How Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet influenced the development of C3PO
While we have previously discussed how Ralph McQuarrie's design for C3PO was inspired by the Maschinenmensch from Fritz Lang's famous film, Metropolis and that his comedy duo act with his foil R2D2 came from The Hidden Fortress, it's Robby the Robot that sets the tone of the golden rod.
 |
| Early C3PO design sketch |
"If you do not speak English, I am at your disposal with 187 other languages, dialects and sub-tongues"
Kitbashed cleverly notes that this example means that Robby the Robot is effectively a proto-protocol droid. C3PO's introduction to Padme in The Phantom Menace shows how he is modeled on this concept "Hello, I am C-3PO, human cyborg relations "
Word on the street has it that George Lucas has stated that the lumbering robot was not a direct inspiration for C3PO. This is not wholly true. In the documentary about science fiction films of the 1950's, Look at the Sky! discussion is had with the directors Steven Spielberg and George Lucas about Forbidden Planet.
Spielberg suggests that Lucas must have been inspired by Robby as he developed C3P0′s character. Lucas naturally suggested he was more influenced by Metropolis. That may be so for the 'look' of C3PO but Lucas totally stole the protocol droid idea whether he admits it or not!There's a further reference to Robby in A New Hope. At a point in Forbidden Planet the character Alta tries several times to summon Robby with her remote control, he excuses his absence with having been busy taking an 'oil bath'.
What does C3PO do when he gets to Luke's moisture farm? He has an oil bath and he exclaims "Thank the maker! This oil bath is going to feel so good."
And as we know Darth Vader is C3PO's maker, the line is doubly clever.