C-3PO's Red Arm Origin Revealed

The reason why C-3PO had a red left arm was one of the big unanswered questions in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. The droid's altered appearance went unmentioned in the film, and explanations for the unusual appendage given in supplementary materials were vague. Now, a new comic book about the past adventures of everyone's favorite protocol droid tells the whole story of the arm.

We knew already that C-3PO was sporting the off-color arm as a tribute to another droid who'd lost his "life" sometime in C-3PO's past, but in Star Wars: C-3PO #1, the entire story comes to light. It seems the arm belonged to a protocol droid called Omri, who sacrificed himself to save other droids, including C-3PO, during a mission to save Admiral Ackbar from the First Order.

C-3PO's tribute takes on more than just simple recognition of Omri's sacrifice, though, because the comic's story also paints Omri as something as an activist for droids' rights, especially when it comes to non-droids' tendency to wipe droids' memories. Even the color of the arm has special significance, according to the story.

Careful viewers have noted that C-3PO's arm has reverted to its normal gold color at the end of the Force Awakens, however, so apparently the tribute to Omri was only intended to last until a suitable repair could be made.