R - 3PO / Legends R - 3PO ( Ar - Threepio ) was a 3PO - series protocol droid affiliated with the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the height of the Galactic Civil War . Known for his distinctive red coloring , a tattoo on his left posterior plating that read " Thank The Maker , " and a moody disposition , R - 3PO was stationed at the Alliance High Command ' s secret Echo Base on the remote ice world of Hoth by 3 ABY . After his original owner , a smuggler named Chaz , purposely left R - 3PO at the base for the Rebels to deal with , Alliance Major Palo Torshan recommended he be used as an espionage droid to uncover Imperial spy droids . R - 3PO successfully helped to foil several Imperial infiltration attempts while serving at the base and , subsequently , with High Command . Biography . R - 3PO , or Ar - Threepio , was a red - plated 3PO - series protocol droid of the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War . Originally the property of Chaz , one of the Rebellion ' s most notorious smugglers , R - 3PO was " accidentally " left behind at the Alliance ' s secret Echo Base on the Outer Rim Territories ice planet Hoth , where he soon became a general annoyance because of his moody disposition . Knowing that the Galactic Empire typically made a habit of programming droids as spies in the hopes that they would eventually find their way into the Rebel Alliance , Echo Base ' s Major Palo Torshan , one of the top security personnel present , suggested that R - 3PO be reprogrammed to combat the threat of Imperial espionage droid s . R - 3PO would be set loose among Echo Base ' s droid pool , ferreting out those droid spies . Additionally , Torshan recommended that R - 3PO not be given a memory wipe and to leave his exterior skeleton its conspicuous red color — after all , he reasoned , who would suspect a flamboyant , temperamental protocol droid of doubling as a spy ? The Alliance specially modified R - 3PO to perform his espionage duty by detecting spies through careful observation of his peers . Indeed , R - 3PO proceeded to help foil several Imperial infiltration attempts during his service at Echo Base , while no one suspected a thing , a testament to Torshan ' s insight . R - 3PO ' s responsibilities on Hoth also included serving in the base ' s command center . In early 3 ABY , R - 3PO was present in Echo Base ' s central hangar when Han Solo returned from a routine scouting mission of Hoth ' s unforgiving terrain with Rebel Commander Luke Skywalker . The droid was again present in the hangar days later during Princess Leia Organa ' s briefing of Rogue Squadron just prior to the Battle of Hoth . Following his service at Echo Base , R - 3PO earned an assignment to the Alliance High Command , where he continued to successfully uncover several Imperial infiltration attempts . Characteristics . R - 3PO was the moodiest droid in Echo Base , a distinction that earned him the ire of those around him . His initial owner , the smuggler Chaz , intentionally left the droid behind for the Rebels to deal with after visiting Echo Base . R - 3PO ' s recognizable red coloring , coupled with his moody persona , led Major Palo Torshan to believe that he would serve perfectly as an espionage droid within the base ' s droid pool . R - 3PO performed his espionage duties by carefully observing those around him with his yellow photoreceptors . R - 3PO lent his tactical expertise to the Echo Base command center as well . Typical of a protocol droid ' s responsibilities , R - 3PO was designed to mediate the differences of the galaxy ' s wide range of cultures . He was programmed in etiquette and had a considerable ability to speak many different languages , which he used as an aide to diplomats , politicians , and other high - ranking officials . Aside from his flamboyant red coloring , R - 3PO sported a tattoo on his left posterior plating , which read , " Thank The Maker . " Behind the scenes . Notable appearances . R - 3PO first appeared in the 1980 film , in two scenes within Echo Base ' s hangar , as one of several droid extras . The droid was first identified by number on the " R - 3PO ( Ar - Threepio ) " card as part of the November 1996 " Hoth Limited " expansion set of the " Star Wars " Customizable Card Game , in which his role within the base was defined . R - 3PO ' s backstory was slightly expanded upon by Josh Radke in the " Star Wars Insider " 74 article " Who ' s Who in Echo Base " . R - 3PO ' s tattoo on his left rear , reading " Thank The Maker , " serves as a tribute to the identical line spoken by C - 3PO in the film as he is being lowered into an oil bath . Inconsistencies . The " Hoth Limited " " SWCCG " set includes an alternate card for R - 3PO that mistakenly features an image of K - 3PO , another Echo Base droid extra . The erroneous R - 3PO card , which can be seen here , shows the identical image used for the set ' s K - 3PO card , seen here . Both R - 3PO cards otherwise share identical character descriptions . A discrepancy exists regarding the exact presentation of R - 3PO ' s tattoo . The " Hoth Limited " card , which first introduced the tattoo ' s existence , claims that each first word of the phrase is capitalized : " Thank The Maker . " However , the subsequent 1998 " Star Wars Encyclopedia " and " " sources claim the tattoo reads , uncapitalized , " Thank the maker . " The 2008 " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " presents the entire text capitalized : " THANK THE MAKER , " while the " LEGO Star Wars Character Encyclopedia " , released in 2011 , presents the content in the following context : " R - 3PO is thought to sport a tattoo on his left posterior that says ' Thank the Maker , ' but there is no sign of it on his LEGO minifigure ! " , as the figure itself features plain hip and leg pieces .