Summary
- Luke Skywalker’s ability to understand languages through the Force challenges the necessity of protocol droids like C-3PO in Star Wars Legends.
- Other Jedi, like Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi, also use the Force to comprehend languages, though not always with perfect accuracy.
- Despite having the power to translate languages, Luke still relies on C-3PO for precise translations due to their close friendship.
An obscure Force power in Star Wars Legends seemingly makes C-3PO and other protocol droids obsolete. The Force can be applied in a nearly limitless number of ways, with various applications of the Force manifesting similarly to superpowers. One such power seemingly undermines the function of protocol droids like C-3PO, whose primary functions are translation, etiquette, and protocol.
C-3PO is arguably the most underrated member of the Star Wars saga’s ensemble cast, with numerous heroic deeds that are often overlooked. C-3PO dispersed a contingent of stormtroopers in A New Hope, provided invaluable information to repair the Millennium Falcon in The Empire Strikes Back, and helped the Rebels and the Ewoks form an alliance in Return of the Jedi. In other materials, such as Marvel’s classic Star Wars comics, C-3PO was even prepared to sacrifice himself to save Luke Skywalker from Beilert Valance. For better or worse, however, one Force power seemingly renders one of his primary functions unnecessary.
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Luke Skywalker Could Translate Languages… Using The Force
Luke Didn’t Need C-3PO To Understand Another Species’ Language
Early on in Dave Wolverton’s 1994 novel The Courtship of Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker speaks to a Whiphid, despite not speaking their native language. Luke manages to understand the Whiphid, however, by translating the language “by the power of the Force.” This incredibly useful Force ability debuted in Courtship, but has since appeared in other Legends-era materials.
The
Star Wars
Legends continuity has been a bygone timeline since 2014, but it was previously the official
Star Wars
timeline.
The ability to comprehend a language through the Force is used by other Jedi, with Mace Windu using it to understand Kar Vastor in Matthew Stover’s Shatterpoint. The ability is not flawless, however, as it only roughly translates the general idea of what one is saying. Obi-Wan Kenobi, who learned the ability from Qui-Gon Jinn, uses the Force to understand the Nelvaan language in the Star Wars: Clone Wars microseries, but does not consistently comprehend every detail. Fascinatingly, the Witches of Dathomir (who also debuted in Courtship) have their own version of the Force power, called the “Spell of Interpretation.”
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At Least This Would Explain Why Jedi Didn’t Need Protocol Droids
Despite This, Luke Still Used His Friend C-3PO’s Help
This would seemingly mean that protocol droids are not essential to the Jedi in the Star Wars Legends continuity. Luke Skywalker would prove otherwise, however, as he not only continues to work with C-3PO due to their close friendship, but seeks his help for translation, despite having the ability to translate languages himself. In Christie Golden’s Fate of the Jedi: Allies, Luke sends C-3PO a recording of the Keshiri language for translation rather than using the Force to understand it. This makes sense, since C-3PO and other Star Wars protocol droids can translate languages more precisely than Luke’s Jedi power.
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