Over the years C-3PO has proved himself one of the most difficult Star Wars characters to write for. And this is despite the fact that Threepio has been portrayed by Anthony Daniels in practically all of his TV and film appearances. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that this particular protocol droid was originally written as more of a slick used car salesman instead of a nervous English butler.
The writers of the new CG Clone Wars series have freely admitted to find it difficult getting a grip on the character (though they came close in the 'Bombad Jedi' episode). Before that, Genndy Tartakovsky's Clone Wars micro-series actually had a scene in which Padmé orders the poor accident prone droid to walk straight into a line of fire and almost be blown up. However, when Goldenrod visited Sesame Street together with his counterpart R2-D2 (a remote controlled version, unfortunately not operated by Kenny Baker, though Anthony probably didn't mind), the writers got both mechanicals just right.
This 1980 episode opens as Big Bird spots a spaceship landing behind the fence. It's a slight disappointment that in such an inventive show as Sesame Street, this particular UFO is represented by a formless optical that looks like a swirling light. Trivia lovers take note: part of Bird's dialog can also be heard coming from the TV in E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, though the footage that accompanies it comes from another episode. Of course back in those days, the human inhabitants still thought BB had an overactive imagination, and their first reaction to his story about seeing two mechanical aliens exit a spaceship is to think they are just as imaginary as Mr. Snuffleupagus. They are soon proved wrong however, when both droids stroll by and just like in A New Hope, Artoo has a message to deliver.
The message turns out to be from Lothar the Grouch who hails from the seventh moon of the planet Zurkon. Oscar is the recipient, of course, and as usual he has one of the best lines in the show on receiving it: "Go ahead, it's your nickle!". I love old school telephone humor. Both droids also participate in some educational scenes in which Maria oils various parts of Threepio's anatomy (sounds a bit rude), they show Big Bird that droids are capable of showing emotions and they play a game of Blind Man's Bluff.
It is in the later two sketches that the aforementioned skill with which the writers incorporated Threepio's character is played out to full effect. Threepio tries to get Artoo to show 'anger', but only gets himself worked up instead. He also recalls a time when both of them were 'in the great desert of Callisto'. Must have been during one of their adventures between Star Wars Episodes III and IV, though the writers could possibly be referring to Tatooine, as that planet was never named on screen during A New Hope.
But for me the line that totally nails Mr. C-3PO (as Big Bird calls him) is uttered during the game of Blind Man's Bluff (and I don't mean when Artoo likens it to 'Hide and Go Beep). When a blindfolded Big Bird is spinning himself round, Threepio says 'how exciting'. Isn't it hilarious that 'The Professor', who doesn't like adventures or flying and worries about everything, would think a simple game like this exciting. The pair of them would return again in Episode 1396 (that was the one in which Artoo fell in love with the fire hydrant) and several of their clips were repeated for years to follow afterward. It's a shame the droids never interacted with Sesame Street's own Sam the Robot.
8 out of 10
The writers of the new CG Clone Wars series have freely admitted to find it difficult getting a grip on the character (though they came close in the 'Bombad Jedi' episode). Before that, Genndy Tartakovsky's Clone Wars micro-series actually had a scene in which Padmé orders the poor accident prone droid to walk straight into a line of fire and almost be blown up. However, when Goldenrod visited Sesame Street together with his counterpart R2-D2 (a remote controlled version, unfortunately not operated by Kenny Baker, though Anthony probably didn't mind), the writers got both mechanicals just right.
This 1980 episode opens as Big Bird spots a spaceship landing behind the fence. It's a slight disappointment that in such an inventive show as Sesame Street, this particular UFO is represented by a formless optical that looks like a swirling light. Trivia lovers take note: part of Bird's dialog can also be heard coming from the TV in E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, though the footage that accompanies it comes from another episode. Of course back in those days, the human inhabitants still thought BB had an overactive imagination, and their first reaction to his story about seeing two mechanical aliens exit a spaceship is to think they are just as imaginary as Mr. Snuffleupagus. They are soon proved wrong however, when both droids stroll by and just like in A New Hope, Artoo has a message to deliver.
The message turns out to be from Lothar the Grouch who hails from the seventh moon of the planet Zurkon. Oscar is the recipient, of course, and as usual he has one of the best lines in the show on receiving it: "Go ahead, it's your nickle!". I love old school telephone humor. Both droids also participate in some educational scenes in which Maria oils various parts of Threepio's anatomy (sounds a bit rude), they show Big Bird that droids are capable of showing emotions and they play a game of Blind Man's Bluff.
It is in the later two sketches that the aforementioned skill with which the writers incorporated Threepio's character is played out to full effect. Threepio tries to get Artoo to show 'anger', but only gets himself worked up instead. He also recalls a time when both of them were 'in the great desert of Callisto'. Must have been during one of their adventures between Star Wars Episodes III and IV, though the writers could possibly be referring to Tatooine, as that planet was never named on screen during A New Hope.
But for me the line that totally nails Mr. C-3PO (as Big Bird calls him) is uttered during the game of Blind Man's Bluff (and I don't mean when Artoo likens it to 'Hide and Go Beep). When a blindfolded Big Bird is spinning himself round, Threepio says 'how exciting'. Isn't it hilarious that 'The Professor', who doesn't like adventures or flying and worries about everything, would think a simple game like this exciting. The pair of them would return again in Episode 1396 (that was the one in which Artoo fell in love with the fire hydrant) and several of their clips were repeated for years to follow afterward. It's a shame the droids never interacted with Sesame Street's own Sam the Robot.
8 out of 10
