# Something in 'Star Wars' I have always wondered **URL:** \ **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:** 2
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/21 "2008-12-13T16:56:09Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > 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. That’s how I saw it. People in the SW universe have a greater aptitude for understanding language, but have to be exposed to it for awhile. C3PO would still be useful for languages a person hasn’t been exposed to much. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/22 "2008-12-13T17:01:43Z")
Alternate theory: With the exception of Chewie, who’s hung around with Han long enough for Han to actually learn his language, most people in the SW universe can read subtitles. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/23 "2008-12-13T17:17:54Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > If it comes to that, how did Han understand Chewie, Greedo and Jabba, and vice-versa.? If a smuggler is going to get any decent work done, he’s got to speak a few languages so he can deal with the right customers. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/24 "2008-12-13T17:29:08Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > 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. Oh, you mean like the way I learnt how to decypher hard drive spin cycles and proc operations by ear since I’ve been fiddling with computers pretty much my whole life ?.. Wait…😛 [QUOTE= Peter Morris] If it comes to that, how did Han understand Chewie, Greedo and Jabba, and vice-versa.? [/QUOTE] Greedo and Jabba speak Huttesian, which is the lingua franca of the criminal element. As for Chewie, Han’s been working with him for a long time, I suppose he picked up the essential words over time, like Hungry, Bathroom Break and That’s NOT A Checkmate, Look Again. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/25 "2008-12-13T20:53:31Z")
I always figured that Han could just understand Wookese since he and Chewie have contact so often…same with Jabba, although I could never really get Greedo either. I do wanna say though…I started this thread kind of as a joke, and was looking forward to what everyone thought R2 actually said…but it seems to have taken a bit of a life of it’s own and people took me more seriously than I meant oh well, happens I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/26 "2008-12-13T22:15:18Z")
They actually published a guide to Star Wars languages, including Droid. > **[Amazon.com: Galactic Phrase Book & Travel Guide: Beeps, Bleats, Boskas, and...](https://www.amazon.com/Galactic-Phrase-Book-Travel-Guide/dp/0345440749)** > > Amazon.com: Galactic Phrase Book & Travel Guide: Beeps, Bleats, Boskas, and Other Common Intergalactic Verbiage (Star Wars): 9780345440747: Burtt, Ben: Books ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/27 "2008-12-13T22:17:14Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > I always figured that Han could just understand Wookese since he and Chewie have contact so often…same with Jabba, although I could never really get Greedo either. > I do wanna say though…I started this thread kind of as a joke, and was looking forward to what everyone thought R2 actually said…but it seems to have taken a bit of a life of it’s own and people took me more seriously than I meant > > oh well, happens I guess. Dude, star wars is Serious Business. ;🙂 ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/28 "2008-12-14T00:36:00Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > 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. > [@Kobal2](#): > > Oh, you mean like the way I learnt how to decypher hard drive spin cycles and proc operations by ear since I’ve been fiddling with computers pretty much my whole life ?.. Wait…😛 > [@The\_Tof](#): > > 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. That was what I meant. I believe **The Tof** expressed it better. R2-D2 seemed to be an exceptional droid, but after all, he was probably not the first R2 unit Luke encountered. Remember, Owen chose a different R2 unit to purchase from the Jawas, until it popped its cork. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/29 "2008-12-14T00:47:39Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > Or he’s just talking to R2 like some of us talk to our pets. “Hungry?” Mrah! “Okay, let’s get you some food.” On further reflection, you’re probably pretty close to the answer, too, **Bosstone**. Our pets can’t communicate to us in our own language. Well some birds can. But we mostly have to read our pets’ body language to try to figure out their wants at any particular moment. Luke undoubtedly figures out what Artoo is saying mostly from body language and from a particular situation’s context. Although when Artoo is hooked up into Luke’s X-Wing, he can plug into the nav-puter and display a text readout to Luke. Then again, all of it might be able to be explained away by the Force. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/30 "2008-12-14T01:33:47Z")
> [@Jolly\_Roger](#): > > 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) Or he knows R2 has shit handled, and isn’t concerned. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/31 "2008-12-14T02:31:35Z")
If you read the Expanded Universe, Han was raised by a Wookiee named Dewlanna. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/32 "2008-12-14T05:02:25Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > That was what I meant. I believe **The Tof** expressed it better. R2-D2 seemed to be an exceptional droid, but after all, he was probably not the first R2 unit Luke encountered. Remember, Owen chose a different R2 unit to purchase from the Jawas, until it popped its cork. Except that, prior to that moment in the movie, Luke has always needed C3PO to interpret R2’s beeps and whistles for him. Such as, for instance, when he finds the hologram of Leia, or when R2 is hacking the Death Star’s computer, and finds out that she’s scheduled to be executed. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/33 "2008-12-14T06:24:47Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Except that, prior to that moment in the movie, Luke has always needed C3PO to interpret R2’s beeps and whistles for him. Such as, for instance, when he finds the hologram of Leia, or when R2 is hacking the Death Star’s computer, and finds out that she’s scheduled to be executed. But there’s a difference between “The prison block is located on level 18” and “Woo-hoo!”. I think Luke could discern that latter just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/34 "2008-12-14T06:51:25Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Except that, prior to that moment in the movie, Luke has always needed C3PO to interpret R2’s beeps and whistles for him. Such as, for instance, when he finds the hologram of Leia, or when R2 is hacking the Death Star’s computer, and finds out that she’s scheduled to be executed. Well, given that in the previous scene, Luke is told to “Trust the Force”, maybe we can just say “A Jedi did it” and chalk it up to his force sensitivity helping him just sorta gist what R2 is saying. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/35 "2008-12-14T07:40:08Z")
Come to think about it, a good question (besides “computerized baby noises are cuter” of course ;)) would be : why didn’t they put a basic voicebox into all R2 units, or at least some sort of read-out screen ? I know Artoo is a very special lil’ droid that’s far from factory specs, but since astromech droids of his kind are made to help with navigation, course plotting, repairs and so on, you’d think a way to communicate with their handler would come handy. “The hyperdrive is _fucked_, you moron ! See that torque wrench down there, all melted and fused with the protonic compressor ? Yeah, you dropped that there yesterday, and now the whole engine block is good for the scrapyard. I’m good, but I’m not a magician, you need a new Flux Capacitor. And a new torque wrench.” would be more helpful that “Beee dop twilililili dup”. ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/36 "2008-12-14T09:04:16Z")
Star Wars got something totally backwards, A.I.-wise. In their universe, it’s apparently easy for all machines to understand people, but difficult for machines to speak intelligibly. In our universe, it’s the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/37 "2008-12-14T09:19:30Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > Well, given that in the previous scene, Luke is told to “Trust the Force”, maybe we can just say “A Jedi did it” and chalk it up to his force sensitivity helping him just sorta gist what R2 is saying. > [@cochrane](#): > > Then again, all of it might be able to be explained away by the Force. Great minds think alike! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/38 "2008-12-14T10:20:06Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > 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. That’s about it. Many races are physically incapable of speaking Basic and/or other major languages, but can learn them just fine. Maybe some races like the Hutts could speak other languages if they wanted to, but elect to only speak their own language. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/39 "2008-12-14T23:40:02Z")
Even in the rest of the movies Luke still couldn’t really understand Artoo. If you remember too after he departs from Hoth he has to read what Artoo is saying in order to tell him they’re going to Dagobah. Although given Artoo’s other “voice inflections” he has over the course of the movies (the little quiver he has, the high pitched beeping and the little bounce thing he does at the medal ceremony) there wasn’t any of that present in the scene I said. Really, all the little droid does is beep a couple times ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952/40 "2008-12-15T00:49:17Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Even in the rest of the movies Luke still couldn’t really understand Artoo. > > If you remember too after he departs from Hoth he has to read what Artoo is saying in order to tell him they’re going to Dagobah. > > Although given Artoo’s other “voice inflections” he has over the course of the movies (the little quiver he has, the high pitched beeping and the little bounce thing he does at the medal ceremony) there wasn’t any of that present in the scene I said. Really, all the little droid does is beep a couple times He reads what R2 is saying because: A) They are in the vacuum of space & sound cannot carry. B)A broadcast transmission can be intercepted by the Empire C) There’s a direct computer link anyhow. Luke can understand him quite well otherwise. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-in-star-wars-i-have-always-wondered/476952.md?page=3)