# Something in 'Star Wars' I have always wondered
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [December 12, 2008, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952 "2008-12-12T23:32:06Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2008, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/1 "2008-12-12T23:32:06Z")
So I was watching Star Wars the other day. Episode 4, and I got to the scene where Luke is beneath his X-Wing talking to some other pilot (Dak?)
While Luke is talking some other random guy comes up to him and says “Are you sure you want this artoo unit in there?”
Luke responds “Are you kidding? Me and that droid have been through a lot together. You OK there Artoo?”
“Beep Beep”
“Hahaha good!”
I’ve always wondered how does Luke even know what Artoo said? I always like to imagine it like this…
“You OK there Artoo”
“Screw you blondie, we’re gonna die”
“Hahaha good!”
anyone have any thoughts as to what Artoo ACTUALLY said to Luke?
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### Author:  [@Jolly\_Roger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jolly_Roger)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2008, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/2 "2008-12-12T23:41:51Z")
Maybe Artoo is like Captain Christopher Pike in a way. While his other beeps and noises are computer talk, two beeps means yes and one means no. So when Luke asked and he said “Beep Beep” he was saying yes.
Of course being a machine I would think that the technician would be able to tell if Artoo was in sufficient shape to perform its tasks. Being a bit banged up doesn’t mean useless.
After the death star is destroyed when Artoo is being lowered out of the X-Wing and 3PO is distraught about saving him Luke and the others blow him off and walk away. So it seems Luke may not have been too attached to Artoo in the first place. (Well, it is just a machine, really)
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### Author:  [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2008, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/3 "2008-12-12T23:42:47Z")
You can make a whole game out of R2’s “dialogue” from the original trilogy based on what happens in the prequels.
C3PO on Tatooine: “What makes you think there are settlments over there?”
R2D2: Blip Bloop (translation: “Because we’ve been here before, dumbass!”)
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### Author:  [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2008, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/4 "2008-12-12T23:42:56Z")
“Scoot the seat forward a bit, fucknugget!”
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### Author:  [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2008, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/5 "2008-12-12T23:49:14Z")
It’s a little known fact, but during the taping of Star Wars Kenny Baker(the dwarf who plays R2-D2 and is physically inside the droid prop) actually said something there. They edited it out of the soundtrack, but didn’t re-shoot the scene. As such they had to leave Marc Hamil’s response to Kenny’s comment in because it would be years before they had the technology to re-work Hamil’s physical reaction to Baker’s comment.
What did Baker say?My ass hurtsEnjoy,
Steven
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### Author:  [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2008, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/6 "2008-12-12T23:55:27Z")
[This](http://3do.jediknight.net/dcm/strips/08.gif) might answer your question. I’m also quite fond of [that](http://3do.jediknight.net/dcm/strips/24.gif) one.
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### Author:  [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2008, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/7 "2008-12-12T23:59:48Z")
I always wondered how Kenny Baker trained his penis to move the R2 unit. I missed the final credit for “dwarf fluffer,” too.
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### Author:  [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2008, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/8 "2008-12-13T00:04:38Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#):
>
> I always wondered how Kenny Baker trained his penis to move the R2 unit. I missed the final credit for “dwarf fluffer,” too.
He thought about Anthony Daniels. The inspiration for the scenes in the prequels where he has booster rockets and can fly around came from one time when his concentration slipped and he thought about Peter Mayhew.
Enjoy,
Steven
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### Author:  [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2008, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/9 "2008-12-13T02:53:00Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#):
>
> I’ve always wondered how does Luke even know what Artoo said?
Babel Fish.
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### Author:  [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2008, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/10 "2008-12-13T03:33:57Z")
Wild-ass guess: After all those years working on his Uncle Owen’s moisture farm, Luke has undoubtedly seen hundreds of old broken-down droids come and go. He’s probably learned to interpret their boops and beeps from maintaining the equipment and trying to keep it all running.
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### Author:  [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2008, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/11 "2008-12-13T03:39:39Z")
Or he’s just talking to R2 like some of us talk to our pets. “Hungry?” Mrah! “Okay, let’s get you some food.”
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### Author:  [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2008, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/12 "2008-12-13T14:28:48Z")
Of course right after the Death Star was destroyed Luke says “Carrie!” instead of Leia when they meet. They noticed it later but left it in.
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2008, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/13 "2008-12-13T14:37:31Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#):
>
> Of course right after the Death Star was destroyed Luke says “Carrie!” instead of Leia when they meet. They noticed it later but left it in.
Except the actors say that’s not so:
> [@](#):
>
> Luke Skywalker calling out “Carrie” instead of Leia at the end of Star Wars IV: A New Hope. Both George Lucas and Mark Hammil have testified that he only lets out an excited “Hey.” Personally, I don’t hear anything but a scream of joy after destroying the Death Star. I do not hear Carrie, and neither do a lot of other people. A lot of people out there do, and maybe he does, but I don’t believe it.
And frankly, I agree with the author, I’ve never heard it.
> **[Star Wars Blooper Guide - Blooper Submission Guidelines](http://www.egosystem.com/starwars/guide.htm)**
>
> Submit your own blooper to the Star Wars
> Blooper Guide
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### Author:  [@The\_Tof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tof)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2008, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/14 "2008-12-13T14:43:50Z")
R2 has shown a propensity for expressing various emotions- albeit wordless with his computerlike beeping noises.
Anything from low pitched quick beep to a whine to express sadness to the full on shaking in excitement BWEEP BWEEP BWOO at the end of Ep IV.
I have always figured that Luke didn’t understand R2’s response as words- as much as he understood the expression of emotion that the robot was conveying.
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### Author:  [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2008, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/15 "2008-12-13T14:51:27Z")
If it comes to that, how did Han understand Chewie, Greedo and Jabba, and vice-versa.? Seems that races in the Star Wars universe can usually \*understand \*each others’ speech. Not always, but usually. If Han can understand Chewie’s growls, then Luke can understand Artoo’s beeps.
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### Author:  [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2008, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/16 "2008-12-13T14:53:11Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#):
>
> Seems that races in the Star Wars universe can usually \*understand \*each others’ speech.
Which kinda makes C-3PO even more useless.
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### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2008, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/17 "2008-12-13T15:14:12Z")
> [@Telemark](#):
>
> Except the actors say that’s not so:
>
> And frankly, I agree with the author, I’ve never heard it.
>
> [Star Wars Blooper Guide - Blooper Submission Guidelines](http://www.egosystem.com/starwars/guide.htm)
I think you just got whooshed…
I think.
🙂
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### Author:  [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2008, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/18 "2008-12-13T15:45:41Z")
I always thought he yelled “Moon Child.”
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### Author:  [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2008, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/19 "2008-12-13T16:29:16Z")
The truth about R2’s beeping and booping is even more insidious. Ever notice how he sometimes seem to go on and on just to say “yes” or “no”? Fact is, whenever he does this, he’s actually saying “Oh, and by the way, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you about your father … crap, gotta go fix the hyperdrive. Remind me when I get back, and we’ll talk.”
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2008, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/20 "2008-12-13T16:53:33Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#):
>
> I think you just got whooshed…
>
> I think.
>
> 🙂
I don’t think so. Many folks (including the actor involved in the scene) swear it’s not true.
> [@](#):
>
> # Revealing mistakes: It is frequently claimed that upon returning to the Rebel base after destroying the Death Star, Luke exclaims, “Carrie!” when he hears Leia (Carrie Fisher) call “Luke!” Sound designer Ben Burtt has confirmed that, after extensive listening, it appears to be “Hey” or “Yay”; ‘Mark Hamill’ reports that he said, “Hey! There she is!” but mumbled the last word. Yet, trained lip readers report only two syllables being spoken and they look like Carrie.
[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076759/goofs](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076759/goofs)
Frankly, I’m not sure I trust “trained lip readers” over the actor in question. And, as I said, I just don’t hear it.
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