# R2-d2 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 30, 2003, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r2-d2/172208 "2003-04-30T19:26:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2003, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r2-d2/172208/41 "2003-05-03T07:37:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BuckleberryFerry \* > \*\*Isn’t that his _whole_ job? \*\* No. He’s a protocol droid. He’s designed as an assistant, an aide, in international/interplanetary/intergalactic negotiations. ---
**Author:** ![Swede\_Hollow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Swede\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swede_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2003, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r2-d2/172208/42 "2003-05-03T17:05:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GuanoLad \* > \*\*No. He’s a protocol droid. He’s designed as an assistant, an aide, in international/interplanetary/intergalactic negotiations. \*\* And built by a 5-year old slave. Other than to show how _special_ Anakin was supposed to be this never made much sense to me. Was he built to help his mom haggle better prices in the marketplace? ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2003, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r2-d2/172208/43 "2003-05-03T20:44:45Z")
Yeah, I liked the idea that C-3PO/0 was very old - hundreds of years, even - and had been used by the Republic before falling in with the Rebellion. Oh, and Artoo and Threepio are also kind of special cases in the droid world - droids’ memories are supposed to be wiped quite frequently (annually, maybe?) so they don’t start developing a personality like those two have. ---
**Author:** ![BuckleberryFerry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5f9b8f/32.png) [@BuckleberryFerry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuckleberryFerry)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2003, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r2-d2/172208/44 "2003-05-03T21:54:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GuanoLad \* > \*\*No. He’s a protocol droid. He’s designed as an assistant, an aide, in international/interplanetary/intergalactic negotiations. \*\* It was a joke, dude. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2003, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r2-d2/172208/45 "2003-05-03T23:46:31Z")
Not a very good one, then. In my lexicon, jokes are meant to make you laugh. I prefer to think of 3PO not so much as being _built_ by Anakin, as _reassembled._ Therefore his true original intentions and his actual age and history may still be quite extensive. ---
**Author:** ![BuckleberryFerry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5f9b8f/32.png) [@BuckleberryFerry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuckleberryFerry)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r2-d2/172208/46 "2003-05-04T03:37:45Z")
My apologies; here in the real world, my sarcasm is as a hammer. Out there in DoperLand it is but a feather landing on one’s head. My use of smilies is grossly insufficient. Please mentally attach a :rolleyes: to each if you so feel the need. ---
**Author:** ![Osip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4491bb/32.png) [@Osip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osip)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r2-d2/172208/47 "2003-05-04T03:57:55Z")
I always wondered what the hell Ani was doing building a protocal droid anyway? My guess is, he was a disasembled damaged thrown out droid, Ani took the parts and rebuilt him. Similar to what I have seen done with some vehicles pulled out of the junk yards and fields and restored. I think Lucas has R2 beep and whistle because it made a better movies having a cute spunky droid that did not speak. Lets face it, R2 with a voice would have been less impressive. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r2-d2/172208.md?page=2)