C - 3PX C - 3PX was a Cybot Galactica 3PX - series protocol droid reprogrammed to be an assassin droid . History . C - 3PX ' s beginnings . C - 3PX started his operational style as a simple 3PX - series protocol droid in one of Cybot Galactica ' s many factories . Initially built as a protocol unit for Outer Rim usage , C - 3PX , as well as the entire 3PX series , faced difficulty selling against Cybot Galactica ' s more successful 3PO - series protocol droid . C - 3PX had a number of different masters , as well as a number of different rebuilds , from his creation date to his acquisition by Darth Maul , a Sith Lord . Service under Maul . Maul came upon the droid at 33 BBY . Darth Maul , not entirely interested in the prospect of having a partner , much less a droid partner , originally planned to utilize the protocol unit simply as a method of dealing with distractions such as customs stops , port authorities , and other things Maul preferred not to deal with . However , after some consideration , Maul discovered that , with some extensive modifications , C - 3PX could become a competent droid ally and a form of protection or a way to spread his influence . Using this plan , Maul completely rebuilt the droid , installing defensive lasers , stronger droid plating , and other protective measures . While an exterior view revealed nothing more than a reassembled chassis and plating resembling a 3PO - series protocol droid , eighty - three weapons were concealed within the droid ' s recesses in its joints and arms . The Sith apprentice also reprogrammed the droid to only bother Maul when an important matter came up , or if an issue was reported in one of the starship ' s systems ; as such , the droid stayed mainly silent under the Sith apprentice . During his missions , Maul would leave the droid aboard his heavily modified starship " Scimitar " , confident in C - 3PX ' s abilities in guarding the transport . On one such mission to the Essesia system and the main planet in the Darpa sector to engage the Bartokk s responsible for pirating Trade Federation interests , C - 3PX and Maul infiltrated their operations on Ralltiir . Transitioning period . After Maul ' s defeat on Naboo at the hands of Jedi Padawan Obi - Wan Kenobi , C - 3PX , along with " Scimitar " , were confiscated by agents of the Republic investigating squad . Supreme Chancellor Palpatine , however , protected Maul ' s secrets stored inside the 3PX unit by ordering C - 3PX ' s memory wipe . After the wipe , Palpatine gifted the droid to budding technology genius Raith Sienar . Under Sienar , C - 3PX was rebuilt into a stealthy espionage droid . Utilizing a fresh set of plating , Sienar refitted the spy droid to appear again as a standard 3PO unit . C - 3PX ' s photoreceptors also garnered a few upgrades : they were outfitted to see in infrared , allowing C - 3PX to become even more skilled as an infiltrating unit . These photoreceptor upgrades also changed the tint of the 3PX unit from the original yellow to a menacing reddish glow . A large number of smuggling compartments , each of different sizes , was also incorporated into the droid . Sensor - baffling material lined these compartments to conceal any contraband or weapons the droid possessed . Raith first utilized the droid ' s new programming as an agent for Sienar ' s starship company , Republic Sienar Systems . Later , the droid would fall into use by the Grand Army of the Republic at the outbreak of the Clone Wars in 22 BBY . There , his programming as a spy was utilized further . After the War ' s completion and the emergence of the New Order and rise of the Galactic Empire , C - 3PX became Imperial property , under command of Imperial Admiral Terrinald Screed upon the planet Roon . There , he served under different odd jobs . C - 3PX became tired of this new role , and left the admiral , looking for a new way to utilize himself . Soon after , he found himself in the service of the Intergalactic Droid Agency . The agency utilized him as a rental unit , where he served a number of masters who rented the droid for a variety of work . His memory was wiped after each rental , meaning he had no recollection of any of his prior dealings with Sienar , Republic army , or his service under the Imperials . Service under Olag Greck . One such renter , Olag Greck , would discover C - 3PX in the Intergalactic Droid Agency building . Greck noted that the outward protocol droid appearance was a façade , and felt that the droid had possessed another hidden , illegal function in the past . Claiming C - 3PX for himself , Greck made his way to Hosk Station , a space station encompassing the largest of Kalarba ' s moons , where he contacted a local technician to fully outfit the droid with various assassination tools . Among these new fittings were multiple retractable lasers , dart shooters , and fusioncutters ; Olag Greck even had the outlaw tech install a small laser device in the droid ' s head . Adorning the faceplate of the droid was a large black " X " , whose nature beyond identification was unknown . Greck also reprogrammed the droid to become a merciless bounty hunter and assassin , unaware , due to his frequent memory wipes , that the same programming had been installed several decades ago by Darth Maul . His new programming installed , C - 3PX completed a successful attack on the world of Bonadan , utilizing his multiple secret shielded compartments to sneak a weapon on the planet , as it was illegal to possess one anywhere on planet . His target was the brother of Vojak , a man of unknown importance and species on Bonadan . Another unknown target , this time on the planet Rampa II , was also successful . Greck would then claim the bounties as his own , and reap the rewards for each . Unfortunately for C - 3PX , the completion of these killings forced the Empire to post their own bounty on the assassin droid . One such poster was hung on Hosk Station ; however , C - 3PX was still able to walk the streets undaunted because of his ruthless reputation . Meeting his match . On Hosk Station , the droids R2 - D2 and C - 3PO , and their current master Baron Pitareeze , made their way to the largest city on Hosk station , where the two droids were to meet Nak Pitareeze , the baron ' s grandson . Pitareeze utilized the fastest , and , much to C - 3PO ' s chagrin , the roughest route to reach the city ; once there , however , C - 3PO ' s attempt to disembark the speeder left his internal gyroscopic system hazy , and as a result 3PO took a tumble onto the ground , cracking the droid ' s faceplate . C - 3PO insisted on the repair of the damaged plate , and the baron relented and supplied the funds to find a respectable repair shop . However , the business C - 3PO chose made repairs consisting of a very crude patch in the form of a black " X " over the puncture . While the repairs were performed , however , R2 - D2 was stolen , unknown to C - 3PO , by Greck who had owned C - 3PO and R2 - D2 in the recent past . When C - 3PO left to attempt to find his counterpart , he was shocked to find people running away from him when he attempted to ask a question . Also unknown to C - 3PO was that the repairs made caused the protocol droid to bear an uncanny resemblance to C - 3PX . On his way to see his master , Olag Greck , C - 3PX met with Nak , who incorrectly identified the killing machine as C - 3PO , to which C - 3PX responded angrily and left . C - 3PO in trouble . Around the city , C - 3PO had experienced multiple instances of panicked fleeing from the sight of him ; the protocol droid was still unaware of the connection between his repairs ' appearance and that of C - 3PX . Nak managed to make contact with him , and , after retrieving C - 3PX ' s wanted poster , told him of the visual connection between the two droids . It was at this time that Greck tracked down the two , and , not knowing that the droid with Nak was C - 3PO and not C - 3PX , disabled C - 3PO with a suppressor tube and took the droid to the illegal droid death matches held by Greck ( under the alias Mollo ) , leaving a confused Nak in his wake . C - 3PX , in the meantime , encountered Vojak , angry over his brother ' s death . Vojak correctly assumed that it was indeed C - 3PX ' s fault , and pinpointed the assassin droid ' s ability to hide weapons within himself as a key fact in the death of his brother . Unfortunately , all Vojak ' s detective work was for nothing , as Vojak decided to confront C - 3PX . C - 3PX was retreating the inevitable battle , hoping not to cause a violent altercation ; however , he was forced to blast the angered sibling with his concealed rear - facing laser concealed in his head , effectively disintegrating the being , leaving a smoking pile of ash in Vojak ' s stead . Almost immediately after , Nak approached the assassin droid and asked for his assistance in recovering C - 3PO . The droid , eager to exchange payback to his master , agreed , and led Nak to Greck ' s lair . There , the two confronted Greck , still masquerading as the mysterious figure Mollo , who had sent a reconditioned R2 - D2 into battle in a Mandalorian battle harness . R2 - D2 was refraining from battling any of the droids Greck sent . In order for the spectators to get their money ' s worth , a less - than - willing C - 3PO , whose true identity had been discovered by Olag Greck as nothing more than a standard protocol droid and not his former droid C - 3PX , a fact uncovered by the same tech that had worked on the droid earlier that day , was sent into the arena . R2 - D2 , under orders and a threat from the droids ' former owner , attacked C - 3PO . Termination . C - 3PX arrived shortly thereafter , however , and confronted Olag Greck about his motives in using yet another droid , forming it into a killer like himself . He continued to assert his displeasure in becoming the assassin droid Greck had programmed him to be . However , in the middle of his talk with his master , C - 3PO was thrown into the room , presumably from a strong blow dealt by R2 - D2 in the battle harness . C - 3PX realized the futility in living further , as , he realized , no matter what course of action C - 3PX attempted to travel , each would lead to his eventual demise . Instead , the assassin droid took the place of C - 3PO in the droid arena . After revealing each of his weapons and putting on a slight show , C - 3PX stopped and waited for his destruction by R2 - D2 . A massive blow from one of the Mandalorian battle harness ' s large hammers smashed C - 3PX into the arena floor , effectively ending his operational period . Legacy . C - 3PX ' s showmanship in the battle confused Olag Greck , who couldn ' t believe that the droid refused to defend itself in the slightest when faced with destruction . Hosk Security forces surrounded the arena ; however , Greck managed to escape , promising to Nak that he ' d repay the boy and the two droids for their actions . C - 3PO was not terminally damaged from the battle with R2 - D2 , and was repaired , while an apologetic R2 unit attempted to explain his actions . The arena was presumably shut down with Greck ' s departure and the involvement of security forces on the station . Characteristics . C - 3PX was created as a stock 3PX - series protocol droid manufactured by Cybot Galactica some time before 32 BBY . He appeared identical to any other stock 3PX unit until his acquirement by Darth Maul . Maul originally utilized the droid as a simple interface with people whom Maul viewed as " distractions " ; however , Maul saw the usefulness of a well - armed and equipped droid assassin . He added eighty - three weapons to the frame of the droid , all concealable , replaced the original 3PX plating with 3PO - series type plating , and programmed the droid to become an assassin capable of working autonomously . C - 3PX ' s photoreceptors ' color were changed to a red hue rather than the stock yellow , in an effort to make the droid appear more menacing . After Maul ' s defeat at the hands of Jedi Obi - Wan Kenobi , however , the droid ' s memory was wiped and his weapons and assassination programming disabled under orders from Palpatine . The droid was also restored to its original stock profile ; C - 3PX ' s photorecptors were readjusted to transition back to their original yellow coloring , and the 3PO plating was replaced by the stock 3PX style . Raith Sienar would acquire the droid as a gift from the Supreme Chancellor . A fresh set of 3PO - series plating adjusted C - 3PX ' s look again . Raith Sienar would adjust the droid ' s chassis and settings to become a droid spy ; specifically , C - 3PX ' s photoreceptors were adjusted to see in infrared . The upgrade changed the tint of the photorecptors to red , as happened with Maul ' s modifications . In the droid ' s recesses , shielded smuggling compartments were added for further espionage options . After the Clone Wars , C - 3PX began work for Admiral Screed , and later escaped service from him and made his way to the Intergalactic Droid Agency as a rental droid ; during this time , many memory wipes as he went from owner to owner caused the droid to completely forget his service with the Republic and Imperial armies . It was while C - 3PX was serving as a rental droid that he came into the service of Olag Greck , who stole the droid and reprogrammed him to serve Greck as a contract killer . Olag reinstalled the hidden weaponry C - 3PX had previously , including a laser in the rear of his head , multiple guns and blasters hidden within the joints and recesses , and other implemented tools of the trade . A distinctive black " X " adorned the assassin droid ' s headplate as an identification marker , and he retained his red photoreceptors . The droid would retain this configuration until his death . Rebuilds . C - 3PX would suffer multiple rebuilds throughout his droid life . At the conclusion of each ownership , the droid would often be dismantled and any hidden systems , such as the weapons or assassin programming , would be removed , and the droid would return to its semi - stock nature , until his destruction in 10 BBY . Personality . C - 3PX was a cold , calculating droid , who dispatched those he was commanded to kill easily . While serving under Darth Maul , the droid spent most of his time in silence , due to Maul ' s modifications to his programming . Not much was known about his personality after his memory wipe and service under Raith Sienar , his company Republic Sienar Systems , and later the Grand Army of the Republic ; however , as his mission profile dealt mainly with his ability to go about unnoticed , it might have been such that C - 3PX shared many personality characteristics with other protocol droids of his day . Once the Clone Wars had ended , and the Galactic Republic became the Galactic Empire , C - 3PX went on to serve Imperial Admiral Screed . C - 3PX did not enjoy the work he was given , so he left the company of Screed and sought out the Intergalactic Droid Agency , where he served many masters as a rental unit . During this time his memory , as well as much of his hidden armament , was dismantled and removed , leaving C - 3PX unaware of his past mission profiles as well as owners . When Olag Greck met the rental droid , he determined that C - 3PX was no ordinary droid , and decided to claim the droid as his own . After the acquiring , Olag hired a technician , who reprogrammed the droid to become a killer . As such , C - 3PX became a droid capable of working alone to complete a bounty , while protecting himself with the large amounts of weaponry installed into his frame . He felt no remorse toward his bounties ; the rogue protocol droid claimed that it was nothing personal , but instead he was merely programmed that way . He went so long without a memory wipe under Olag , though , that he had developed the abilities to hide , utilize unconventional methods to dispatch a target , and to think , which the assassin droid regretted . He began to resent his master , disliking his methods . Olag posted a bounty on him to remove the threat of him rebelling against his master . When the droid encountered Nak and his two droids C - 3PO and R2 - D2 , who both were commandeered by Olag to fight in the illegal droid death match arena , Olag was admonished by a spiteful C - 3PX , who did not like Olag ' s attempts to cause another droid to become a killer . However , C - 3PX realized the futility of his options , which all likely ended in termination for the protocol / assassin droid . A sullen 3PX unit gave himself up in the droid arena , so that R2 - D2 and C - 3PO could be free . Behind the scenes . C - 3PX first appeared in the comic " " , where he saved the droid R2 - D2 and C - 3PO , in turn sacrificing his own life . C - 3PX has been retcon ned on many occasions , starting first with his appearance in " " . However , these retcons have proven to be confusing , as none describe how he returned to the " Scimitar " and Maul ' s service in time for Maul ' s death on Naboo , and some avoid the middle time period between his owners completely . " Ultimate Adversaries " places the acquiring of C - 3PX ' s dismantled shell without mentioning Raith Sienar , his Republic / Imperial service , or his service under Screed . However , " The New Essential Guide to Droids " states that C - 3PX somehow returned to the " Scimitar " and was aboard the infiltrator after Maul ' s death , and was handed over to Sienar . After some service as a spy in Republic Sienar Systems , C - 3PX worked under the title of the Grand Army of the Republic and later the Galactic Empire as Admiral Screed ' s property , but grew tired of this work , and as such escaped and inserted himself as a rental unit in the Intergalactic Droid Agency , where Olag found the droid . As such , some information presented is contradictory , and none of the retcons offer any explanation beyond that given in the article .