# Star Wars: Are the robots sentient? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 6, 2018, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-are-the-robots-sentient/815509 "2018-06-06T01:15:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-are-the-robots-sentient/815509/81 "2018-06-08T18:11:53Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > OK, if you put a discolored smudge on Threepio’s forehead, and showed him a mirror, would he attempt to wipe the smudge off? That’s the best test anyone’s ever been able to come up with for anything that might be called “self-awareness”, and I don’t think anyone doubts that Threepio would pass that test. I doubt my son would wipe a smudge off his forehead. I’ve told someone to wipe a smudge off their forehead. Turns out she was catholic. Oops. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-are-the-robots-sentient/815509/82 "2018-06-08T18:20:11Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > I doubt my son would wipe a smudge off his forehead. > > I’ve told someone to wipe a smudge off their forehead. Turns out she was catholic. Oops. Was it Face Palm Sunday? ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-are-the-robots-sentient/815509/83 "2018-06-08T18:21:04Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > I doubt my son would wipe a smudge off his forehead. > > I’ve told someone to wipe a smudge off their forehead. Turns out she was catholic. Oops. Yeah, I was thinking, “Hey, maybe they like the look of the smudge!” With a sufficiently loose definition of “smudge”, cosmetic companies make billions of dollars a year off people just like that! ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-are-the-robots-sentient/815509/84 "2018-06-08T18:31:08Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Was it Face Palm Sunday? [Ash Wednesday.](https://nypdecider.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/ash-wed-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646&h=431&crop=1) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-are-the-robots-sentient/815509/85 "2018-06-08T18:51:47Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > OK, if you put a discolored smudge on Threepio’s forehead, and showed him a mirror, would he attempt to wipe the smudge off? That’s the best test anyone’s ever been able to come up with for anything that might be called “self-awareness”, and I don’t think anyone doubts that Threepio would pass that test. In fact, in “The Force Awakens,” he passes this test. He comments that someone may not be able to recognize him because of the color of his arm. So he is not only aware of a purely cosmetic change in his own appearance, but can perceive that others may be aware of it and that it affects how they perceive him. If he’s not a self-aware being, the folks who have written all these movies are sure doing a great job trying to fool us. ---
**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:** [June 8, 2018, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-are-the-robots-sentient/815509/86 "2018-06-08T19:55:02Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > OK, if you put a discolored smudge on Threepio’s forehead, and showed him a mirror, would he attempt to wipe the smudge off? That’s the best test anyone’s ever been able to come up with for anything that might be called “self-awareness”, and I don’t think anyone doubts that Threepio would pass that test. > [@RickJay](#): > > In fact, in “The Force Awakens,” he passes this test. He comments that someone may not be able to recognize him because of the color of his arm. So he is not only aware of a purely cosmetic change in his own appearance, but can perceive that others may be aware of it and that it affects how they perceive him. > > If he’s not a self-aware being, the folks who have written all these movies are sure doing a great job trying to fool us. He ranted at Chewie in ESB when Chewie put his head on backwards, so I’d say that shows self-awareness. ---
**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:** [June 8, 2018, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-are-the-robots-sentient/815509/87 "2018-06-08T20:37:50Z")
People, this is a society that BEFORE things fell apart had no real issue with creating a group of LIVING beings - not droids - whose sole purpose was to fight and die. The clones are clearly indoctrinated slaves to the New Republic. There’s even evidence in The Clone Wars that they can be programmed and that orders can be placed in them dormantly to be executed upon receiving the proper code words. Once you break through that sort of barrier, machine enslavement isn’t even a big step away…it’s actually a step backward to go to machine enslavement. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-are-the-robots-sentient/815509/88 "2018-06-08T23:08:19Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > There’s a great short scene in the Rebels episode “Twin Suns” in which Ezra decides he needs to cross the open desert. Chopper doesn’t want to. Ezra tells him he can follow the hills (filled with Sand people) and probably find a town. > > Chopper looks at hills, back at Ezra, back at hills, back at Ezra, gives a great frustrated sigh, slumping over very human like before following Ezra. BB-8 does something significantly similar in TFA’s _“droid, please”_ scene. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2018, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-are-the-robots-sentient/815509/89 "2018-06-08T23:38:06Z")
[Tseebo](http://starwarsrebels.wikia.com/wiki/Tseebo) When the Empire came for Mira and Ephraim [Ezra’s parents], Tseebo tried to help them but he was afraid to do so and as a result, they were captured and taken away while their son Ezra was left on the streets. Ashamed for not being able to save them, he went to work for the Imperial Information Office and was implanted with a Borg AJ^6 device, sacrificing his personality for productivity. (Note: Same as Lobot from Empire Strikes Back) ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-are-the-robots-sentient/815509/90 "2018-06-09T01:50:03Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > OK, now define self-awareness. At what point would you say it would be akin to murder to destroy a computer? (Or put another way when should congress pass a law saying destroying a computer is murder?) ---
**Author:** ![Trisha\_Gaurav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@Trisha\_Gaurav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trisha_Gaurav)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-are-the-robots-sentient/815509/91 "2018-06-09T02:58:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > OK, if you put a discolored smudge on Threepio’s forehead, and showed him a mirror, would he attempt to wipe the smudge off? That’s the best test anyone’s ever been able to come up with for anything that might be called “self-awareness”, and I don’t think anyone doubts that Threepio would pass that test. I don’t know, my dog recognizes herself in the mirror. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-are-the-robots-sentient/815509/92 "2018-06-09T14:09:35Z")
And thus, by the mirror test, your dog is self-aware. Note, by the way, that I never said it was a particularly good test, just that it’s the best we have. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-are-the-robots-sentient/815509/93 "2018-06-11T15:54:49Z")
> [@GoodOldKJ](#): > > As a child I had a lot of those book and record sets, many of which were Star Wars ones. One was set in a planet that was run by Droids that had over thrown their owners to be free. That says self aware to me. Asimov had a court in one of his short stories declare, “Freedom should not be withheld from any being capable of asking for it.” > [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](#): > > …They should do a C3PO prequel directed by Woody Allen. _Sleeper_ (1973) would be a good place to start: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV2N4KSh3x4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV2N4KSh3x4) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-are-the-robots-sentient/815509.md?page=4)