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Droid



 
 
This is the concept of the "droid" in science fiction
Science fiction

Science fiction is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science or technology. Science fiction is found in books, art, television, films, games, theatre, and other media....
. For the Star Wars animated series, see Star Wars: Droids
Star Wars: Droids

Star Wars: Droids, also known as Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO, was an animated television series that featured the exploits of R2-D2 and C-3PO, the droids who have appeared in all six Star Wars films....
.


A droid is a kind of robot
Robot

A robot is a virtual or mechanical artificial agent. In practice, it is usually an Electromechanics which, by its appearance or movements, conveys a sense that it has Intention or Agency of its own....
, specifically an intelligent robot as seen in the fictional Star Wars
Star Wars

Star Wars is an epic film space opera Media franchise initially conceived by George Lucas. The first film in the franchise was simply titled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, but later had the subtitle Episode IV: A New Hope added to distinguish it from its sequels and prequels....
 universe and sometimes Doctor Who
Doctor Who

Doctor Who is a British Science fiction on television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a mysterious alien Time travel known as "Doctor " who travels in his space and time-ship, the TARDIS, which normally appears from the exterior to be a blue 1950s police box....
, and has a minority appearance in Ben 10
Ben 10

Ben 10 is an American animated television series created by "Man of Action" , and produced by Cartoon Network Studios. The pilot episode aired on December 27, 2005, as part of a sneak peek of Cartoon Network's Saturday morning lineup....
. More specifically, droids are defined as self-aware
Self-awareness

Self-awareness is the concept that one exists as an individual, separate from other people, with private thoughts and individual rights. It may also include the understanding that other people are similarly self-aware....
 robots, although this does not imply sentience
Sentience

Sentience is the ability to feel or perceive subjectivity. It is an important concept in philosophy, particularly in the philosophy of animal rights and in eastern philosophy, as well as in science fiction and the study of artificial intelligence, although in each of these fields the term is used slightly differently....
.

Examples of famous droids in film include R2-D2
R2-D2

R2-D2 , is a fictional character in the Star Wars fictional universe, an astromech droid. R2-D2 is one of the only four characters to appear in all six Star Wars films, the others being Anakin Skywalker , Obi-Wan Kenobi, and R2-D2's droid companion C-3PO....
 and C-3PO
C-3PO

C-3PO is a fictional character from the Star Wars fictional universe, who appears in both the Star Wars original trilogy and the Star Wars prequel trilogy....
 of the Star Wars Universe, and less famous droids include: 2-1B medic, "Red" R5-D4, EV-9D9, the Trade Federation
Trade Federation

The Trade Federation is a fictional organization in the Star Wars universe at the time of the Galactic Republic . It appears in the franchise's three prequel movies and the Star Wars Expanded Universe....
 battle droid
Battle droid

Battle Droids are a fictional Star Wars unit who are standard combat units for the Trade Federation and Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars era....
 and super battle droid, Imperial probe droid, K-3PO, HK-47
HK-47

HK-47, voiced by Kristoffer Tabori, is a fictional assassin droid from the 2003 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, its sequel, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, and the Star Wars: Galaxies#Trials of Obi-Wan expansion pack to the massively multiplayer online game Star Wars: Galaxies....
, R2-M5, R2-A6, HK-50, G0-T0, T3-M4, R4-P17, and the assassin droid IG-88
IG-88

IG-88 is a fiction bounty hunter who appears in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and throughout the rest of the saga. An List of Star Wars characters, there are actually 4 different models of the character, A, B, C, and D....
.

In the Star Wars
Star Wars

Star Wars is an epic film space opera Media franchise initially conceived by George Lucas. The first film in the franchise was simply titled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, but later had the subtitle Episode IV: A New Hope added to distinguish it from its sequels and prequels....
 universe, droids are used for many different purposes.






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This is the concept of the "droid" in science fiction
Science fiction

Science fiction is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science or technology. Science fiction is found in books, art, television, films, games, theatre, and other media....
. For the Star Wars animated series, see Star Wars: Droids
Star Wars: Droids

Star Wars: Droids, also known as Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO, was an animated television series that featured the exploits of R2-D2 and C-3PO, the droids who have appeared in all six Star Wars films....
.


A droid is a kind of robot
Robot

A robot is a virtual or mechanical artificial agent. In practice, it is usually an Electromechanics which, by its appearance or movements, conveys a sense that it has Intention or Agency of its own....
, specifically an intelligent robot as seen in the fictional Star Wars
Star Wars

Star Wars is an epic film space opera Media franchise initially conceived by George Lucas. The first film in the franchise was simply titled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, but later had the subtitle Episode IV: A New Hope added to distinguish it from its sequels and prequels....
 universe and sometimes Doctor Who
Doctor Who

Doctor Who is a British Science fiction on television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a mysterious alien Time travel known as "Doctor " who travels in his space and time-ship, the TARDIS, which normally appears from the exterior to be a blue 1950s police box....
, and has a minority appearance in Ben 10
Ben 10

Ben 10 is an American animated television series created by "Man of Action" , and produced by Cartoon Network Studios. The pilot episode aired on December 27, 2005, as part of a sneak peek of Cartoon Network's Saturday morning lineup....
. More specifically, droids are defined as self-aware
Self-awareness

Self-awareness is the concept that one exists as an individual, separate from other people, with private thoughts and individual rights. It may also include the understanding that other people are similarly self-aware....
 robots, although this does not imply sentience
Sentience

Sentience is the ability to feel or perceive subjectivity. It is an important concept in philosophy, particularly in the philosophy of animal rights and in eastern philosophy, as well as in science fiction and the study of artificial intelligence, although in each of these fields the term is used slightly differently....
.

Examples of famous droids in film include R2-D2
R2-D2

R2-D2 , is a fictional character in the Star Wars fictional universe, an astromech droid. R2-D2 is one of the only four characters to appear in all six Star Wars films, the others being Anakin Skywalker , Obi-Wan Kenobi, and R2-D2's droid companion C-3PO....
 and C-3PO
C-3PO

C-3PO is a fictional character from the Star Wars fictional universe, who appears in both the Star Wars original trilogy and the Star Wars prequel trilogy....
 of the Star Wars Universe, and less famous droids include: 2-1B medic, "Red" R5-D4, EV-9D9, the Trade Federation
Trade Federation

The Trade Federation is a fictional organization in the Star Wars universe at the time of the Galactic Republic . It appears in the franchise's three prequel movies and the Star Wars Expanded Universe....
 battle droid
Battle droid

Battle Droids are a fictional Star Wars unit who are standard combat units for the Trade Federation and Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars era....
 and super battle droid, Imperial probe droid, K-3PO, HK-47
HK-47

HK-47, voiced by Kristoffer Tabori, is a fictional assassin droid from the 2003 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, its sequel, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, and the Star Wars: Galaxies#Trials of Obi-Wan expansion pack to the massively multiplayer online game Star Wars: Galaxies....
, R2-M5, R2-A6, HK-50, G0-T0, T3-M4, R4-P17, and the assassin droid IG-88
IG-88

IG-88 is a fiction bounty hunter who appears in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and throughout the rest of the saga. An List of Star Wars characters, there are actually 4 different models of the character, A, B, C, and D....
.

In the Star Wars
Star Wars

Star Wars is an epic film space opera Media franchise initially conceived by George Lucas. The first film in the franchise was simply titled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, but later had the subtitle Episode IV: A New Hope added to distinguish it from its sequels and prequels....
 universe, droids are used for many different purposes. Astromech droid
Astromech droid

Astromech droids are a type of droid often encountered in the fictional Star Wars universe. Such robots are automated mechanics, doing many kinds of repair duties....
s (or Astrodroids) such as R2-D2 are used aboard starship for myriad purposes, including repair work and serving as central processing units or navcomputers for ships inherently lacking such, such as X-wing
X-wing

X-wings are fictional starfighters from the original Star Wars trilogy and the Star Wars Expanded Universe. They are depicted as the primary Interceptor aircraft and dogfighter of the Rebel Alliance and the New Republic ....
s. Protocol droid
Protocol droid

A protocol droid is a type of robot in the Star Wars fictional universe. Protocol droids assist in communications and etiquette, and can also carry out administrative tasks; the protocol droid C-3PO is "fluent in six million forms of communication"....
s like C-3PO are used for diplomatic affairs and for translating. The two leading droid manufacturers are Cybot Galactica and Industrial Automaton.

The word droid originated as a contraction of "android
Android

An android is a robot designed to look and act human. The word derives from a?d???, the genitive of the Greek language a??? aner, meaning "man", and the suffix -eides, used to mean "of the species; alike" ....
"; in the novelization of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is an Cinema of the United States 1977 in film space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It was the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: Star Wars#Original trilogy continue the story, while a Star Wars#Prequel trilogy contributes backstory, primarily for the troubled charac...
 the word was spelled with an apostrophe ( 'droid), a convention that has since been dropped. It is used to describe just about any robot, even those not humanoid
Humanoid

A humanoid is a hybrid term formed from Latin humanus "human" and the Greek :wikt:-oid expressing likeness. The term was coined in 1918 to refer to fossils considered close to human but not strictly human, including species now classified as Homo such as the Neanderthals....
 in appearance. Some droids do, however, exhibit human-like behavior; for example, they may react emotionally or think intelligently and self-reflectively (best displayed in C-3PO).

It is widely believed that the hostility shown towards droids in Episodes IV-VI is a result of animosity as droids led the armies of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the group widely (but erroneously) believed to be responsible for the Clone Wars
Clone Wars (Star Wars)

The 'Clone Wars' are a series of fictional Star Wars galaxy battles in George Lucas's science fiction saga Star Wars. The conflict is first mentioned in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope , but no details are given, and the wars themselves are not featured until the second and third episodes of the six-part Star Wars film series: St...
. Expanded Universe authors have also attributed it to the Empire's general xenophobia
Xenophobia

Xenophobia is an intense dislike and/or fear of people from other countries. It comes from the Greek language words ????? , meaning "foreigner," "stranger," and f???? , meaning "fear." The term is typically used to describe a fear or dislike of alien s or of people significantly different from oneself....
 and anti-alien
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture

In popular cultures, life forms--especially intelligent life forms, that are of extraterrestrial life, i.e. not coming from the Earth--are referred to collectively as Extraterrestrial lifes, or sometimes visitors....
 bias; interestingly, even the Jedi (especially Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi

Obi-Wan Kenobi is a fictional character in the Star Wars Star Wars galaxy. He is one of the protagonists in the Star Wars film series; along with Anakin Skywalker, R2-D2, and C-3PO, he is one of the few major characters to appear in each of the six Star Wars films....
) seem to hold droids in low esteem, possibly because the droids have essentially no presence in the Force
Force (Star Wars)

The Force is a binding, metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the fictional Star Wars fictional universe, created by George Lucas. First mentioned in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, it is integral in all subsequent films in the series, as well as the Star Wars "Expanded Universe" of comic books, novels, and video games....
, but can be manipulated by way of the Force (see Irek Ismaren).

Droids are parodied in the Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks

Mel Brooks is an United States film director, writer, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor and Film producer, best known as a creator of broad film farces and comic parody....
 film Spaceballs
Spaceballs

Spaceballs is a 1987 science fiction parody film co-written, directed by, and starring Mel Brooks. It was released on June 24, 1987, and earned only modest returns, but has gone on to become a seminal cult film on video....
, notably with the character Dot Matrix
Dot matrix

A dot matrix is a 2-dimensional array of dots used to generate characters, symbols and images.Typically the dot matrix is used in older computer printers and many digital display devices....
, who acts as Princess Vespa's "droid of honour".

The term "Droid" is a trademark
TradeMark

TradeMark is a tall, primarily residential, skyscraper in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was completed in 2007 and has 28 floors. There are 200 hundred residential units....
 of George Lucas
George Lucas

George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an Academy Award-nominated United States film director, film producer, screenwriter and chairman of Lucasfilm Ltd. He is best known for being the creator of the Epic film Sci-Fi franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones....
.

See also

  • List of Star Wars characters
    List of Star Wars characters

    This is a list of prominent characters from the Star Wars franchise, sorted by last name....