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In The Empire Strikes Back the droids suddenly seem to develop a fixation with statistics, but which droid is coming up with the numbers?

R2-D2 says (or so C-3PO tells us) that the chances of survival for an outdoors overnight stay on Hoth are 725 to 1. He has a remarkably good understanding of the laws of probability for an astromech droid. R2-D2 should perhaps have his own horoscope column in the Galactic Times.

However, we might suspect that C-3PO is putting words in Artoo's mouth based on later statistics he gives us when R2-D2 isn't there but with Luke. In the escape into the asteroid field it is C-3PO not Artoo coming up with the odds of survival (3720 to 1) and then C-3PO also tries to give us the odds of surviving a direct assault on an Imperial Star Destroyer before being abruptly silenced.

The role of the droids in these instances is to underpin the character of Han Solo as a gambler who defies the odds. It's a bit of an awkward trope though since we can see for ourselves that Han is defying the odds by saving Luke, escaping the asteroid field and taking on a Star Destroyer. We don't need to know the odds, any more than Han does. Looked at objectively C-3PO's statistical interventions shouldn't add to the tension or the comedy, but somehow they intangibly manage to do so. Perhaps the success of these moments reside in the very fact that C-3PO is superfluous to requirements at the very moments when he tries to make himself most useful.

The statistics bandied about by the droids in The Empire Strikes Back create a neat counterpoint to the numbers thrown around in the Mos Eisley Cantina in A New Hope. See here: Mos Eisley by Numbers in A New Hope Episode IV.

Note: Apparently Han does like quoting odds and statistics but only after-the-event such as when Luke has just destroyed the first Death Star: 'Great shot kid. That was one in a million', he explains.

Note: This theme is played upon numerous times in Rogue One in which K-2SO takes on the role of knowing the odds of success on any given occasion, albeit his tone is one which contrasts sharply with C-3PO’s in The Empire Strikes Back. K-2SO has rather a brilliantly independent and sarcastic streak. He also exhibits more of an ability to correctly interpret the emotions of those around him than C-3PO had ever done. And, whereas C-3PO announces the odds without them being asked for and at inopportune moments, K-2SO asks whether those around him would like to know the odds and statasitcs and then often holds them back for sarcastic effect. He’s a bit of an overbearing nanny figure who expects those around him to be ungrateful for his input before they even show their ingratitude and as such he serves as a brilliant counterpoint to C-3PO who relentlessly provides information and explanation without ever becoming wise to the fact that the reaction will be one of ingratitude.

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