We’ve all seen our fair share of bootleg merchandise in our day. From the dollar store toy shelves stocked with Power Rangers knockoffs to pirated seasons of shows on DVD at cons to fake t-shirts outside of a venue after a show, it’s easy to look right past a tote bag or something like that featuring your favorite characters with slight irregularities in color, size, or whatever. And with how long ‘Star Wars’ has been around, I’m sure that the franchise has its fair share of impostor items for sale. However, it appears that there is a newly discovered piece of merch for ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ that could easily be mistaken as a fake that is actually the real deal.
According to /Film, a picture of a Mexican soda cup promoting the upcoming film from a galaxy far, far away has surfaced online spotlighting three of the most recognizable droids in ‘Star Wars’ history: C-3PO, R2-D2, and BB-8. Although, the golden protocol droid played by Anthony Daniels is seen sporting a red arm in the design. Check it out in the picture below:
As I said, someone could easily make a case for this being a knockoff with a Photoshop job, but this actually isn’t the first time that the red arm has popped up. Making Star Wars actually found a table and chair set that features the same image as the cup, except this time 3PO’s arm joint isn’t covered by the ‘Star Wars’ logo:
If both of these items are actually legitimate, then the question remains as to how C-3PO ended up with a red arm. Of course, he’s no stranger to losing limbs. It has happened before. But what happened that he needed the red replacement? Was it R2-D2’s fault? And will we get an explanation in ‘Episode VII’ or will that story be relegated to another area of canon like one of Marvel’s acclaimed ‘Star Wars’ comics or an upcoming novel? While we wait on these answers, share your thoughts and theories in the comment section.
‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ starring John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Max von Sydow, Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker hits theaters on December 18, 2015.