Star Wars: Anthony Daniels Addresses If We’ll See C-3PO Again After The Rise of Skywalker

The release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker seemingly brought a number of characters’ journeys to an end, which includes Anthony Daniels’ C-3PO, though when the actor was asked if C-3PO could ever return, the actor coyly dodged a direct answer and instead reminded the hosts and audience of The View that he’s never really gone, since home video allows you to watch the droid as often as you’d like. He also mentioned, however, that while Daniels was keen to let the character depart the franchise with The Rise of Skywalker, director J.J. Abrams had his own ideas.

“Oh, he’s not over. I said to J.J., when we were filming, ‘Maybe it’s time to put Threepio to sleep, to give him an end,’ and he said, ‘Not on my watch,’” Daniels revealed on the show. “But one of the great things that happened is that, back in the day, 1975, you couldn’t have video in your home, it didn’t exist. Big TV studios, you could have it. Now, it’s gone through all the iterations from laserdisc to whatever, and now you do have it, first of all downloadable, and at the end of the month, you can actually buy it on disc, and here’s the important thing: when you have it on disc, you have control. In the movie theater, it whizzes by, at home, you can say, ‘Oh, I want to see Anthony Daniels in that scene again.’”

These comments echo remarks that the characters themselves have reiterated in the sequel trilogy that “no one’s ever really gone,” with C-3PO’s legacy existing in perpetuity, thanks to his many appearances in Star Wars stories over the years.

Daniels has the distinction of being the only actor to have appeared in every live-action Star Wars film, including the nine films of the Skywalker Saga and small roles in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Solo: A Star Wars Story. More than 40 years after he first played the part, previous comments Daniels has made imply that he likely won’t be reprising the part of C-3PO anytime soon, if ever.

“Before filming this, it seemed like the writers had slightly run out of steam with C-3PO. I didn’t want him to just become a wall decoration,” Daniels shared with The Huffington Post. “I thought he should have a big send-off or send-off that gave you finality, and of course, at the time, J.J. said, ‘No way.’”

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker lands on Digital HD on March 17th and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on March 31st.

Would you like to see C-3PO return? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!