Why doesn Owen seem to recognize C-3PO and R2-D2 in ANH?
In AOTC, Owen has lived with C-3PO for some time. Artoo shows up at the homestead during Shmi’s memorial service. In theory, then, Owen should have been able to recognize the droids when he made his purchase from the Jawas in ANH. Several factors prevent this statement from being true. Between PT and OT, Threepio is fitted with shiny gold plating very different from the dull gray metal coverings seen in AOTC. Owen may not recognize Artoo because of the brevity of their first meeting – and the circumstances of that meeting: it was a funeral service for his ‘mother’, and he may not have remembered details such as the exact appearance of a small droid. Also, protocol and astromech droids are common throughout the galaxy. Owen most likely never had any strong emotional bond with Threepio, and would thus have a hard time remembering a droid he knew twenty-two years ago. In ANH, the names R2-D2 and C-3PO are never spoken in Owen’s presence. Note: some fans believe that Owen did in fact recog
