Most are quite intelligent, and some can even speak the human language, such as C-3PO. However, most droids, including R2-D2 and BB-8, "speak" a droid language through sequences of beeps and whistles. It is known as "Binary," and several humans in the Star Wars universe can understand it.
All droids speak and understand Binary, given it's their first language. But only a few of the human characters in Star Wars can understand droids; Luke Skywalker wasn't the only one.
The base assumption of why Obi-Wan doesn't remember R2-D2 -- in light of the prequels -- is that Obi-Wan is feigning ignorance in A New Hope to downplay the importance of the droid's arrival. That explanation holds the most water for a number of reasons.
A smart, spunky droid who would serve a multitude of masters over his lifetime, R2-D2 was never given a full memory wipe nor did he ever receive new programming, with these factors resulting in an adventurous and independent attitude.
After the Clone Wars, however, Brooks Propulsion Devices, the company responsible for the development of his boosters, was shut down, and his rocket boosters were eventually damaged and thus could not be repaired. Despite this, however, R2 hardly regretted the loss of his ability to fly.
Darth Vader acts like he doesn't even know C-3PO or R2D2. They were with him since he was a child. He did everything he could to forget his past. Also, his plating had been replaced many times, and protocol droids all look very similar.
However, one theory argues that Obi-Wan did recognize R2-D2, but he chose to pretend not to in order to avoid telling Luke the full truth. This would explain certain signs of familiarity between the Jedi and the droid and fit Obi-Wan's pattern of subtly lying to Luke.
in the Dark Horse comic series star Wars Tales, which is now part of legends, it's revealed that Darth Vader did recognize C. 3PO on Cloud City. when 3PO was shot by Stormtroopers, his parts were brought before Vader. because the Imperials thought he could hold valuable.
Obi-wan responds to starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Luke_Skywalker saying R2 belongs to him with, “I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid,” which is technically true, because Obi-Wan never did “own” R2 or C-3PO. Obi-Wan then makes a comment that suggests he's more than aware of R2's impressive capabilities.
What's going on: Anthony Daniels, who plays the C-3PO role in all of the nine Skywalker saga films, recently told HuffPost that he wasn't sure why Obi-Wan Kenobi didn't know C-3PO. He said it's possible Obi-Wan knew too many droids.
During the Clone Wars, it was common practice to wipe the minds of astromech droids after every mission to avoid the risk of Separatists taking valued information. But Anakin remained staunchly against this idea for R2-D2, meaning the droid never had to worry about losing the memories of his past.
One of the mysteries from the original trilogy that was fueled by the prequels is why R2-D2 never told Luke that Darth Vader was his father, as he actually knew Anakin Skywalker and witnessed his turn to the dark side.
Absolutely. Growing up on Tatooine, Anakin Skywalker was already accustomed to grasping and understanding many different languages. Not to mention, he was a droid fanatic himself—being a great mechanic—and most likely knew the language of Artoo's “droid language” or picked up on it quite quickly.
secondly, in Legends, R2 was given programming that actually restricted him. from sharing any information with Luke or Leia. about their parents or relation to one another. this was all part of the plan. to conceal this information from the twins.
Leia's Force abilities and her lack of awareness of her true identity also contributed to Vader's inability to sense their familial connection. Vader's denial of Anakin Skywalker's legacy and his fear of getting hurt again prevented him from realizing the truth about his children until later in the original trilogy.
The sequence calls back to a similar scene in Revenge of the Sith, when Bail Organa orders Threepio's memory be erased to prevent him from sharing information about Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark side.
They aren't abbreviations — they're model and serial numbers. R2 is a second generation R-series astromech, serial number D2. * And C-3PO is a C-series protocol droid with the serial number 3PO.
Because he never owned a droid. R2-D2 was owned by Padme and later Anakin, and after that Bail Organa. R4-P17 was assigned to him to assist, not given to him to own. So he really never owned one.
Ownership of the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO changes throughout the Star Wars prequel trilogy. R2-D2: R2-D2 is initially owned by the Naboo Royal Starship, serving as the astromech droid for Queen Amidala's starship. C-3PO: C-3PO is created by Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine using spare parts.
After 30 years, this is followed by the sequel trilogy, which is similarly short, covering only around a year from Star Wars: The Force Awakens to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, during which time R2 would be about 66 to 67 years old.
R2-D2 (/ˌɑːr. tuːˈdiːtuː/) or Artoo-Detoo is a fictional robot character in the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. He has appeared in ten of the eleven theatrical Star Wars films to date, including every movie in the original trilogy, prequel trilogy, and sequel trilogy.
