star wars - Do all droids have a four alphanumeric character name and does this have any significance?
I was noticing that the two famous droids from Star Wars, C-3PO and R2-D2 have a four character alphanumeric name. Now, these are just two of so many droids out there, but I was wondering, in the Star Wars universe - do all droids have a four character alphanumeric name? If not, does the length or having an alphanumeric name as opposed to purely digits or characters have any significance?
Answer
We have at least one droid whose 4-letter title was just a fragment of a real long designation:
Cassian had killed K-2SO (whose true designation was far longer and far grander, rich with meaning and history that described his factory of origin, the date and time of his initialization, and more) and brought him back both smaller and larger than he had been. K-2SO did not mourn for his old self, but there were times he grew wistful over what he had been.
("Rogue One" official novelization by Alexander Freed, Chapter 19)
Pablo Hidalgo (Internet Content Provider for starwars.com) answered this conclusively in Q&A in Star Wars Insider #58 (Page 97)
He said that 4-letter robot names are just fragments of long serial numbers. And some droids don't even have a shorter 4-letter name for some, who instead get a real nickname (e.g. Corran Horn's Wistler).
Please note that the canonical status of Star Wars Insider information is questionable in new Disney canon, but Pablo Hidalgo is still pre-eminent canon expert at Lucasfilm Story Group, and as such the fact that a nearly identical fact was included in a canon novel probably means that the overall general rule also remain canonical.
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