This is a great week for fans of the Galaxy's best protocol droid. We should stop to wish Anthony Daniels a very happy 79th birthday. In honor of his contributions to the franchise, I wanted to look back on his contributions to Star Wars. I acknowledge that I'm limiting myself to not include TV shows, comics, and books, which include Star Wars Legends, but I would be here until Anthony's 80th birthday if I included all of the media.
Here are the top 5 C-3PO moments from Star Wars
1. "I do believe they think I'm some sort of god."
I'll admit that Leia Organa and Han Solo make wonderful foils for each other, but if there's one pair in the movies that embodies irreconcilable differences, it's Han Solo and C-3PO. They don't get a lot of face time in the first movie, but in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, it's impossible to put them in the same room. Whether it's threatening to leave him behind on Hoth or being so aggressive that Threepio decides not to mention the damaged hyperdrive, Han just can't seem to find a way to relate to the droid.
This results in my favorite comedic moment of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. Having been ensnared by the locals on the forest moon of Endor, Han is forced to ask his pesky robot for help in communicating with the Ewoks. He nearly comes to blows when Threepio refuses to intercede on his behalf because the Ewoks think he's a god and "It's against [his] programming to impersonate a deity." And who doesn't love the near-miss of the Heroes of the Rebellion nearly becoming the meat course for a holiday feast? Threepio must have been delighted to find a new cultural event to experience while also horrified that he might be the downfall of the anti-Imperial movement.
2. "How dare you!"
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker had great moments of tension and anticipation, but I also enjoyed some lighter moments. In this case, it has to do with the visit to Babu Frik on Kijimi. C-3PO is appalled by the idea of a complete memory wipe but agrees to it when he realizes what his sacrifice could mean for the Resistance.
His post-wipe naivete is delightful. He immediately reverts to the droid who was eager to introduce himself in Mos Espa, with no sense of privacy and no memory of the war. In a moment of hilarity, Poe Dameron tells him to hustle in a slightly impolite way, and he cries out, "How dare you! We've only just met!" The C-3PO of the movies has evolved and adapted, so his moment of indignation is a great callback to his sense of propriety.
3. "You must repair him!"
It would be easy to see the droids of Star Wars as nothing more than machines, but that would be really overlooking the personalities that are there from the beginning. C-3PO spends all of A New Hope creatively insulting R2-D2, calling his counterpart everything from a "overweight glob of grease" to a "malfunctioning little twerp" and blaming him for everything. For someone programmed for etiquette, he is quite rude when off the clock.
When Artoo returns in bad shape from the Battle of Yavin, his tone changes, and we see his heart of gold. "Sir, if any of my gears or circuits will help, I'll gladly donate them," he tells Luke. We don't know if he has compatible wiring or has the same oil type, but his offer to be a donor is a heartwarming sign that he didn't dislike the astromech as much as we were led to believe.
4. "Did you hear that?"
This is cheating because this is the first and last line spoken by C-3PO in the nine episodes of Star Wars. In A New Hope, he is the first voice of worry over the current predicament. Not every battle needs a droid expressing his anxiety in detail, but it definitely thrust us into the intensity of the situation.
When he last says it in The Rise of Skywalker, it is a moment of hope. The survivors of Exegol have been reuniting and finding ways to move forward with life now that peace is possible, and Threepio is the one to notice Rey's ship. Her return completes the story arc, and Threepio is witness to this moment of resolution as he was the voice of the saga beginning.
5. The standard-bearer
The podracing interlude in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace is a fun way to raise the stakes for the story. It's the vehicle through which Watto is outsmarted, Anakin is freed, and we see in Anakin a shadow of his son's talent for flying with the aid of the Force.
Before that, there is the parade and Threepio stands as the herald for Anakin Skywalker. It's a great moment of showcasing the droid's loyalty to the Skywalker family that will carry on for decades.
All of the Star Wars films can be found on Disney+ so you can enjoy all of C-3PO's stories in one place.