C-3PO aka 3PO is one of the fictional robot characters in the Star Wars franchise having been present since the first film in 1977. He typically has R2-D2 in his company, his counterpart as the two are designed for very different functions. C-3PO is a protocol droid designed for etiquette who typically functions as a linguistic translator and the serving of guests though the unit has demonstrated a skill for story telling and tutoring as well. C-3PO has gone through at least two reconstructions; the first known one was by Anakin Skywalker who rebuilt him from scrap at his master's junkyard. This is typically considered his creation as Anakin had to personally program him as much of the base data of what ever the C-3PO unit was prior had been lost (part of why the unit was in a junkyard). Anakin programmed C-3PO to be more suited to helping his mother around the house through domestic functions which are typical of a butler and thus likely included in the series base model. The second was by Chewbacca after C-3PO was destroyed at Cloud City. He's even had his memory wiped at least once. C-3PO often tries to temper the headstrong and reckless nature of his counterpart but to little if any avail.
Original Trilogy (1977-80)[]
"There will be no escape for the princess this time." - C-3PO, Star Wars: Episode 4 - A New Hope
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Star Wars: Droids (1985) + Great Heep (1986)[]
Star Wars: Droids was a 1985 animated television series set before the events of Star War: Episode IV - A New Hope. The series was to be a prequel detailing the experiences of C-3PO and R2-D2 before the original trilogy. In this series C-3PO is the product of Human-Cyborg Relations and along side R2-D2 pass into the hands of various masters as the Empire's presence grows and with that presence the rebellion. The show has an unset chronology of events though the 'White Witch' story arc is by some considered the closest in time to episode 4. At the end of that arc the two are adrift in an escape pod which fans speculate was then picked up by the Tantive IV thus putting them into the service of Captain Antilles. There masters include a speeder bike racer (Thall Joben), a miner (Jann Tosh), and a merchant (Mungo Baobab) with the latter having the most direct trouble with the Empire due to the personal vendetta of Admiral Screege who despite the Baobab's name being revered in the Empire used his position to make life difficult for master Mungo.