There are a multitude of droids in the C-3PO remaining fan favorites who have been present in every Star Wars film to varying degrees.
The duo very rarely have to go up against each other, though, so we’ve compared them on just about every level to determine who is truly the greatest droid in the history of the franchise.
C-3PO IS THE BEST: He’s Funnier
Star Wars doesn’t exactly shy away from the creation of comic relief characters. The Phantom Menace is let down hugely by allowing its piece of ridiculous comic relief to take one of the central roles, for example. C-3PO is the perfect character because he is able to fade into the background, drop a one-liner, and then take on a more serious, important role.
R2-D2 IS THE BEST: He’s Indecipherable
Despite C-3PO’s overt comedy, there is something hilarious and wholesome about R2-D2’s sassy bleeps. As 3PO’s responses suggest, R2 isn’t afraid to say things that many would consider rude or too far, while his penchant for swearing is something that has been suggested throughout the series.
On top of that, the idea that a character that no viewer can understand independently has remained so prominent and popular is a testament to his brilliance.
C-3PO IS THE BEST: He Was Built By Darth Vader
While the idea that 3PO is built by Vader creates endless plot holes and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, you can’t argue with the fact that it makes him a whole lot more important. The idea that he started out on the fight for good under his young creator and ended up having to fight for good directly against his creator is rather poetic.
R2-D2 IS THE BEST: He’s Always The Hero
Despite being a droid that we can’t understand or relate to, R2-D2 has managed to carry out at least one majorly heroic act in every single Star Wars episode. Whether it’s fixing the hyperdrive on the Millennium Falcon, saving C-3PO from the arena in The Clone Wars or shooting a lightsaber up to Luke, he is always on hand to help out.
C-3PO IS THE BEST: He Can Translate
In Doctor Who, the TARDIS can be used to translate the various languages the Doctor and his companions encounter around the universe. In Star Wars, that job falls to C-3PO. As we all know, he is fluent in over six million forms of communication, and as such, can help his comrades out of a variety of complex situations. Despite this, The Rise Of Skywalker showed that this didn’t always work out perfectly.
R2-D2 IS THE BEST: He Can Unlock Doors
While translation is a helpful tool to have when roaming the galaxy and encountering a variety of unfamiliar species, you can’t beat a good lockpick.
Most of the time, the heroes of Star Wars are poking their way around places they don’t belong and as such, need to access doors they don’t have the keys for. R2 is like a permanent set of keys, capable of getting through just about the door you place in front of him.
C-3PO IS THE BEST: He Became A God
While R2 has seen a lot of action in the Star Wars universe, most of it directly beside C-3PO, the one thing they don’t share is 3PO’s temporarily God-like statement. His coding states that he is forbidden to imitate a deity, but he does a bloody good job of it when the Ewoks begin their worship of him. It’s relatively short-lived, but no one ever worshiped R2, did they?
R2-D2 IS THE BEST: He Avoided The Uncanny Valley
The idea of the ‘Uncanny Valley’ was introduced just a few years before the Star Wars franchise began. It was suggested by Masahiro Mori and basically suggests that more humanlike robots are more appealing until a certain cut-off point at which they become creepy. As R2 looks nothing like a human, he avoids this entire complexity and remains cute and amicable at all times.
C-3PO IS THE BEST: He Had A Red Arm
The return of C-3PO was something every Star Wars fan was eagerly anticipating when The Force Awakens was announced. His entry into the frame sporting a red arm and shouting “you probably didn’t recognize me because of the red arm” was arguably the greatest way anyone could have brought a character back. Props to JJ Abrams.
R2-D2 IS THE BEST: He Is Considered ‘The Narrator’
There is a very interesting fan theory lurking around the Star Wars universe that R2 is basically narrating the story from a distant future. It is built on the idea that he is recounting everything that happened in The Journal Of The Whills, ed by the fact that each episode opens with ‘a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...’ and that R2 was present at most major events.
