C-3PX

The operational life of C-3PX began as a standard 3PX-series protocol droid within a Cybot Galactica production facility. Initially designed for protocol duties in the Outer Rim regions, C-3PX, alongside other droids in the 3PX series, struggled to compete commercially with Cybot Galactica's more popular 3PO-series protocol droid.

From his initial construction up to his acquisition by the Sith Lord Darth Maul, C-3PX was owned by various individuals and underwent multiple reconstruction processes.

Maul encountered the droid around 33 BBY. Initially, Darth Maul had little interest in a partner, especially a droid. His original intention was to use the protocol unit simply as a means of managing distractions such as customs inspections, port authorities, and other matters he preferred to avoid. However, after further consideration, Maul realized that with significant modifications, C-3PX could become a valuable droid ally, offering protection and extending his influence. In line with this plan, Maul completely overhauled the droid, installing defensive lasers, enhanced armor plating, and other protective measures. While outwardly resembling a reassembled 3PO-series protocol droid, the interior concealed eighty-three weapons within the droid's joints and arms. The Sith apprentice also reprogrammed the droid to only communicate with Maul when necessary or when system issues arose on his starship; as a result, the droid remained largely silent under the command of the Sith apprentice.

During missions, Maul would leave the droid aboard his heavily modified starship, the Scimitar, trusting C-3PX to guard the vessel. On one such mission to the Essesia system and the primary planet Esseles in the Darpa sector, aimed at confronting the Bartokks responsible for pirating Trade Federation assets, C-3PX and Maul infiltrated their operations on Ralltiir.

Following Maul's defeat on Naboo by the Jedi Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, C-3PX, along with the Scimitar, were seized by Republic agents involved in the investigation. However, to protect Maul's secrets stored within the 3PX unit, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine ordered a memory wipe of C-3PX. Post-wipe, Palpatine gifted the droid to the rising technological prodigy Raith Sienar.

Under Sienar's ownership, C-3PX was transformed into a covert espionage droid. With new plating, Sienar reconfigured the spy droid to once again resemble a standard 3PO unit. C-3PX's photoreceptors were also enhanced, enabling infrared vision, which improved C-3PX's infiltration capabilities. These upgrades also altered the photoreceptor tint from the original yellow to a menacing reddish glow. Numerous smuggling compartments of varying sizes were incorporated into the droid, lined with sensor-baffling material to conceal any contraband or weapons.

Raith initially employed the droid's new programming as an agent for his starship company, Republic Sienar Systems. Later, at the start of the Clone Wars in 22 BBY, the droid was used by the Grand Army of the Republic, further utilizing his espionage programming.

After the conclusion of the War and the rise of the New Order and the Galactic Empire, C-3PX became the property of the Empire, under the command of Imperial Admiral Terrinald Screed on the planet Roon. There, he performed various minor tasks. Dissatisfied with this new role, C-3PX left the admiral in search of a new purpose. He soon found himself working for the Intergalactic Droid Agency, which rented him out to various masters for different jobs. His memory was wiped after each rental, causing him to forget his past dealings with Sienar, the Republic army, and his service under the Imperials.

One such renter, Olag Greck, discovered C-3PX at the Intergalactic Droid Agency. Greck sensed that the protocol droid exterior was a disguise and suspected the droid had a hidden, illegal function. Claiming C-3PX for himself, Greck traveled to Hosk Station, a space station encompassing the largest of Kalarba's moons, where he hired a technician to equip the droid with various assassination tools. These included retractable lasers, dart shooters, and fusioncutters. Olag Greck even had a small laser device installed in the droid's head. A large black "X" was placed on the droid's faceplate, its purpose beyond identification unknown.

Greck also reprogrammed the droid into a ruthless bounty hunter and assassin, unaware that the same programming had been installed decades earlier by Darth Maul, due to the droid's frequent memory wipes. With his new programming, C-3PX successfully attacked the world of Bonadan, using his hidden shielded compartments to smuggle a weapon onto the planet, where weapons were illegal. His target was the brother of Vojak, an individual of unknown importance and species on Bonadan. Another target, this time on the planet Rampa III, was also successfully eliminated. Greck then claimed the bounties and reaped the rewards.

However, these killings led the Empire to place a bounty on the assassin droid. A wanted poster was displayed on Hosk Station, but C-3PX was able to move freely due to his fearsome reputation.

On Hosk Station, R2-D2 and C-3PO, along with their master, Baron Pitareeze, traveled to the main city, where the two droids were to meet Nak Pitareeze, the baron's grandson. Pitareeze took the fastest, albeit roughest, route. Upon arrival, C-3PO's attempt to exit the speeder disrupted his internal gyroscopic system, causing him to fall and crack his faceplate. C-3PO insisted on repairing the damage, and the baron provided funds for a reputable repair shop.

The shop C-3PO chose performed a crude patch, placing a black "X" over the puncture. While the repairs were underway, R2-D2 was stolen by Greck, who had previously owned C-3PO and R2-D2. When C-3PO tried to find his counterpart, he was surprised to see people fleeing from him. Unbeknownst to C-3PO, the repairs had given him an uncanny resemblance to C-3PX.

On his way to see Olag Greck, C-3PX encountered Nak, who mistook the assassin droid for C-3PO, prompting an angry response from C-3PX, who then departed.

Throughout the city, C-3PO encountered multiple instances of people fleeing in panic, still unaware of the connection between his repairs and C-3PX. Nak contacted him and, after finding C-3PX's wanted poster, informed him of the visual similarity. At this point, Greck tracked them down and, mistaking C-3PO for C-3PX, disabled C-3PO with a suppressor tube and took him to the illegal droid death matches run by Greck under the alias Mollo, leaving Nak confused.

Meanwhile, C-3PX encountered Vojak, enraged by his brother's death. Vojak correctly identified C-3PX as the culprit, recognizing the droid's ability to conceal weapons as a key factor. However, Vojak's investigation was futile, as he confronted C-3PX, who, hoping to avoid violence, was forced to disintegrate Vojak with a concealed rear-facing laser.

Immediately afterward, Nak approached the assassin droid and asked for help in rescuing C-3PO. Eager to retaliate against his master, the droid agreed and led Nak to Greck's lair. There, they confronted Greck, still disguised as Mollo, who had sent a reconditioned R2-D2 into battle in a Mandalorian battle harness. R2-D2 was refusing to fight any of the droids Greck sent. To satisfy the spectators, a reluctant C-3PO, whose true identity had been revealed by the same tech who had worked on him earlier, was sent into the arena. R2-D2, under orders and threats from their former owner, attacked C-3PO.

C-3PX arrived soon after and confronted Olag Greck, questioning his motives in turning another droid into a killer. He expressed his dissatisfaction with being programmed as an assassin. However, during this confrontation, C-3PO was thrown into the room, presumably from a blow by R2-D2. C-3PX, realizing the futility of his existence, took C-3PO's place in the droid arena. After revealing his weapons and putting on a brief show, C-3PX stopped and awaited his destruction by R2-D2. A powerful blow from one of the Mandalorian battle harness's hammers smashed C-3PX into the arena floor, ending his operational life.

C-3PX's performance in the battle confused Olag Greck, who couldn't believe the droid refused to defend himself. Hosk Security forces surrounded the arena, but Greck escaped, promising to retaliate against Nak and the two droids. C-3PO was not severely damaged and was repaired, while R2-D2 apologized for his actions. The arena was likely shut down following Greck's departure and the intervention of security forces.

C-3PX began as a standard 3PX-series protocol droid manufactured by Cybot Galactica before 32 BBY. He appeared identical to other 3PX units until Darth Maul acquired him. Maul initially used the droid as an interface with individuals he considered "distractions," but later recognized the value of a well-armed assassin droid. He added eighty-three concealable weapons, replaced the original plating with 3PO-series type plating, and programmed the droid for autonomous assassination. C-3PX's photoreceptors were changed to red to appear more menacing. Following Maul's defeat by Obi-Wan Kenobi, the droid's memory was wiped, and his weapons and assassination programming were disabled under Palpatine's orders. The droid was restored to his original stock profile, with photoreceptors reverting to yellow and 3PX plating replacing the 3PO style.

Raith Sienar acquired the droid as a gift from the Supreme Chancellor and again altered C-3PX's appearance with a fresh set of 3PO-series plating. Sienar modified the droid to function as a spy, specifically upgrading his photoreceptors for infrared vision. This upgrade changed the photoreceptor tint to red, similar to Maul's modifications. Shielded smuggling compartments were added for espionage purposes. After the Clone Wars, C-3PX worked for Admiral Screed, but later escaped and joined the Intergalactic Droid Agency as a rental unit. Frequent memory wipes during this period erased his memories of his service with the Republic and Imperial armies.

While serving as a rental droid, C-3PX came under the control of Olag Greck, who stole and reprogrammed him as a contract killer. Olag reinstalled the hidden weaponry, including a rear-facing laser, and other tools. A black "X" marked the assassin droid's headplate, and he retained his red photoreceptors until his death.

C-3PX underwent multiple rebuilds throughout his operational life. At the end of each ownership, hidden systems such as weapons and assassin programming were removed, returning the droid to a semi-stock state until his destruction in 10 BBY.

• Original stock model: C-3PX's initial configuration.
• Darth Maul's ownership (c. 32 BBY): 83 retractable weapons installed, 3PO-series plating, assassin programming implemented.
• Raith Sienar's ownership and role in the Clone Wars (c. 32 BBY - 19 BBY): Memory wiped, new 3PO-series plating, infrared photoreceptors, smuggling compartments, espionage programming.
• Imperial service and Intergalactic Droid Agency rental service (c. 19 BBY - 10 BBY): Memory wiped, espionage systems dismantled.
• Olag Greck's ownership (c. 10 BBY): Assassin programming implemented, hidden weaponry reinstalled, black "X" on forehead.

C-3PX was a detached, calculating droid who efficiently eliminated his targets. While serving under Darth Maul, he remained mostly silent due to programming modifications. Little is known about his personality after the memory wipe and service under Raith Sienar, Republic Sienar Systems, and the Grand Army of the Republic. However, his mission profile suggests he shared personality traits with other protocol droids.

After the Clone Wars and the rise of the Galactic Empire, C-3PX served Imperial Admiral Screed. Dissatisfied, he left Screed's service and joined the Intergalactic Droid Agency, where he served many masters as a rental unit. During this time, his memory and armament were dismantled, leaving him unaware of his past.

When Olag Greck encountered the rental droid, he recognized C-3PX's potential and claimed him. Olag hired a technician to reprogram the droid as a killer, enabling him to complete bounties and protect himself with his weaponry. He showed no remorse, claiming it was merely his programming. After a long period without memory wipes, C-3PX developed the ability to think and resent his master's methods, leading Olag to place a bounty on him.

When C-3PX encountered Nak, C-3PO, and R2-D2, who were forced by Olag to fight in the illegal droid death match arena, he admonished Olag for turning another droid into a killer. Realizing the futility of his options, C-3PX sacrificed himself in the arena so that R2-D2 and C-3PO could be free.

C-3PX debuted in the comic Droids (1994) 3, sacrificing himself to save R2-D2 and C-3PO. His history has been retconned multiple times, starting with Episode I Adventures 3: The Fury of Darth Maul. These retcons are confusing, as they don't explain how he returned to the Scimitar before Maul's death on Naboo and sometimes omit the period between owners. Ultimate Adversaries mentions acquiring C-3PX's dismantled shell without Raith Sienar, his Republic/Imperial service, or Screed. However, The New Essential Guide to Droids states that C-3PX returned to the Scimitar and was given to Sienar after Maul's death. After serving as a spy in Republic Sienar Systems, C-3PX worked for the Grand Army of the Republic and later Admiral Screed before escaping and joining the Intergalactic Droid Agency, where Olag found him. Some information is contradictory, and none of the retcons offer further explanation.