I've always thought Droids in Star Wars were artificial intelligence running on future computer technology, mixed with robotics.
But, my Dad just told me Droids are a mix of magic (kind of like the force) woven into hydraulically powered mechanisms (like steampunk).
Now, I don't know.
Do you think Star Wars Droids are:
1. Artificially intelligent robots designed with future computer science
OR
2. Magically powered mechanisms mixed with spirits/ghosts?
Mostly sapient AI, usually pretty dependant on programming.
It sounds like your dad may be thinking about Skippy the force sensative astromech or something, which is something you should never ever do.
Pygon is probably right in the long run, actually. I just like a Star Wars where the lack of wonder towards droids is from how common they are and most of them aren't nearly as unique as the ones we see as characters in the movies, or as PCs.
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There's definitely some messed-up attitudes towards droids in the Star Wars universe—such as the evident custom of wiping their memories to "kill" budding personalities.
Well, I mean, when your galaxy has been largely stagnant for tens of thousands of years, it kinda makes sense. "That's the way it's always been" being he handwave for everything very much applies here.
Unless the Old Republic stuff being wiped from canon changed that.
Look at this way, a person can build a gaming computer with off the shelf parts. The people who built ENIAC about 70 years ago would have found that amazing. So someone builds an AI computer from off the shelf parts, in a movie, that shouldn't be so amazing by comparison.
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Didn't Darths and Droids explore this a little? Between Grievous's cyborg superiority and C-3PO's mission of rebellion, there's a lot of anti-organic sentiment in that comic. ;D
I'm leaning towards Driods being a religious mix of spirit-force and steampunk technology.
That makes more sense and why Anakin could build C3PO at such a young age. Anakin was full of midichlorians and able to embue "life" into C3PO's mechanical skeleton using the Force.
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The bigger problem is not the existence of AI, which there clearly is (any plot relevant droid could pass the Turing test), but the fact that there is no internet. This AI, though shackled behind 'programming' in most cases, is advanced enough to have emotions in astromechs (the simplest 'computer on wheels' droid), fear in mousers, and malice in the catacombs of Jabba's Palace.
Perhaps the reason that the AI hasn't become a problem like it did in Dune is the fact that they aren't able to network together. The fact that C3PO and R2D2 have to physically goto Tattooine to give Kenobi the email message rather than sending across a galactic network pretty much keeps the AI down.
The closest thing we've seen in seven movies of a networking of droids was in the nearly no AI battle droids, and then the network was just a direct command link to the command ships and facilities. And that turned out horribly for the droids (See Ep 1 and 2).
Maybe they don't know about radio waves. No one ever watched TV in the movies.
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Well, in the novel Tarkin, they have a 'holo-net', which is obviously a retconned in thing because the internet didn't used to exist, which is taken over to 100% military use by the time ANH rolls around. I think that's one of the more glaring anachronistic features of the series, particularly with how advanced our global communications are now. Extrapolating out to hyperdrive tech era would make galactic communication much more than what we see.
Well, in the novel Tarkin, they have a 'holo-net', which is obviously a retconned in thing because the internet didn't used to exist, which is taken over to 100% military use by the time ANH rolls around. I think that's one of the more glaring anachronistic features of the series, particularly with how advanced our global communications are now. Extrapolating out to hyperdrive tech era would make galactic communication much more than what we see.
How close are the novels to the movies, because I've only seen the movies?
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I'm leaning towards Driods being a religious mix of spirit-force and steampunk technology.
That makes more sense and why Anakin could build C3PO at such a young age. Anakin was full of midichlorians and able to embue "life" into C3PO's mechanical skeleton using the Force.
Um, no. Pure electronics. Probably not true AI even. Just very good programming.
Well, in the novel Tarkin, they have a 'holo-net', which is obviously a retconned in thing because the internet didn't used to exist, which is taken over to 100% military use by the time ANH rolls around. I think that's one of the more glaring anachronistic features of the series, particularly with how advanced our global communications are now. Extrapolating out to hyperdrive tech era would make galactic communication much more than what we see.
Why? Two way radio by itself did not make the Internet, it was constant on the fly reroutable communications that did. There is no accessible network of instantaneous communication, only point to point calls.
The invention of the internet was a highly idiosyncratic process. It's quite conceivable that a civilisation could achieve high technology and never discover it, just as the Incas had wheels but never used them for anything other than children's toys.
There's definitely some messed-up attitudes towards droids in the Star Wars universe—such as the evident custom of wiping their memories to "kill" budding personalities.
Droids aren't people. They may get clever imitative AI routines running on them, but they don't have the soul or feelings that even a cat has.
In the context of the Star Wars universe, Droids aren't truly alive, as they do not have the Force within them that all living beings do. Luke might get attached to R2D2, but if it comes to saving him or a living stranger, it's the short straw for the droid.