Binary

"We droids think in binary. One and zero, on and off, yes and no. This gives us clarity, makes us happy. Things are either real or not real, known or not known. A thinking individual is either an organic or a droid. Simple, right?"

―Zeta^[1]

Binary,^[1] also known as droidspeak^[2] or astromech,^[3] was the language commonly spoken by droids. It consisted of a set of beeps and whistles strung together into what resembled sentences.^[4] The C1-series astromech droid utilized this form of communication,^[5] as did Industrial Automaton's R2-series astromech droid.^[4] While difficult, some organics such as Anakin Skywalker,^[6] Hera Syndulla,^[7] Kazuda Xiono,^[8] Cal Kestis,^[9] and Rey were able to understand it.^[10] After decades of missions with R2-D2, Luke Skywalker was reasonably fluent in droidspeak.^[11]

The most common way for binary droids to communicate with organics was by writing, conveyed via another computer system. This is how astromech droid copilots would speak with the pilot of a starfighter.^[12]^[13]

All droids could understand binary. Without a computer system to write their words when it was necessary for organics to hear what a binary-only droid had to say, another droid, such as protocol droids or others capable of speaking a common language like Galactic Basic Standard, could translate for them.^[4] The astromech BB-8 spoke in 27th generation droidspeak, a compressed variant of standard droidspeak.^[2] Poe Dameron, his long-time companion, was able to understand him without any need for translation.^[14]

Binary was also used as a programming language for devices that did not have the artificial intelligence of droids, such as binary loadlifters and the binary brain unit of moisture vaporators.^[15]^[16]

Known phrases

Sprrpft!—"Phooey!"^[4]
Wah-wah. Wrry-wrry-nahwikoo!—"Let's get outta here!"^[4]
Prrp-paree-paree pairreeoop?—I Agree!"^[4]

Behind the scenes

"I devised a means of playing the music synthesizer at the same time as I recorded my voice. In addition, I had my voice automatically trigger electronic sounds and simultaneously shape their envelope. When I vocalized and played the keyboard, I could get a close synchronization with my voice and the elctronic tones. If my voice rose in pitch, the electronic would shape itself to conform."

―Ben Burtt, sound designer of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope^[17]

Droidspeak in the original films consisted of sound effects by sound designer Ben Burtt, in order to give nonverbal speech to R2-D2 in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. Initially, the screenplay indicated only where R2 would beep and whistle without any nuance of meaning. During filming, Artoo (operated by Kenny Baker) did not produce any sounds, but an assistant would say "beep-beep" to cue the actors.^[17]

At first Burtt experimented with producing electronic sounds of different tones with Moog and ARP synthesizers. In order to show Artoo's personality, intelligence and emotions, Burtt added some mechanical sounds which he performed himself; whistling through a plumbing tube, or interacting metal with frozen carbon dioxide, producing gas with various pitches as it melted.^[17]

Inspired from Lucas, Burtt decided that "babytalk" communicates emotions and babies's needs by intonation even without words. Failing to catch useful sounds from actual babies, Burtt ended up recording himself delivering baby sounds (at that time he utilized Lucas's basement as an editing room). Those samples, sped up to higher pitch, were intercut with the electronic tones, but the final effect was achieved by timing the two accordingly and meld them into one voice.^[17]

Ben Burtt wrote a mock script for Artoo; although these lines did not appear subtitled on screen, and is not canonical, it aided Burtt to design and add sounds that fit the emotional and informational context of the scene and is consistent with the other characters's dialogue. For example, in the first scene of A New Hope, Artoo is trying to calm down Threepio, while looking for a safe place; then trying to tell him about his mission.^[17]

In 2024, Microsoft created a language called Droidspeak to streamline communication between artificial intelligence. The language was named after its Star Wars counterpart.^[18]