel Alliance|Rebel]] ship that is boarded by the [[Galactic Empire (Star Wars)|Empire]]. [[Princess Leia]] hides C-3PO and his companion droid [[R2-D2]] in an escape pod, which she jettisons over the planet [[Tatooine]]. There, the droids are captured by [[Jawas]], who sell them to [[Owen Lars]]. While cleaning R2-D2, Lars's nephew [[Luke Skywalker]] discovers a message in the droid that Leia recorded for [[Obi-Wan Kenobi]]. After [[Imperial stormtrooper|Imperial stormtroopers]] destroy the Lars homestead, C-3PO and R2-D2 go along with Luke and Obi-Wan on a mission to rescue Leia, transported by the smugglers [[Han Solo]] and [[Chewbacca]] on board the ''[[Millennium Falcon]]''. While on the [[Death Star]], C-3PO and R2-D2 shut down the space station's trash compactor to save the lives of their companions. The group then escapes the station and joins the Rebels at their base. When R2-D2 is damaged during the [[Battle of Yavin]], a grief-stricken C-3PO offers to donate his own parts to repair his counterpart.

In ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980), C-3PO identifies an Imperial probe droid, which gives the Rebels advance warning of an Imperial attack on their base on [[Hoth]]. C-3PO escapes the planet with Han, Chewbacca and Leia on the ''Millennium Falcon.'' They eventually arrive in [[Bespin|Cloud City]], where C-3PO is blasted apart by a stormtrooper. After searching for the protocol droid, Chewbacca finds him dismantled on a conveyor belt. The Wookiee later tries to rebuild C-3PO, but puts his head on backwards. Chewbacca carries the partially-rebuilt droid on his back during Han's encasement in [[Carbonite (Star Wars)|carbonite]]. With the help of [[Lando Calrissian]], C-3PO and his friends escape from Darth Vader. Onboard the ''Falcon'', R2-D2 successfully repairs C-3PO.

At the beginning of ''[[Return of the Jedi]]'' (1983), Luke sends C-3PO and R2-D2 to the palace of the crime lord [[Jabba the Hutt]], who has purchased the frozen Han from the [[bounty hunter]] [[Boba Fett]]. To C-3PO's dismay, R2-D2 plays a recorded message in which Luke offers the droids as a goodwill gift to Jabba. Now in the service of the crime lord, C-3PO acts as a translator as Leia, Chewbacca, Lando and Luke arrive at the palace to liberate Han. Jabba foils the plan, but Luke leads a successful escape attempt and the group departs the planet. On [[Endor (Star Wars)|Endor]], C-3PO and his companions are captured by [[Ewok|Ewoks]], but are released after they perceive C-3PO to be a deity. Later that night, C-3PO narrates the history of the Rebellion's fight against the Empire to the Ewok tribe, which convinces them to help the Rebels. After the second Death Star is destroyed, C-3PO and his friends celebrate the fall of the Empire.

=== Prequel trilogy ===
{{Main article|Star Wars prequel trilogy}}
[[File:Star Wars. Where Science Meets Imagination, C-3PO 2007.jpg|thumb|right|C-3PO featured on a 2007 Star Wars poster]]
C-3PO returns in ''[[Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace|The Phantom Menace]]'' (1999), the first film of the prequel trilogy. The film reveals that C-3PO was built on Tatooine by the nine-year-old slave boy [[Anakin Skywalker]]. The protocol droid meets his future companion, R2-D2, along with [[Jedi Master]] [[Qui-Gon Jinn]], Queen [[Padmé Amidala]] of [[Naboo]] and the [[Gungan]] [[Jar Jar Binks]]. C-3PO and R2-D2 help improve Anakin's podracer for the [[Boonta Eve Classic]] race, and C-3PO becomes part of Anakin's pit crew. C-3PO and Anakin part ways when Qui-Gon frees the boy from slavery and takes him off-planet. Before leaving, Anakin assures the droid that his mother Shmi will not sell him.

''[[Episode II – Attack of the Clones|Attack of the Clones]]'' (2002) is set ten years after ''The Phantom Menace''. Shmi is kidnapped by a group of [[Tusken Raiders]]. Sensing that his mother is in danger, Anakin travels with Padmé to Tatooine, where they reunite with C-3PO. He presents Anakin and Padmé to Anakin's stepfamily: [[Owen Lars]], [[Cliegg Lars]] and [[Beru Whitesun]]. When Anakin returns with his mother's body, C-3PO attends her funeral. When Anakin and Padmé depart Tatooine, C-3PO accompanies them to the planet [[Geonosis]] to rescue Obi-Wan from the [[Sith|Sith Lord]] [[Count Dooku]]. Shortly afterward, he follows R2-D2 into a droid-construction factory, where his head is exchanged with that of a [[battle droid]]. Influenced by the battle droid's programming, C-3PO reluctantly participates in the film's climactic battle scene. After being restored by R2-D2, he leaves Geonosis with his companions. At the end of the film, he is a witness to Padmé and Anakin's marriage on Naboo.

In ''[[Episode III – Revenge of the Sith|Revenge of the Sith]]'' (2005), C-3PO is aware of Padmé's pregnancy. After Anakin falls to the dark side of the Force and becomes the Sith Lord Darth Vader, he takes C-3PO and R2-D2 with him as he massacres the Jedi. C-3PO rationalizes Vader's behavior by saying he has been under a great deal of stress. The protocol droid accompanies Padmé to [[Mustafar]], where he witnesses Vader strangle her into unconsciousness. C-3PO and R2-D2 then take her to safety. When Obi-Wan returns to their spaceship following his duel with Vader, C-3PO pilots it to [[Polis Massa]] and witnesses Padmé give birth to the Skywalker twins, Luke and Leia. C-3PO and R2-D2 become the property of Captain [[Raymus Antilles]], who orders C-3PO's memory erased to protect the Skywalker children from their father and the newly created [[Galactic Empire (Star Wars)|Galactic Empire]].

=== Sequel trilogy ===
{{Main article|Star Wars sequel trilogy}}C-3PO appears in ''[[The Force Awakens]]'' (2015), the first installment of the sequel trilogy. He has a red left arm at one point, and is now fluent in seven million forms of communication. He is first seen with Leia and a [[Resistance (Star Wars)|Resistance]] team picking up Han, Chewbacca, [[Finn (Star Wars)|Finn]], [[Rey (Star Wars)|Rey]], and [[BB-8]] on the planet Takodana. During their adventures, C-3PO is reunited with R2-D2, who is reactivated after being shut off for years. In ''[[The Last Jedi]]'' (2017), C-3PO serves as an assistant to Leia and the Resistance pilot [[Poe Dameron]]. Daniels complained that his character was a "table decoration" in this film, and that C-3PO is "worth more than that".<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 November 2019 |title=Star Wars: Anthony Daniels Promises 'Weird Stuff' From C-3PO in the Rise of Skywalker |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/star-wars-anthony-daniels-promises-weird-stuff-from-c-3po-in-the-rise-of-skywalker/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128222144/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/star-wars-anthony-daniels-promises-weird-stuff-from-c-3po-in-the-rise-of-skywalker/ |archive-date=28 November 2019 |access-date=30 November 2019 |website=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]}}</ref>

In ''[[The Rise of Skywalker]]'' (2019), the droid and his companions travel to Passana, where they search for a clue to the location of a Sith wayfinder. With the help of Lando, they locate the clue—a dagger with inscriptions in the Sith language. C-3PO is able to translate the runes, but his programming prevents him from sharing the translation with his friends. The group travels to [[Kijimi]], where a black-market droid-smith extracts the message from C-3PO, erasing his memory in the process. When C-3PO returns to the Resistance camp, R2-D2 is able to restore his memory.

===Standalone films===
In ''[[Rogue One]]'' (2016), C-3PO makes a [[cameo appearance]] alongside R2-D2.<ref>{{cite web|first=Huw|last=Fullerton|title=11 of the best Star Wars Easter Eggs in Rogue One|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-12-18/11-of-the-best-star-wars-easter-eggs-in-rogue-one|website=radiotimes.com|publisher=RadioTimes|access-date=December 18, 2016|date=December 18, 2016|archive-date=December 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161218231504/http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-12-18/11-of-the-best-star-wars-easter-eggs-in-rogue-one|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Series ===
C-3PO appears in the live action series ''Obi-Wan Kenobi'' (2022) and ''Ahsoka'' (2023), and the animated series ''The Clone Wars'' (2008–2020), ''Forces of Destiny'' (2017–2018) ''Star Wars Rebels'' (2014–2018) and ''Star Wars Resistance'' (2018–2020). He is also featured in the [[Star Wars: The Clone Wars (film)|film version]] of ''The Clone Wars'' (2008).

=== Other ===
C-3PO appears in the comics ''[[Star Wars Rebels|Star Wars]]'' (2015–present), ''[[Star Wars: Shattered Empire|Shattered Empire]]'' (2015), ''[[Star Wars: C-3PO]]'' (2016) and ''[[Star Wars: Poe Dameron]]'' (2016–2018), as well as the novel [[Star Wars: Bloodline|''Bloodline'']] (2016).<ref>{{cite web |title=Star Wars Special: C-3PO (2016) |url=http://marvel.com/comics/issue/52988/star_wars_special_c-3po_2016_1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319042206/http://marvel.com/comics/issue/52988/star_wars_special_c-3po_2016_1 |archive-date=19 March 2018 |access-date=3 September 2017 |website=Marvel}}</ref> He also appears in the [[Star Wars (radio series)|radio adaptations]] of the original film trilogy (1981, 1983, and 1996).