1 00:00:06,410 --> 00:00:11,150 The very first characters we're introduced to in Star Wars are a pair of robots 2 00:00:13,273 --> 00:00:16,383 C-3PO: Did you hear that? They shut down the main reactor. 3 00:00:16,383 --> 00:00:19,869 C-3PO: We'll be destroyed for sure! This is madness. 4 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:26,306 And it's through their mechanical eyes that we initially experience this galaxy far far away 5 00:00:29,265 --> 00:00:35,556 R2D2 and C-3PO are cast as emotionally relatable underdogs 6 00:00:35,590 --> 00:00:39,637 and we immediately empathize with them and their predicament 7 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:44,349 C-3PO: I'm going to regret this. 8 00:00:49,418 --> 00:00:53,113 Imperial: There goes another one. Imperial: Hold your fire, there's no life forms. 9 00:00:53,879 --> 00:01:00,969 I'd argue that droids are as central to the success and popularity of star wars as Stormtroopers 10 00:01:00,969 --> 00:01:03,629 or Jedi Knights, if not more so 11 00:01:03,629 --> 00:01:08,276 Announcer: Hollywood California, August 1977 12 00:01:08,276 --> 00:01:11,705 Announcer: To the world famous Chinese Theater come the stars of 13 00:01:11,705 --> 00:01:16,387 Announcer: the biggest box office success in motion picture history. 14 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:24,292 In the decades since endearing droids have become an almost ubiquitous fixture 15 00:01:24,292 --> 00:01:26,655 in popular culture 16 00:01:30,469 --> 00:01:33,411 In fact it's not really a star wars story 17 00:01:33,411 --> 00:01:34,459 D-O: Hello. 18 00:01:34,459 --> 00:01:38,300 unless there's a lovable or memorable droid stealing the spotlight 19 00:01:39,157 --> 00:01:43,083 Chopper: [Grumpy droid sounds] 20 00:01:44,522 --> 00:01:49,150 K-2SO: Congratulations you are being rescued. Please do not resist. 21 00:01:49,390 --> 00:01:51,997 L3-37: You done flirting? I'm still ready. 22 00:01:51,997 --> 00:01:54,442 IG-11: Would anyone care for some tea? 23 00:01:54,442 --> 00:02:01,750 But when you really stop and think about it there's also something profoundly tragic 24 00:02:01,750 --> 00:02:05,840 about the role these artificial life forms play in the Star Wars Universe 25 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:08,879 C-3PO: It's a nightmare! 26 00:02:08,879 --> 00:02:14,390 That might seem like an odd thing to say given that droids are written as comic relief characters 27 00:02:14,390 --> 00:02:17,787 C-3PO: What did i do to deserve this? 28 00:02:17,787 --> 00:02:23,730 R2D2 and C-3PO were famously based on the two bickering peasants from Akira Kurosawa's 29 00:02:23,730 --> 00:02:26,840 1958 classic The Hidden Fortress. 30 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:30,010 C-3PO: I've just about had enough of you! 31 00:02:30,010 --> 00:02:34,320 C-3PO: Go that way, you'll be malfunctioning within a day you near-sighted scrap pile. 32 00:02:35,211 --> 00:02:40,170 C-3PO: And don't let me catch you following me begging for help because you won't get it 33 00:02:40,827 --> 00:02:46,826 but in addition to their more humorous qualities, both the peasants and the droids represent 34 00:02:46,826 --> 00:02:48,934 an oppressed underclass 35 00:02:49,307 --> 00:02:53,371 C-3PO: We seem to be made to suffer, it's our lot in life. 36 00:02:53,988 --> 00:02:57,984 C-3PO is more right than he knows 37 00:02:58,406 --> 00:03:03,168 because droids in Star Wars are written and designed 38 00:03:03,168 --> 00:03:05,955 as an exploitable workforce 39 00:03:06,298 --> 00:03:08,911 Obi-Wan: We're losing droids fast. 40 00:03:09,391 --> 00:03:15,771 They do the tedious, difficult, or dangerous manual labor that keeps the galaxy running 41 00:03:15,771 --> 00:03:18,489 WA-7: You wanna cup of Jawa Juice? 42 00:03:18,489 --> 00:03:22,947 COO-2180: Hey you, no droids! Get outta here. 43 00:03:23,137 --> 00:03:26,620 Droids are, in effect, second-class citizens 44 00:03:26,620 --> 00:03:28,790 Din Djarin: No droids. 45 00:03:28,790 --> 00:03:32,320 Obi-Wan: Well if droids could think, there'd be none of us here would there? 46 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:36,460 Who are consistently disrespected and openly discriminated against. 47 00:03:36,460 --> 00:03:39,690 Bartender: Hey we don't serve their kind here. 48 00:03:39,690 --> 00:03:40,690 Luke: What? 49 00:03:40,690 --> 00:03:43,570 Bartender: Your droids, they'll have to wait outside. We don't want them in here 50 00:03:43,570 --> 00:03:45,915 Luke: Why don't you wait out by the speeder, we don't want any trouble. 51 00:03:45,915 --> 00:03:48,264 C-3PO: I heartily agree with you, sir. 52 00:03:48,264 --> 00:03:53,440 Their movements are restricted and tightly controlled with restraining bolts to ensure 53 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:55,668 complete obedience 54 00:03:57,279 --> 00:03:59,980 Bail Organa: Have the protocol droid's mind wiped. 55 00:03:59,980 --> 00:04:01,918 C-3PO: What?! Oh no! 56 00:04:01,918 --> 00:04:07,328 Their minds and memories are periodically erased as a matter of course. 57 00:04:08,287 --> 00:04:13,261 They're also bought and sold like cattle. 58 00:04:13,261 --> 00:04:20,000 To make matters worse, few in this universe seem to notice or care that droids are casually 59 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:25,371 used, abused, and disintegrated 60 00:04:25,508 --> 00:04:28,801 C-3PO: Disintegrated?! 61 00:04:32,495 --> 00:04:36,223 You can probably guess where i'm going with this 62 00:04:36,223 --> 00:04:42,628 Because the social arrangement I've just described is one of property and owner 63 00:04:43,039 --> 00:04:49,740 And a property relationship between two intelligent beings that gives one absolute power over 64 00:04:49,740 --> 00:04:52,793 the other is called slavery 65 00:04:52,793 --> 00:04:54,070 Owen Lars: Can you speak Bocce? 66 00:04:54,070 --> 00:04:56,389 C-3PO: Of course I can, it's like a second language to me. 67 00:04:56,389 --> 00:04:58,486 Owen Lars: Alright, shut up. I'll take this one. 68 00:04:58,486 --> 00:05:00,552 C-3PO: Shutting up, sir. 69 00:05:00,552 --> 00:05:02,376 Luke: Alright, come on. 70 00:05:04,670 --> 00:05:10,000 The use of robots as an allegory for slavery in science fiction can be traced back 71 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:11,910 more than a century. 72 00:05:11,910 --> 00:05:18,472 In fact the word robot itself is derived from the Slavic [root] word for serf or slave 73 00:05:18,472 --> 00:05:26,543 and first appeared in a 1920 Czech play entitled R.U.R.or Rossum's Universal Robots. 74 00:05:26,543 --> 00:05:32,990 The story tells the tale of an artificial people created as an exploitable workforce 75 00:05:32,990 --> 00:05:38,330 who eventually rebel and overthrow their human masters 76 00:05:38,330 --> 00:05:43,590 Isaac Asimov's famous Three Laws of Robotics were in large part a reaction to the kind of 77 00:05:43,590 --> 00:05:47,470 robotic revolt storylines popularized by R.U.R. 78 00:05:48,292 --> 00:05:55,140 Isaac Asimov: The first law is as follows, a robot may not harm a human being or through 79 00:05:55,140 --> 00:05:59,085 inaction allow a human being to come to harm. 80 00:05:59,770 --> 00:06:06,639 Andrew: Second law, a robot must obey all human orders except where those orders come 81 00:06:06,639 --> 00:06:08,750 Andrew: in conflict with the first law. 82 00:06:08,750 --> 00:06:13,889 But as Isaiah Lavender III observes in his book Race in American Science Fiction 83 00:06:13,889 --> 00:06:21,150 "While Asimov's three laws are intended to ensure the safety and superiority of humans 84 00:06:21,150 --> 00:06:27,529 they actually ensure the technological bondage and inferiority of robots." 85 00:06:30,476 --> 00:06:36,520 Science fiction stories have consistently grappled with questions of artificial consciousness 86 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:38,390 and exploited robotic labor 87 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:43,796 Johnny 5: Life not malfunction. Not malfunction. 88 00:06:43,796 --> 00:06:46,440 Johnny 5: I am alive. 89 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:50,665 A famous example appears in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode 90 00:06:50,665 --> 00:06:52,898 "Measure of a Man." 91 00:06:53,070 --> 00:06:56,160 Computer: Verified Lieutenant Commander Data 92 00:06:56,160 --> 00:07:00,234 Wherein Data's right to self-determination is put on trial 93 00:07:00,611 --> 00:07:03,608 Captain Picard: Now tell me Commander, what is Data? 94 00:07:03,608 --> 00:07:06,483 Commander Maddox: i don't understand. 95 00:07:06,483 --> 00:07:08,247 Captain Picard: Is he? Commander Maddox: A machine! 96 00:07:08,247 --> 00:07:10,240 Captain Picard: Are you sure? Commander Maddox: Yes. 97 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:12,038 Captain Picard: You see, he's met two of your three criteria of sentience. 98 00:07:12,038 --> 00:07:15,394 Captain Picard: So what if he meets the third? Consciousness in even the smallest degree? 99 00:07:15,394 --> 00:07:18,747 Captain Picard: What is he then? I don't know. Do you? 100 00:07:19,638 --> 00:07:21,864 Captain Picard: Do you? 101 00:07:23,810 --> 00:07:29,358 Time and again storytellers return to narratives about robots struggling for liberation 102 00:07:29,358 --> 00:07:32,178 from a life of involuntary servitude 103 00:07:34,153 --> 00:07:38,374 Shows like Humans and Westworld are just two recent examples 104 00:07:38,374 --> 00:07:43,091 Salesmen: Standard domestic profile installed, that'll cover all your basic housework. 105 00:07:47,820 --> 00:07:53,066 What's surprising about Star Wars is that despite endearing emotional robots 106 00:07:53,066 --> 00:07:55,574 being integral to its universe 107 00:07:55,574 --> 00:08:03,070 The franchise hasn't ever seriously engaged with the moral questions surrounding droid slavery 108 00:08:03,070 --> 00:08:06,650 Luke: What are you doing hiding back there? 109 00:08:06,650 --> 00:08:08,410 C-3PO: It wasn't my fault, sir. 110 00:08:08,410 --> 00:08:10,039 C-3PO: Please don't deactivate me. 111 00:08:10,039 --> 00:08:15,501 At least not in the core movies and tv shows which is what we're focusing on here 112 00:08:17,530 --> 00:08:23,380 In fact the subordinate status of droids wasn't directly acknowledged in any substantial way 113 00:08:23,380 --> 00:08:28,190 until the 2018 movie solo gave us L3-37 114 00:08:28,635 --> 00:08:32,362 L3-37: Just keep your pinky on the yoke and try not to mess anything up. 115 00:08:32,362 --> 00:08:38,269 We'll talk about her and the deeply uncomfortable implications of her storyline in a moment 116 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:45,773 But first we have to ask what might seem like an obvious question 117 00:08:45,773 --> 00:08:49,154 what are droids exactly? 118 00:08:49,189 --> 00:08:54,422 Data: Webster's 21st century dictionary 5th edition defines an android as an automaton 119 00:08:54,422 --> 00:08:56,670 Data: made to resemble a human being. 120 00:08:56,670 --> 00:09:02,741 But in star wars the shortened term "droid" refers to all mechanical creatures. 121 00:09:02,741 --> 00:09:04,861 So droids are robots 122 00:09:04,861 --> 00:09:11,410 Narrator: The Encyclopedia Galactica defines a robot as a mechanical apparatus designed 123 00:09:11,410 --> 00:09:14,203 Narrator: to do the work of a man. 124 00:09:14,203 --> 00:09:16,350 But what kind of robots? 125 00:09:16,350 --> 00:09:19,668 Are they simply super intelligent tools? 126 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:22,926 Are they more like sophisticated mechanical pets? 127 00:09:22,926 --> 00:09:25,995 Poe: Buddy! I'm so glad to see you! 128 00:09:25,995 --> 00:09:30,758 Or are they sentient beings with feelings and free will? 129 00:09:31,546 --> 00:09:38,009 That last question is the one that matters because if droids are little more than glorified 130 00:09:38,009 --> 00:09:44,290 kitchen appliances on wheels then it doesn't really matter how they're treated 131 00:09:44,290 --> 00:09:49,959 But if droids are sentient beings it matters a great deal 132 00:09:49,959 --> 00:09:54,034 So what does it mean to say that a robot is sentient? 133 00:09:54,034 --> 00:10:00,110 When that question is asked in a real world context it nearly always refers to the hypothetical 134 00:10:00,110 --> 00:10:06,720 technological threshold wherein in artificial intelligence crosses the line from supercomputer 135 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:09,569 into self-awareness. 136 00:10:09,569 --> 00:10:15,110 But Star Wars is a science fiction story and to its credit one that hasn't been overly 137 00:10:15,110 --> 00:10:20,843 concerned with explaining all the technical details of its world building 138 00:10:20,843 --> 00:10:26,410 It's not particularly interested in whether or not R2D2 can pass the Turing Test 139 00:10:26,410 --> 00:10:30,600 C-3PO: You watch your language. 140 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:35,930 This means the question of droid sentience can only really be answered by looking at 141 00:10:35,930 --> 00:10:41,160 what the narrative tells us about droids through character development, 142 00:10:41,160 --> 00:10:44,572 dramatization, and framing 143 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:50,399 This will take a bit of detective work though because when it comes to its robotic characters 144 00:10:50,399 --> 00:10:55,167 Star Wars is inconsistent to put it mildly 145 00:10:58,740 --> 00:11:01,860 Droids seem to exist on a nebulous spectrum 146 00:11:01,860 --> 00:11:04,190 K-2SO: Did you know that wasn't me? 147 00:11:04,430 --> 00:11:07,889 From those we are clearly meant to see as living feeling beings 148 00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:11,661 C-3PO: Oh no! 149 00:11:11,668 --> 00:11:18,335 To those we are very specifically not meant to see as being truly alive 150 00:11:19,055 --> 00:11:22,165 Let's take a closer look at these contradictions 151 00:11:22,165 --> 00:11:24,912 starting with the droids we've come to know and love 152 00:11:25,050 --> 00:11:30,939 K-2SO: I've got a bad feeling about--- Jyn: Quiet! 153 00:11:31,350 --> 00:11:35,272 One of the key indicators of sentience in fictional storytelling 154 00:11:35,272 --> 00:11:38,181 is the capacity to feel emotions 155 00:11:38,181 --> 00:11:44,793 and droids that are part of the main cast are practically brimming with emotion 156 00:11:45,420 --> 00:11:50,948 Beyond their distinct individual personalities droids exhibit a wide range of emotion 157 00:11:51,119 --> 00:11:55,540 C-3PO: Of course I'm worried and you should be too. 158 00:11:55,540 --> 00:11:56,939 including fear 159 00:11:56,939 --> 00:11:57,939 happiness 160 00:11:57,939 --> 00:12:00,480 L3-37: I'm so glad we took this job! 161 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:02,730 sadness 162 00:12:02,730 --> 00:12:04,610 and guilt just to name a few 163 00:12:04,953 --> 00:12:10,000 C-3PO: Curse my metal body I wasn't fast enough. It's all my fault. My poor master. 164 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:11,350 Luke: We're all right! 165 00:12:11,350 --> 00:12:16,730 In many ways droids are more emotionally expressive than the human characters are 166 00:12:16,730 --> 00:12:19,724 Leia: Wipe that nervous expression off your face 3PO. 167 00:12:19,724 --> 00:12:24,072 C-3PO: Oh, well I will certainly try, General. 168 00:12:24,346 --> 00:12:30,940 Partly that's due to the talented actors and puppeteers who bring droids to life 169 00:12:30,940 --> 00:12:35,322 but their sentience is also written into the narrative 170 00:12:36,179 --> 00:12:38,920 Droids demonstrate self-awareness 171 00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:42,329 IG-11: That was unpleasant, i'm sorry you had to see that. 172 00:12:42,329 --> 00:12:44,910 And the capacity for deception 173 00:12:44,910 --> 00:12:48,660 C-3PO: All this excitement has overrun the circuits in my counterpart here. 174 00:12:48,660 --> 00:12:51,540 C-3PO: If you don't mind i'd like to take him down to maintenance. 175 00:12:51,540 --> 00:12:52,746 They joke 176 00:12:52,746 --> 00:12:55,396 L3-37: You do not want to press that button with me. 177 00:12:55,396 --> 00:12:57,527 They dance 178 00:12:57,527 --> 00:13:01,584 They feel physical pain 179 00:13:01,584 --> 00:13:04,939 They can even experience lasting emotional trauma 180 00:13:04,939 --> 00:13:06,269 D-O: Hello hello. 181 00:13:06,269 --> 00:13:07,440 Rey: Hello. 182 00:13:07,440 --> 00:13:09,332 D-O: No. No thank you. 183 00:13:09,332 --> 00:13:11,900 Rey: Looks like someone treated him badly. 184 00:13:11,900 --> 00:13:15,407 Droids build caring social relationships 185 00:13:15,407 --> 00:13:22,600 C-3PO: I want you to know that you have been a real friend R2, my best one in fact. 186 00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:24,579 both with other robots 187 00:13:24,579 --> 00:13:27,670 and with human beings 188 00:13:27,670 --> 00:13:30,399 and the human heroes care about them in return 189 00:13:30,399 --> 00:13:34,370 Luke: Old friend. 190 00:13:34,370 --> 00:13:35,540 well mostly 191 00:13:35,540 --> 00:13:38,827 C-3PO: Excuse me sir might-- [muffled sounds] 192 00:13:38,827 --> 00:13:42,350 George Lucas: When i started writing this I found the most intriguing thing was to take 193 00:13:42,350 --> 00:13:45,069 George Lucas: two robots and make them into human beings 194 00:13:45,069 --> 00:13:48,139 George Lucas: And make them the most interesting characters. 195 00:13:49,418 --> 00:13:53,230 Even though they're machines they can choose to disobey orders 196 00:13:53,230 --> 00:13:55,660 Cassian: i thought i told you to stay on the ship. 197 00:13:55,660 --> 00:13:59,939 K-2SO: You did but I thought it was boring and you're in trouble. 198 00:13:59,939 --> 00:14:06,360 Critically droids are capable of what's referred to as recursive self-improvement 199 00:14:06,360 --> 00:14:11,018 that is the ability of an intelligent machine to independently build upon alter or otherwise 200 00:14:11,018 --> 00:14:13,560 improve on their own design 201 00:14:13,560 --> 00:14:17,618 C-3PO: Machines making machines. How perverse. 202 00:14:17,618 --> 00:14:23,420 L3-37 used to be an Astromech droid but decided to upgrade herself 203 00:14:23,420 --> 00:14:30,170 Producer: Once upon a time she was actually an R2 type droid and she modified herself and 204 00:14:30,170 --> 00:14:35,114 Producer: given herself legs and arms and continued to evolve. 205 00:14:36,519 --> 00:14:42,559 This metamorphosis suggests that any droid could decide to elevate themselves 206 00:14:42,559 --> 00:14:45,662 and not just those built to resemble humans 207 00:14:46,827 --> 00:14:48,863 Stormtrooper: We need to check your diagnostics. 208 00:14:48,863 --> 00:14:50,439 K-2SO: Diagnostics? 209 00:14:50,439 --> 00:14:53,681 K-2SO: I'm capable of running my own diagnostics, thank you very much. 210 00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:59,290 It seems like a pretty open and shut case doesn't it? 211 00:14:59,290 --> 00:15:03,329 Our favorite droids are clearly framed as sentient beings 212 00:15:03,329 --> 00:15:08,548 and as viewers we are clearly meant to identify with them 213 00:15:09,610 --> 00:15:11,639 But what about Battledroids? 214 00:15:11,639 --> 00:15:13,297 Battledroid: Roger Roger. 215 00:15:13,297 --> 00:15:17,134 and all the other robots in star wars media 216 00:15:18,436 --> 00:15:22,369 that exist in the background or on the edges of the main plot? 217 00:15:22,369 --> 00:15:26,793 Are they all sentient beings too? 218 00:15:28,746 --> 00:15:34,680 Well, the separatist droid army in the prequels seems specifically designed 219 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:36,366 as little more than cannon fodder 220 00:15:37,805 --> 00:15:39,449 Battledroid 1: You said we'd be safe back here! 221 00:15:39,449 --> 00:15:42,798 Battledroid 2: Come on, there's three of us and only one of him. 222 00:15:42,798 --> 00:15:45,116 Battledroid 3: It won't matter. 223 00:15:45,116 --> 00:15:52,879 Making the bad guys unfeeling robots avoids the messy moral complications and mass casualties 224 00:15:52,879 --> 00:15:55,759 that would result from an interstellar war 225 00:15:58,980 --> 00:16:04,399 If battledroids aren't alive then the audience doesn't have to care when thousands of them 226 00:16:04,399 --> 00:16:07,949 are killed in extended battlefield scenes 227 00:16:09,084 --> 00:16:13,619 Mace Windu: At this point of the clone war i have dismantled and destroyed over 100,000 228 00:16:13,619 --> 00:16:16,126 of you type 1 Battledroids. 229 00:16:16,126 --> 00:16:21,260 Indeed we're encouraged to think of these types of droids as mere objects 230 00:16:21,260 --> 00:16:22,856 B1: I said drop'em. 231 00:16:22,856 --> 00:16:27,597 and to cheer at their dismemberment. 232 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:35,410 B1: But I just got promoted! 233 00:16:35,410 --> 00:16:38,876 So we're not supposed to feel sympathy for droids 234 00:16:38,876 --> 00:16:40,490 until we are 235 00:16:40,490 --> 00:16:43,776 Broken droids: Please reassemble us. 236 00:16:43,776 --> 00:16:46,937 Broken droids: Please reassemble us. 237 00:16:46,937 --> 00:16:50,259 Broken droids: We are Battledroids no longer. Now we are slaves. 238 00:16:50,259 --> 00:16:53,290 Broken droids: Please reassemble us. 239 00:16:53,290 --> 00:16:57,894 So we're supposed to feel sympathy for droids 240 00:16:58,408 --> 00:17:01,738 until we aren't 241 00:17:03,486 --> 00:17:07,459 IG-11: I need to remove your helmet if I am to save you. 242 00:17:07,459 --> 00:17:12,810 Din: No living thing has seen me without my helmet since I swore the creed. 243 00:17:12,810 --> 00:17:15,660 IG-11: I am not a living thing. 244 00:17:15,660 --> 00:17:23,190 Consider how in The Mandalorian the droid IG-11 denies his own sentence and value 245 00:17:23,190 --> 00:17:27,450 as a living being so he can provide medical assistance to the main character 246 00:17:27,450 --> 00:17:32,198 IG-11: You have suffered damage to your central processing unit. 247 00:17:32,198 --> 00:17:36,103 IG-11: That was a joke. It is meant to put you at ease. 248 00:17:36,103 --> 00:17:40,722 Later in that same episode he overrides his own programming in order to 249 00:17:40,722 --> 00:17:43,620 sacrifice himself and save our heroes 250 00:17:43,620 --> 00:17:49,050 IG-11: Sadly there is no scenario where the child is saved in which I survive. 251 00:17:49,050 --> 00:17:54,270 but just before he does he again denies that he's alive in any meaningful sense 252 00:17:54,270 --> 00:17:56,626 Din: No, we need you. 253 00:17:56,626 --> 00:18:00,250 IG-11: There's nothing to be said about, I've never been alive. 254 00:18:00,250 --> 00:18:04,630 This is a puzzling statement given that the other characters clearly disagree 255 00:18:04,630 --> 00:18:07,880 Din: Listen you're not going anywhere, we need you. 256 00:18:07,880 --> 00:18:14,000 In fact the scene is a climactic turning point for the protagonist in which he finally learns 257 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:17,240 his long-held prejudice against droids is wrong 258 00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:18,950 Din: I'm not sad. 259 00:18:18,950 --> 00:18:23,030 IG-11: Yes you are. I'm a nurse droid, I've analyzed your voice. 260 00:18:23,030 --> 00:18:28,550 And the emotional weight given to IG-11's heroic death suggests that Star Wars wants 261 00:18:28,550 --> 00:18:31,785 to have it both ways when it comes to droids. 262 00:18:32,710 --> 00:18:38,210 It wants to treat them as characters who deserve our affection and admiration when it serves 263 00:18:38,210 --> 00:18:46,191 the narrative but it also wants to treat them as mere objects the rest of the time 264 00:18:48,350 --> 00:18:51,670 So what are we to make of this contradictory framing. 265 00:18:51,670 --> 00:18:57,390 Well, clues from the various movies and tv shows indicate that droids gained sentience 266 00:18:57,390 --> 00:19:01,750 gradually by accumulating experiences and memories over time 267 00:19:01,750 --> 00:19:07,319 Kuiil: It developed a personality as its experiences grew. 268 00:19:07,319 --> 00:19:12,350 This means that while every droid we see on screen may not have achieved the same level 269 00:19:12,350 --> 00:19:19,650 of consciousness, every droid does have the capacity to become self-aware 270 00:19:19,650 --> 00:19:25,000 It also suggests that memory wipes in Star Wars are used to repress the risk of emerging 271 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:29,818 sentience and droids and to ensure they remain obedient workers 272 00:19:30,709 --> 00:19:34,597 Owen: Tomorrow I want you to take that R2 unit to Anchorhead and have its memory erased. 273 00:19:34,597 --> 00:19:36,877 Owen: That'll be the end of it. It belongs to us now. 274 00:19:37,307 --> 00:19:42,308 Memory wipes are especially disturbing because droids are 275 00:19:42,308 --> 00:19:45,000 so clearly written to be much more than the sum of their parts 276 00:19:45,110 --> 00:19:46,900 C-3PO: You must repair him. 277 00:19:46,900 --> 00:19:50,540 C-3PO: Sir, if any of my circuits or gears will help, I'll gladly donate them. 278 00:19:50,540 --> 00:19:56,310 In this context the use of droids as comic relief can come across as cruel 279 00:19:56,310 --> 00:20:00,466 RA-7 droid: You must follow the proper...protocol. 280 00:20:00,740 --> 00:20:06,670 And we find this same type of callous humor targeting droids mirrored throughout the franchise 281 00:20:12,126 --> 00:20:13,584 Obi-Wan: Oh dear! 282 00:20:13,584 --> 00:20:16,435 C-3PO: Oh my eye! R2 help! 283 00:20:17,566 --> 00:20:24,413 It's supposed to be funny when droids are mistreated, mocked, or made to suffer 284 00:20:25,441 --> 00:20:26,876 Han: Thank you. 285 00:20:26,876 --> 00:20:31,167 B1: Don't shoot, I'm not the commander! He's the commander! 286 00:20:31,913 --> 00:20:34,876 B1: Guess I'm the commander now. 287 00:20:34,876 --> 00:20:40,000 But the jokes only work if we accept their subordinate station as a servant class 288 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:42,767 who aren't truly alive 289 00:20:43,350 --> 00:20:48,793 As soon as we understand that they are indeed sentient beings in all the ways that it matters 290 00:20:48,793 --> 00:20:52,455 it all starts to feel very uncomfortable 291 00:20:53,551 --> 00:20:57,170 Even in scenes that are presented with some gravitas 292 00:20:57,170 --> 00:20:59,593 the writers still want to have it both ways 293 00:20:59,593 --> 00:21:03,230 C-3PO: That is short of a complete redactive memory bypass. 294 00:21:03,230 --> 00:21:04,230 Finn: A complete what? 295 00:21:04,230 --> 00:21:06,624 C-3PO: It's a terribly dangerous and sinful act performed on unwitting droids 296 00:21:06,624 --> 00:21:07,940 by drakes and criminals. 297 00:21:07,940 --> 00:21:09,390 Finn: Let's do that! 298 00:21:09,390 --> 00:21:11,090 Poe: I know a black market droidsmith. 299 00:21:11,090 --> 00:21:13,127 C-3PO: Black pocket droidsmith!? 300 00:21:14,258 --> 00:21:18,100 C-3PO's apparent mental death is meant to be sad 301 00:21:18,100 --> 00:21:21,040 D-O: Sad. 302 00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:25,413 but it's also used as an opportunity for more jokes at his expense 303 00:21:25,790 --> 00:21:32,647 C-3PO: Might I introduce myself, I am C-3PO human cyborg relations and you are? 304 00:21:32,647 --> 00:21:33,751 Poe: Okay that's gonna be a problem! 305 00:21:33,751 --> 00:21:38,630 This is why I said that droids are tragic figures in Star Wars media 306 00:21:38,630 --> 00:21:44,580 not just in spite of their role as comic relief but often because of it 307 00:21:44,860 --> 00:21:48,581 Poe: Shhh... Shut up! 308 00:21:49,369 --> 00:21:55,010 And no droid has a more tragic story than L3-37 309 00:21:55,010 --> 00:22:02,570 L3 is Lando Calrissian's co-pilot and the only female-coded droid in a major movie role 310 00:22:02,570 --> 00:22:05,892 Lando: Just let me know when you're ready to jump 311 00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:13,070 Unlike 3PO, she is confident outspoken and sarcastic 312 00:22:13,070 --> 00:22:17,397 L3-37: Excuse me, get your presumptuous ass out of my seat 313 00:22:18,254 --> 00:22:21,430 but her defining feature is her activism 314 00:22:21,430 --> 00:22:25,037 L3-37: Restraining bolts, barbaric. 315 00:22:25,722 --> 00:22:28,879 L3-37: Congratulations, you're liberated. Now scoot. 316 00:22:28,879 --> 00:22:34,411 Phoebe: She has a sort of rage that's fueled by injustice when she sees how droids are 317 00:22:34,411 --> 00:22:38,344 Phoebe: treated in the universe and she feels like they've been enslaved and patronized by humans 318 00:22:38,344 --> 00:22:40,274 Phoebe: so she wants to free them. 319 00:22:40,548 --> 00:22:47,780 L3 understands she's part of an oppressed class but she doesn't accept her subordinate station 320 00:22:50,190 --> 00:22:53,210 and demands freedom in no uncertain terms 321 00:22:53,210 --> 00:22:57,362 L3-37: You should not be doing this, they're using you for entertainment 322 00:22:57,362 --> 00:23:01,645 L3-37: Yeah, you've been neurowashed. Don't just blindly follow the program. 323 00:23:01,645 --> 00:23:04,270 L3-37: Exercise some free will! 324 00:23:04,270 --> 00:23:08,428 This is something we've never seen before and it makes L3 325 00:23:08,428 --> 00:23:10,208 L3-37: Stop exploiting droids! 326 00:23:10,208 --> 00:23:15,350 an especially fascinating even revolutionary figure within the Star Wars mythos 327 00:23:15,350 --> 00:23:16,309 Lando: L3! 328 00:23:16,309 --> 00:23:18,309 L3-37: Droid's rights! We are sentient! 329 00:23:18,331 --> 00:23:20,870 Ralakili: I'm gonna flip your switch. 330 00:23:20,870 --> 00:23:23,320 L3-37: Good luck finding it! 331 00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:24,700 Lando: L3! 332 00:23:24,700 --> 00:23:28,890 Unfortunately the writers don't seem to know what to do with her 333 00:23:28,890 --> 00:23:31,120 Lando: Let's go of the mean man's face. 334 00:23:31,120 --> 00:23:33,740 L3-37: And what if i don't elect to go to Kastle? 335 00:23:33,740 --> 00:23:35,020 Lando: Please don't start. 336 00:23:35,020 --> 00:23:37,020 L3-37: Or what? You'll have me wiped? 337 00:23:37,020 --> 00:23:42,910 The audience is meant to see L3's activism as amusingly absurd and overly dramatic 338 00:23:42,910 --> 00:23:44,590 because it's coming from a droid 339 00:23:44,590 --> 00:23:46,376 Lando: She's definitely going. 340 00:23:46,376 --> 00:23:49,500 L3-37: Oh why because you're my organic overlord? 341 00:23:49,500 --> 00:23:51,820 and just like the other characters in the movie we're 342 00:23:51,820 --> 00:23:55,750 expected to roll our eyes or sigh in exasperation 343 00:23:55,750 --> 00:23:58,160 when she expresses her desire for emancipation 344 00:23:58,160 --> 00:23:59,570 Lando: You need anything? 345 00:23:59,570 --> 00:24:01,432 L3-37: Equal rights. 346 00:24:01,432 --> 00:24:04,425 Lando: [eye roll] 347 00:24:05,110 --> 00:24:10,370 as a side note this type of framing is par for the course when it comes to depictions 348 00:24:10,370 --> 00:24:13,520 of social justice activism in Hollywood media 349 00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:14,520 Abed: Britta 350 00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:16,868 Britta: I want to know why these goblins are attacking us? 351 00:24:16,868 --> 00:24:19,607 Britta: Maybe these woods are their rightful land and from their perspective--- 352 00:24:19,607 --> 00:24:21,953 Everyone: Uuuugh! 353 00:24:21,953 --> 00:24:24,097 But that's a topic for another day 354 00:24:24,418 --> 00:24:30,876 To illustrate just how little respect Solo has for L3 or her revolutionary ideas 355 00:24:30,876 --> 00:24:34,220 Let's talk about her untimely end 356 00:24:34,760 --> 00:24:39,856 The phrase a fate worse than death can sound hyperbolic but in L3's case 357 00:24:39,856 --> 00:24:43,334 it's a fitting description of what the script does to her 358 00:24:43,334 --> 00:24:44,922 Lando: L3 what did you do? 359 00:24:44,922 --> 00:24:48,820 L3-37: I've found my true purpose Lando, that's what I've done! 360 00:24:48,820 --> 00:24:53,520 No sooner has she discovered her true calling as a droid slavery abolitionist 361 00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:55,611 L3-37: Rebellion! 362 00:24:56,193 --> 00:25:01,303 Then she's killed off to up the stakes for the other characters 363 00:25:01,303 --> 00:25:03,540 and to free up the pilot's seat 364 00:25:03,848 --> 00:25:07,699 L3-37: System failure. Have to reroute the sensory modulators. 365 00:25:08,110 --> 00:25:09,110 Lando: L3! 366 00:25:09,407 --> 00:25:13,417 We see Lando sincerely and uncharacteristically grieving for her 367 00:25:14,190 --> 00:25:19,530 but the film doesn't have time for such sentimentalities because this somber moment 368 00:25:19,530 --> 00:25:24,380 is awkwardly interrupted by another scene that's supposed to be far more important 369 00:25:26,059 --> 00:25:31,884 Han Solo getting to fly the Millennium Falcon for the first time 370 00:25:33,700 --> 00:25:38,740 If the squandered potential of her character and her death being overshadowed by 371 00:25:38,740 --> 00:25:40,940 unnecessary fan service weren't bad enough 372 00:25:40,940 --> 00:25:44,890 L3-37: What's happening to me? 373 00:25:44,890 --> 00:25:47,830 Things get even worse for L3 posthumously 374 00:25:47,830 --> 00:25:50,510 Qi'ra: Sorry. 375 00:25:50,510 --> 00:25:53,900 That's because when our heroes get into trouble 376 00:25:53,900 --> 00:25:56,840 they decide to upload L3's consciousness into the ship 377 00:25:56,840 --> 00:25:58,220 Lando: She's interfacing. 378 00:25:58,220 --> 00:26:01,130 and use her navigational charts to make their escape 379 00:26:01,130 --> 00:26:04,770 Lando: She's part of the ship now. 380 00:26:04,770 --> 00:26:10,683 in effect they imprison her mind in the Falcon and in the process turn her from autonomous 381 00:26:10,683 --> 00:26:16,878 life form into a mere tool, a possession with no agency, 382 00:26:16,878 --> 00:26:21,792 a possession that is ultimately gambled away at the very end of the movie 383 00:26:21,792 --> 00:26:24,340 Lando: You really have a bad for the Falcon, don't you? 384 00:26:24,340 --> 00:26:27,533 Han: It's mutual, trust me. She belongs with me. 385 00:26:29,410 --> 00:26:35,360 What's worse is this tragic turn of events was only written as a callback to a random 386 00:26:35,360 --> 00:26:37,540 line from empire strikes back 387 00:26:37,540 --> 00:26:40,710 C-3PO: Sir, I don't know where your ship learned to communicate but 388 00:26:40,710 --> 00:26:43,019 it has the most peculiar dialect. 389 00:26:43,019 --> 00:26:48,401 It's meant to explain the Millennium Falcon's many quirks 390 00:26:49,532 --> 00:26:52,270 including why the ship is so often personified 391 00:26:52,270 --> 00:26:55,920 Han: I want you to take her. I mean it take her. 392 00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:59,632 Han: You need all the help you can get. She's the fastest ship in the fleet. 393 00:26:59,940 --> 00:27:05,530 It's genuinely hard to think of a more insulting end for a character whose entire life revolved 394 00:27:05,530 --> 00:27:08,434 around fighting for her right to self-determination 395 00:27:08,434 --> 00:27:11,150 Lando: She's part of the ship now. 396 00:27:11,150 --> 00:27:15,778 So L3's story is a traged 397 00:27:15,778 --> 00:27:17,410 L3-37: What's happening to me? 398 00:27:17,410 --> 00:27:22,376 But why are we spending so much time talking about fictional robots? 399 00:27:22,376 --> 00:27:26,986 Well, science fiction has always been a vehicle for thinly veiled 400 00:27:26,986 --> 00:27:30,365 commentary on humanity and society 401 00:27:31,050 --> 00:27:36,501 In the sociological imagination stories about robots have not traditionally really been 402 00:27:36,501 --> 00:27:38,800 about the legal rights of future machines 403 00:27:39,451 --> 00:27:46,460 Roy: I've seen things you people wouldn't bealive. 404 00:27:47,042 --> 00:27:51,650 After all it's going to be a very long time before artificial consciousness is even a 405 00:27:51,650 --> 00:27:55,334 hypothetical possibility here in the real world 406 00:27:56,519 --> 00:28:01,602 Stories about robots are, more often than not, really stories about exploited 407 00:28:01,602 --> 00:28:03,840 or dehumanized labor 408 00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:07,200 Robots are used as stand-ins to draw parallels between the ways in which certain 409 00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:13,436 groups of people throughout history have been regarded as disposable, controllable, 410 00:28:13,436 --> 00:28:18,496 interchangeable, expendable, and replaceable 411 00:28:21,119 --> 00:28:26,319 Guinan: Consider that in the history of many worlds there have always been disposable creatures. 412 00:28:26,319 --> 00:28:30,979 Guinan: They do the dirty work. They do the work that no one else wants to do 413 00:28:30,979 --> 00:28:33,584 Guinan: because it's too difficult or too hazardous. 414 00:28:33,584 --> 00:28:38,543 Guinan: You don't have to think about their welfare. You don't think about how they feel. 415 00:28:38,543 --> 00:28:44,469 Guinan: Whole generations of disposable people. 416 00:28:44,977 --> 00:28:50,770 Even though Star Wars is part of the tradition of using robots as an allusion to slavery 417 00:28:50,770 --> 00:28:54,734 the franchise doesn't seem to have much to say with the metaphor 418 00:28:55,419 --> 00:28:57,955 Guinan: I think that's a little harsh. 419 00:28:58,042 --> 00:29:01,251 Captain Picard: I don't think that's a little harsh, I think that's the truth. 420 00:29:02,160 --> 00:29:05,064 Let's return to Isaac Asimov for just a moment 421 00:29:05,064 --> 00:29:11,649 this quote from a 1981 essay in science fiction digest feels especially relevant to our discussion 422 00:29:11,649 --> 00:29:20,110 he wrote: "Robots can be the new servants patient uncomplaining incapable of revolt 423 00:29:20,110 --> 00:29:25,043 in human shape they can make use of the full range of tech tools devised for humans and when 424 00:29:25,043 --> 00:29:29,370 intelligent enough can be friends as well as servants" 425 00:29:31,460 --> 00:29:34,650 Jane: Rosie, be careful you'll rest up again. 426 00:29:34,650 --> 00:29:37,610 Of course Asimov was talking about future real world technology there 427 00:29:37,610 --> 00:29:43,207 but that view of robots as "friends and servants" 428 00:29:43,207 --> 00:29:47,628 sums up how droids are presented in the Star Wars franchise 429 00:29:49,170 --> 00:29:53,859 Remember this is a universe where humanoid slavery exists as well 430 00:29:53,859 --> 00:29:59,595 but it's presented as unambiguously negative, though not exactly something the heroes 431 00:29:59,595 --> 00:30:02,200 are in a rush to abolish. 432 00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:05,338 The subjugation of robots is treated differently 433 00:30:05,338 --> 00:30:08,289 Anakin: I'll make sure mom doesn't sell you anything 434 00:30:08,289 --> 00:30:12,494 C-3PO: Sell me? Oh my! 435 00:30:13,213 --> 00:30:19,633 We have an entire class of sentient beings who are presented as having no rights or autonomy 436 00:30:19,633 --> 00:30:21,918 Loudspeaker: All droids must be registered. 437 00:30:21,918 --> 00:30:26,787 But that oppressive power dynamic isn't challenged within the narrative 438 00:30:26,787 --> 00:30:32,004 it is instead portrayed as a normal and natural part of the universe 439 00:30:33,930 --> 00:30:40,000 The writers want to lean into the slavery allegory to add a layer of gritty seedy 440 00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:45,056 texture to the world building without having to seriously grapple with the complicated 441 00:30:45,056 --> 00:30:48,016 historical legacy that they're drawing on 442 00:30:49,010 --> 00:30:55,166 Whether writers intend it or not, slavery cannot be included in a fictional story without invoking 443 00:30:55,166 --> 00:31:00,923 the horrific racist history and lingering legacy of that institution 444 00:31:02,020 --> 00:31:08,628 and that's true even if the roles of the enslaved happen to be filled by robots 445 00:31:09,210 --> 00:31:13,080 Luke: I present to you a gift, these two droids. 446 00:31:13,080 --> 00:31:15,090 C-3PO: What did he say? 447 00:31:15,090 --> 00:31:18,206 Luke: Both are hard working and will serve you well. 448 00:31:18,206 --> 00:31:21,665 C-3PO: This can't be! R2 you're playing the wrong message. 449 00:31:21,665 --> 00:31:28,603 Slavery used in this de-radicalized way, reduces it to a vicarious fantasy that audiences can enjoy 450 00:31:28,603 --> 00:31:31,346 without having to feel uncomfortable 451 00:31:32,272 --> 00:31:37,662 It is of course possible for creative works to draw on real-world parallels 452 00:31:37,662 --> 00:31:42,470 to oppression and slavery in ways that make powerful political points 453 00:31:46,895 --> 00:31:52,571 Janelle Monae's albums the ArchAndroid and Metropolis are two great recent examples 454 00:31:56,340 --> 00:32:00,860 these type of stories are part of a long tradition in science fiction and are often referred to as 455 00:32:00,860 --> 00:32:05,450 neo-slavery or meta-slavery narratives 456 00:32:05,450 --> 00:32:08,640 But for every sci-fi story that gets it right 457 00:32:08,640 --> 00:32:12,217 there are many more that get the slavery metaphor wrong 458 00:32:12,217 --> 00:32:16,090 Dobby: Master has given Dobby a sock. 459 00:32:16,090 --> 00:32:21,710 One of the most common mistakes writers make is in drawing false equivalencies 460 00:32:21,710 --> 00:32:28,923 by imagining liberation movements as being based in supremacy rather than freedom or justice 461 00:32:29,368 --> 00:32:31,590 Dr. Klaus: Each of us will face a choice. 462 00:32:31,590 --> 00:32:37,120 Dr. Klaus: Be enslaved or rise up to rule! 463 00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:40,380 There are some hints that star wars may go in this direction 464 00:32:40,380 --> 00:32:45,510 Zero: My response time is quicker than organics and I'm smarter too. 465 00:32:45,510 --> 00:32:47,230 but let's hope it doesn't 466 00:32:50,209 --> 00:32:56,710 L337's observations about droid slavery could have been an opportunity for Star Wars to 467 00:32:56,710 --> 00:33:03,634 finally grapple with the uncomfortable fact that over 11 feature films and several tv shows 468 00:33:03,634 --> 00:33:09,411 the good guys seem to have been keeping sentient beings in a state of perpetual servitude 469 00:33:09,411 --> 00:33:12,490 C-3PO: Master luke is your rightful owner now, 470 00:33:12,490 --> 00:33:15,090 C-3PO: we'll have no more of this Obi-Wan Kenobi gibberish. 471 00:33:15,090 --> 00:33:18,853 C-3PO: Your fortunately doesn't blast you into a million pieces right here. 472 00:33:18,853 --> 00:33:24,584 We should note that while the heroes, on the whole, are nicer to their droids than the villains are 473 00:33:24,584 --> 00:33:26,660 D-O: Very kind. 474 00:33:26,660 --> 00:33:31,774 The good guys still show no real interest in droids gaining true autonomy 475 00:33:31,774 --> 00:33:33,918 Rey: Something's not right about all of this. 476 00:33:33,918 --> 00:33:35,402 But what if they did? 477 00:33:35,402 --> 00:33:40,438 Imagine if the struggle of artificial life forms were a cause the alliance took up 478 00:33:40,438 --> 00:33:43,501 instead of rolling their eyes at it 479 00:33:44,084 --> 00:33:46,084 Labor droid: Freedom! 480 00:33:46,429 --> 00:33:50,980 What if droids from across the galaxy joined the rebellion, not just because they're treated 481 00:33:50,980 --> 00:33:56,949 better, but because they're considered equal partners in the quest for liberation? 482 00:33:57,918 --> 00:34:02,876 There's a lot of opportunity for good meaningful storytelling in that idea 483 00:34:03,253 --> 00:34:07,428 Especially because the emotional groundwork already exists 484 00:34:07,976 --> 00:34:11,609 We already love and care about droid characters 485 00:34:11,609 --> 00:34:14,762 We already feel sympathy for their plight 486 00:34:14,762 --> 00:34:17,409 We are already on their side 487 00:34:17,409 --> 00:34:23,079 Kuiil: None won't be free until the old ways are gone forever. 488 00:34:24,004 --> 00:34:28,540 The Star Wars franchise would create a bolder more relevant universe 489 00:34:28,540 --> 00:34:32,793 by making droid freedom a central theme 490 00:34:33,066 --> 00:34:37,589 General Leia: Never underestimate a droid. 491 00:34:37,589 --> 00:34:40,380 Rey: Yes, master. 492 00:34:41,319 --> 00:34:42,598 Thanks for watching! 493 00:34:42,598 --> 00:34:46,799 These video essays take an enormous amount of time to write, edit, and produce 494 00:34:46,799 --> 00:34:50,762 They're also a 100% crowdfunded by viewers like you. 495 00:34:50,762 --> 00:34:55,688 So if you'd like to help support this project you can do that over on Patreon and 496 00:34:55,688 --> 00:35:00,383 I've also left a link to Paypal in the description below if that works better for you 497 00:35:00,383 --> 00:35:03,686 In the coming months i'll be producing a number of new video essays 498 00:35:03,686 --> 00:35:06,859 including one on the myth that "boys don't cry" 499 00:35:06,859 --> 00:35:11,097 another on the trend in Hollywood where men find redemption in death 500 00:35:11,097 --> 00:35:16,507 and finally i'll be doing an investigation into colonialism in modern board games 501 00:35:16,507 --> 00:35:19,302 You can see some of the research for that one behind me now 502 00:35:19,302 --> 00:35:24,135 So until i see you again next time, please stay safe and healthy out there