The Psychology Of Star Wars I: Sybolism of the Droids

This post will be part one of a three parter on the psychology of Star Wars. Yes i’m probably reading things into the series that the creators did not intend. But one of the great things about any art is that we can apply it to our own lives and use it in whatever way helps us. In this part I will focus on an analogy of C-3P0 and R2-D2 representing the relationship between one’s mind and heart, a metaphor I find useful in dealing with my personal problems. Psychologically speaking the “heart” could possibly refer to the Id, the part of you that follows your desires without thought of consequences. This does NOT fully explain what we poetically call “heart” because the Id is said to have no moral center. The Superego is your conscience, the part that holds your values and censors the Id. The Ego is the part that tries to resolve the conflict between the two parts. So from “a certain point of view” as Obi-Wan might say, the thing we poetically call “heart” is a combination of Id (acting without fear of consequences) and Superego (morals and values) and “mind” is the Ego (the thinking part). But from another point of view we can call the Id by itself “heart” and the Superego “mind” while the Ego tries to find a compromise between what they both want. R2-D2, like what we would call “heart”, is impulsive and goes out of his way to save his friends while C-3P0, like what we refer to as “mind”, keeps R2-D2 out of trouble by approaching things rationally. C-3P0 thinks and R2-D2 takes action. they need eachother. One to get things done and the other to hold his leash.

C-3P0 and R2-D2 first meet on Tattooine in Episode I. R2-D2 is an Astromech droid. He is inteligent and filled with useful gadgets. He recently saved Qui-Gon’s ship. C-3P0 is a Protocol droid that Anakin built for hs mother. He has the personality of a butler and acts as a translator for much of the saga. He has a tendancy to worry a lot, in contrast to R2-D2 who likes to take chances. When they first meet, R2-D2 points out to C-3P0 that his insides are showing. The heart can see into the mind in a way that the mind can’t see the heart. When we use our minds, our hearts understand the logic but when we follow our hearts, our minds can’t put our reasoning into words. Throughout the saga, C-3P0 understands what R2-D2 is saying but can’t always make sense of his actions.

The droids meet for the second time about ten years later in Episode II. C-3P0 has never left Tattooine. Unlike R2-D2, he will always be someone who likes to play it safe. C-3P0 finally leaves Tattooine and goes with Anakin, Padme, and R2-D2 to Geonosis. It is the beginning of his long friendship with R2-D2. As Anakin and Padme enter the droid factory, R2-D2 decides to go in and help them. C-3P0 believes “if they needed our help they would have asked for it”. C-3P0 is the mind and only looks at what is concrete and logical. R2-D2 is the heart, he understands emotions and does what he feels is right instead of only what he is told. R2-D2 goes into the factory and saves Padme from a machine pouring lava. C-3P0 follows R2-D2 in order to try and keep him out of trouble. The droids have not known each other for very long and do not yet work seamlessly together. When the heart and mind are out of sync, it can tear the mind apart (just read the second part of this blog series and see what happens to Anakin Skywalker in the next film) just as C-3P0 falls to pieces inside the droid factory. His body gets the head of a battle droid while his head is screwed onto the body of a battle droid. He is not whole. During the battle, R2-D2 fixes C-3P0 because the heart needs the mind to help care for it.

In Episode III, the droids don’t spend much time together but when they are together they bond well. This is the film where Anakin abandons what his rational mind tells him in favour of following his heart in a way that is irrational and dangerous, so it’s fitting that R2-D2 spends most of the film with Anakin/Vader and that C-3P0 loses his memory at the end of the film.

In Episode IV, the droids have been a pair for approximately two decades. They now work as well together as a heart and mind should. R2-D2 is on a secret mission to deliver a message from Princess Leia to Obi-Wan Kenobi and then assist him in delivering the Death Star plans to Alderaan. C-3P0 is with R2-D2 as they escape the Death Star and travel to Tatooine. C-3P0 is reluctant at first. Without R2-D2, C-3P0 would never have the courage to escape. The heart is the part that has courage, the mind can’t get anything done against its rational “programming” without the heart’s help. On Tatooine, C-3P0 gets frustrated with R2-D2 and they seperate for a while but C-3P0 soon regrets it and worries about R2-D2. The mind gets frustrated when the impulsive heart causes trouble for it but ultimately wants what is best for the heart and doesn’t want to be without it. The two are captured by Jawas and sold to Luke Skywalker. First they only buy C-3P0, he then convinces them to buy R2-D2. Without C-3P0, R2-D2 would have stayed with the Jawas and they may have sold him somewhere else, hurt him, or destroyed him. R2-D2 needed C-3P0 to bail him out of that situation because his impulsive nature made it difficult for him to do it on his own. C-3P0 also defends R2-D2 when R2-D2 behaves defiantly towards Luke. For R2-D2, the most important thing is completing the mission, which C-3P0 could not have done alone because he overthinks things. The heart needs the mind to keep it out of trouble but the mind needs the heart in order to get anything done. The two work perfectly together, one just slightly out of the other’s control. There has to be a balance between production and caution. R2-D2 runs away to find Obi-Wan. Luke and C-3P0 find him. Obi-Wan soon arrives and gets R2-D2 to play Leia’s message. For the rest of the film, the droids role in the story is lessened but they still have their moments, both funny and sweet. Towards the end of the film, C-3P0 tells R2-D2 to come back alive since otherwise his life would get boring. Without the heart, the mind would have little stimulation. The droid subplot in this film is a perfect example of the balance needed for both the heart and the mind to do their job. The heart is on a mission to do what needs to be done that the mind would not do alone, while the mind watches over the heart and keeps it out of trouble. They need each other, or else the mind would get nothing done and the heart would get destroyed by its own impulsivity.

The first time we see the droids in Episode V, they are having an argument. It seems C-3P0 commented that it was freezing in Leia’s chamber (they’re on an ice plannet) and R2-D2 took it to mean turn up the heat and now all Leia’s clothes are wet. This is a fine example how the mind and heart sometimes fail to communicate. The heart reacted differently than the mind expected because the mind forgot that the heart uses compassion ahead of rationality. The droids spend most of Episode V seperated, R2-D2 on Dagobah with Luke while C-3P0 travels with the rest of the heroes. Since R2-D2 does not speak, we cannot say whether he misses C-3P0, but C-3P0 misses R2-D2. While working on fixing the Millenium Falcon (Han’s ship), C-3P0 asks himself “where’s Artoo when I need him?”, indicating by this point he has become aware of how muc he needs R2-D2. Also as the two said goodbye, C-3P0 was caring enough to tell R2-D2 to be safe. It is important that the two can function without eachother in some circumstances and are not fully dependant on one another but are better off together. Sometimes our best decisions are made purely with the mind, sometimes purely with the heart, but usually with input from both. By the time the two are reunited, C-3P0 has fallen apart. The two work together to help the heroes escape Bespin, C-3P0 giving R2-D2 instructions. While C-3P0’s instructions work, R2-D2 also does something against instructions that is very important: he gathers information from the city central computer on how to fix the hyperdrive on the Millenium Falcon. C-3P0 does not realise they need the information, thinking it is fixed. At the end of the film, R2-D2 is able to fix the hyperdrive using the information C-3P0 did not think was needed. It is very important in most cases for the heart to follow the mind’s instructions but the heart must also be able to judge when it should follow its own instinct.

In Episode VI, the droids arrive together at the palace of Jabba The Hutt. Like in episode IV, R2-D2 is somewhat reliant on C-3P0 to keep him out of trouble on Tatooine. In their dealings at Jabba’s palace, C-3P0 is the mind: making decisions and functioning as a translator. Meanwhile R2-D2 is the heart: dedicated to his secret mission that the mind does not know about to the point he makes decisions irrationaly. R2-D2 is in on Luke’s plan to rescue Han while C-3P0 does not know the plan and is basically there to look after R2-D2 at Jabba’s palace. The droids do not do much in this film but they are there for the battle on Endor. The two attempt to help bring the shield generator down so that Lando can destroy the second Death Star, but R2-D2 gets shot and Han has to do it. Sometimes even when the heart and mind are perfectly in sync, they still fail.

C-3P0 and R2-D2, whether or not they were intended to be this way, are an excellent metaphor for how the mind and heart work together. The two need each other in order to function to their greatest potential. The disagree a lot but ultimately care for each other and would be lost without one another. They are opposites and so together are in perfect balance. They don’t always work together seamlessly but they work best together. C-3P0 needs R2-D2 to keep him on his toes and R2-D2 needs C-3P0 to keep him under control.