With the release of the seventh and final season of The Clone Wars animated show upon us I thought it would be appropriate, as part of my protocol droid series, to recognize a protocol droid that made its debut in the The Clone Wars. To that end, I could think of no better droid to highlight than TC-70, a TC-series protocol droid with feminine programming which as Jabba the Hutt’s translator.
As you undoubtedly already know, before The Clone Wars show debuted in October 2008 it was preceded by The Clone Wars film which was released in August 2008. And it was in this film where TC-70 was first introduced to the Star Wars canon, standing next to Jabba the Hutt in a hologram (see featured image) and ensuring listeners – in the movie and in theaters – could understand what the crime lord was saying as he spoke in his native Huttese. Moreover, what makes TC-70 all the more special – and I guarantee 99.9% of you are unaware of this – is that “she” is the very first character to speak in the The Clone Wars franchise following the introductory narration. Feel free to share this unnecessarily specific bit of Star Wars trivia with others, and/or use it to establish yourself as the dominant Star Wars fan in your group of friends.
- TC-70 stands next to Jabba the Hutt.
Photo Credit – The Clone Wars Season 3, Episode 4: “Sphere of Influence”
Following “her” role in The Clone Wars movie, TC-70 also went on to appear in a handful of episodes in Season 3 of The Clone Wars show. While these episodes, and the film, are the only instances where TC-70 shows up in The Clone Wars, “she” does make a rather minor appearance in another Star Wars story. In Marvel’s Star Wars 15, TC-70 pops-up in a few panels, again translating for Jabba, this time as the crime lord speaks with the Wookiee bounty hunter Black Krrsantan. Considering Star Wars 15 takes place in the year 10 BBY, and TC-70 made “her” in-universe debut in 22 BBY, it is comforting to know that the protocol droid was able to stay in Jabba’s good graces for at least twelve years. Then again, given what we know about Jabba the Hutt and his temper, it is safe to assume that at some point after her appearance in Star Wars 15, TC-70 found herself on the wrong end of Jabba’s rage.
Check out these other posts about random protocol droids in Star Wars:
U-3PO: The Other Protocol Droid
K-3PO: The Dead Protocol Droid
E-3PO: The Rude Protocol Droid
TC-14: The Federation Protocol Droid
AP-5: The Singing Protocol Droid
The Imperial Talker 