# So why don't they serve droids in the Cantina? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 24, 2004, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-they-serve-droids-in-the-cantina/265928 "2004-09-24T19:32:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2004, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-they-serve-droids-in-the-cantina/265928/41 "2004-09-25T17:07:39Z")
Droids, and mass-produced clones, aren’t recognized as sentient beings. As someone said earlier, Luke’s attempt to bring them into the Cantina is supposed to signify his good heart. He’s even nice to droids! But the Cantina doesn’t serve droids for the same reason they don’t serve toasters. They’re appliances. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2004, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-they-serve-droids-in-the-cantina/265928/42 "2004-09-25T17:38:40Z")
> [@vibrotronica](#): > > But the Cantina doesn’t serve droids for the same reason they don’t serve toasters. They’re appliances. What do you mean? I give my toaster two pieces of bread every day! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2004, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-they-serve-droids-in-the-cantina/265928/43 "2004-09-25T18:39:45Z")
> [@vibrotronica](#): > > But the Cantina doesn’t serve droids for the same reason they don’t serve toasters. They’re appliances. Yeah, but in that case, you’d think the bartender would have said, “You can’t **bring** your droids in here”, the same way a bouncer once told me I couldn’t **bring** my camcorder into a bar. (Wasn’t switched on; I just had it with me. But I don’t think they thought I was going to buy a drink for it!) ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2004, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-they-serve-droids-in-the-cantina/265928/44 "2004-09-25T19:41:11Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > …and typically fitted with “restraining bolts.” (Not to mention C-3PO’s assumption that the proper form of address to use with Luke was “Master.”) Yeah, R2 proved time and again he had a will of his own, and could be stubborn & feisty. Isn’t Master the proper form of address for a young, unmarried male? I can’t remember, did C3PO ever call anyone else Master? I just thought he was impeccably polite. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2004, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-they-serve-droids-in-the-cantina/265928/45 "2004-09-25T20:37:57Z")
‘Master’ IS the proper address for an unmarried male, sure enough. Through me for a loop in Europe when I was 13. But Theepio always refers to a ‘Captain Antilles’ as a former ‘Master’ as well as telling Artoo that Luke was their ‘new master’. That’s not politeness of address. That’s position of authority. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2004, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-they-serve-droids-in-the-cantina/265928/46 "2004-09-25T20:45:16Z")
Threepio also referred to Leia as “Mistress Leia,” which again is a reference to authority. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2004, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-they-serve-droids-in-the-cantina/265928/47 "2004-09-25T20:46:47Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Isn’t Master the proper form of address for a young, unmarried male? Yup, but that’s not the way Threepio was using it. When Artoo is reluctant to play the hologram of Leia for Luke, Threepio says “It’s alright, you can trust him. He’s our new master.” He says Artoo claims to belong to Obi-Wan and comments that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, since their last master was Captain Antilles (the captain of the Rebel Blockade Runner that they’d escaped from.) For what it’s worth, I think it’s safe to say that the prequels bear little relationship to the original notes in the story. My feeling is that the “Clone Wars” were originally conceived as a sort of slave revolt. Obi-wan’s droid-like name (OB-1, rendered phonetically as “Obi-wan,” the way the droids’ names are, and explaining the nickname “Old Ben”) suggests he was meant to be an emancipated slave – and the dialogue suggests he was possibly the leader of the “idealistic crusade” of the Clone Wars. There are subtle little touches that imply Lucas meant to draw a parallel between the Clone Wars and the plight of 'droids – for instance, whlie Obi-Wan is reminiscing about the the Clone Wars, Luke is piecing Threepio back together after the attack by the Tusken Raiders. He’s about to re-attach the restraining bolt, but looks at it uncomfortably/guiltily, and sets it down on the table, never to be used again. _previews_ That’ll teach me to digress. Wotta nerd. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2004, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-they-serve-droids-in-the-cantina/265928/48 "2004-09-25T20:56:36Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > I saw it as simply a humorous point. The bar obviously serves all kinds, no matter their shapes and sizes, and the contrast of that with them not serving droids is kind of funny. This was always my interpretation too, and IIRC the novelization of the movie spells out Luke’s bewilderment at the bartender’s pronouncement hitting him so soon after entering this place where they obviously would serve ANYBODY biological and sentient. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2004, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-they-serve-droids-in-the-cantina/265928/49 "2004-09-25T20:57:38Z")
I should say I do like some of the other interpretations here though. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2004, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-they-serve-droids-in-the-cantina/265928/50 "2004-09-25T21:23:34Z")
> [@](#): > > Also, having Threepio and Artoo wait outside served to give us a view of the rat-masked informer His name is Garindan and don’t you forget it!!! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2004, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-they-serve-droids-in-the-cantina/265928/51 "2004-09-25T21:38:14Z")
Oh, I knew it alright. Just nerd-baiting. Yeah… 😉 Actually it has just always tickled me that he’s a snitch wearing a _rat mask_. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2004, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-they-serve-droids-in-the-cantina/265928/52 "2004-09-25T22:11:05Z")
Threads you shouldn’t even try on SDMB: **Betcha can’t name this one obscure Star Wars character…** ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-they-serve-droids-in-the-cantina/265928/53 "2004-09-27T21:33:31Z")
Maybe it is just me, but the sheer, unadulterated, unrestrained, uninhibited geekiness of this thread makes me incredibly horny!!! Is it just me? Hello? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-they-serve-droids-in-the-cantina/265928/54 "2004-09-27T22:03:44Z")
The bartender is probably afraid the droids will dine-and-dash. C3PO doesn’t appear to have pockets to carry money in. R2-D2 does have that opening in the top of his head, though (he kept Luke’s lightsaber in it in ROTJ). Maybe not. I, too, have nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-they-serve-droids-in-the-cantina/265928/55 "2004-09-27T22:24:35Z")
> [@Ponder Stibbons](#): > > Actually, I’m kind of thinking that might be the reason for not serving droids in the first place. > > Barkeep: Hey, kid, get those droids out of here. > Whiney-- I mean, Luke: But whyyyyyyyyyyyy? > Barkeep: Look, if I let those droids in, then I gotta let all droids in, and after what that sonofabitch Bender did last time – no way, ho zay! Milton Skywalker–Ex-excuse me, they said I could bring my droids in at a reasonable hour. And that they would get them margaritas with no salt…NO salt…but this one had big grains of salt. Han Solo won’t be leaving a tip. Obi-wan will put strychnine in the guacamole. …stream of consciousness from a mental image. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-they-serve-droids-in-the-cantina/265928/56 "2004-09-27T22:40:28Z")
A few thoughts on the droid detector issue. Everyone walking into the bar goes past the detector on the wall, the one that flashes and allerts the barkeep that the droids are entering. Now either you do get droids that look just like biological creatures and therefor the detector is simply a droid detector. Or else it is some sort of weapon detector. Now normal weapons are allowed (or at least tollerated)in the bar, but maybe heavy weapons that could destroy the bar are not allowed in. So if it is a weapon detector either the droids could be used to conceil such weaponry or their power units could be similar to such weaponry. Or else there exist droids that are sufficiently humanoid looking that they require special detectors (rather than casual sight) to detect them. This still leaves a quetion about cybernetic implants, does any of the characters in the bar have mechanical arms or the like? ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-they-serve-droids-in-the-cantina/265928/57 "2004-09-28T02:12:27Z")
Bippy may have a point about cybernetic implants I wonder if Lobot from Bespin would trigger the “droid detector”, and I believe in the novels anyway that cyborg types like Lobot were looked down upon. Yeah I am a dork and I don’t care. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lodoen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b3f665/32.png) [@Jeff\_Lodoen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lodoen)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-they-serve-droids-in-the-cantina/265928/58 "2004-09-28T10:20:37Z")
In the Marvel comics (not real great, BUT IT WAS STAR WARS!) droid bigotry was a plot point. Self-hating cyborg Valance hunted Luke, who he called “droid lover”. Kligson was another cyborg (95%, looked like Robocop) but he decided to join 'em, created Droid World. The first two movies didn’t “give” much, comics had to take crumbs and build on them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-they-serve-droids-in-the-cantina/265928.md?page=2)