When the new Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer came out the other week, all folks could talk about was the shot of Rey looking like she’s gone to the Dark Side. Sure, this was pretty shocking, but let’s not overlook the clip that seemed to suggest the same about C-3PO. Yup, after eight movies on the side of the light, those creepy red eyes the droid was seen to sport appear to imply that a dark turn is ahead for Threepio.
We still don’t know the story behind this, but actor Anthony Daniels has now teased the behind-the-scenes process of filming the scene. In an interview with The Star Wars Show, the franchise veteran recalled the “scary” experience of seeing Threepio with the red eyes, as well as mentioning a curious “special thing” he was rigged up to.
“That was so weird, because they had rigged me up with a special thing, and to look at myself in the mirror, it was scary. It’s a magnificent piece of storytelling that really took me by surprise.”
To be fair, though Rey and her double-edged lightsaber took most of the headlines, fans did go a bit crazy on social media over this shocking Threepio shot. There are various theories going around to explain the droid’s new contacts, too. Is he possessed by the ghost of Palpatine, or perhaps even Snoke? What if he’s 0-0-0, Threepio’s evil twin from the comics, in disguise? Or, slightly less likely, what if he’s been a Sith droid all this time and is secretly serving his sinister master, Darth Binks?
Daniels has previously teased that Episode IX really will be it for his Star Wars career, which should probably make us nervous about Threepio’s fate. The droid’s survived so much so far, but do these red eyes hint that he’s about to meet his end? Everything will become clear when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker drops this December.