Editing C-3PO (section)

=== Original trilogy ===
{{Main article|Star Wars original trilogy}}C-3PO first appears in ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' (1977) aboard a [[Rebel Alliance|Rebel]] ship that is boarded by the [[Galactic Empire (Star Wars)|Empire]]. [[Princess Leia]] hides C-3PO and his companion droid [[R2-D2]] in an escape pod, which she jettisons over the planet [[Tatooine]]. There, the droids are captured by [[Jawas]], who sell them to [[Owen Lars]]. While cleaning R2-D2, Lars's nephew [[Luke Skywalker]] discovers a message in the droid that Leia recorded for [[Obi-Wan Kenobi]]. After [[Imperial stormtrooper|Imperial stormtroopers]] destroy the Lars homestead, C-3PO and R2-D2 go along with Luke and Obi-Wan on a mission to rescue Leia, transported by the smugglers [[Han Solo]] and [[Chewbacca]] on board the ''[[Millennium Falcon]]''. While on the [[Death Star]], C-3PO and R2-D2 shut down the space station's trash compactor to save the lives of their companions. The group then escapes the station and joins the Rebels at their base. When R2-D2 is damaged during the [[Battle of Yavin]], a grief-stricken C-3PO offers to donate his own parts to repair his counterpart.

In ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980), C-3PO identifies an Imperial probe droid, which gives the Rebels advance warning of an Imperial attack on their base on [[Hoth]]. C-3PO escapes the planet with Han, Chewbacca and Leia on the ''Millennium Falcon.'' They eventually arrive in [[Bespin|Cloud City]], where C-3PO is blasted apart by a stormtrooper. After searching for the protocol droid, Chewbacca finds him dismantled on a conveyor belt. The Wookiee later tries to rebuild C-3PO, but puts his head on backwards. Chewbacca carries the partially-rebuilt droid on his back during Han's encasement in [[Carbonite (Star Wars)|carbonite]]. With the help of [[Lando Calrissian]], C-3PO and his friends escape from Darth Vader. Onboard the ''Falcon'', R2-D2 successfully repairs C-3PO.

At the beginning of ''[[Return of the Jedi]]'' (1983), Luke sends C-3PO and R2-D2 to the palace of the crime lord [[Jabba the Hutt]], who has purchased the frozen Han from the [[bounty hunter]] [[Boba Fett]]. To C-3PO's dismay, R2-D2 plays a recorded message in which Luke offers the droids as a goodwill gift to Jabba. Now in the service of the crime lord, C-3PO acts as a translator as Leia, Chewbacca, Lando and Luke arrive at the palace to liberate Han. Jabba foils the plan, but Luke leads a successful escape attempt and the group departs the planet. On [[Endor (Star Wars)|Endor]], C-3PO and his companions are captured by [[Ewok|Ewoks]], but are released after they perceive C-3PO to be a deity. Later that night, C-3PO narrates the history of the Rebellion's fight against the Empire to the Ewok tribe, which convinces them to help the Rebels. After the second Death Star is destroyed, C-3PO and his friends celebrate the fall of the Empire.