A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, two droids became unlikely friends. And even though they lack human hearts, their bond warms my heart.

For this first foray, it seemed fitting to write about the most iconic AI duo the galaxy over: C3PO and R2D2.

Draft #1: The Drafting Menace

Here’s the first prompt I gave ChatGPT:

Write an essay about the friendship between C3PO and R2D2 in the original “Star Wars” trilogy

About 20 seconds later, here’s what came out on the other end:

The friendship between C3PO and R2D2 in the original “Star Wars” trilogy is one of the most enduring and endearing relationships in the series. C3PO, played by Anthony Daniels, is a protocol droid designed for diplomacy and etiquette, while R2D2, voiced by Kenny Baker, is an astromech droid designed for navigation and repair. The two characters are initially paired together at the beginning of “A New Hope,” and they go on to play a significant role in the original trilogy, often serving as comic relief and providing a sense of continuity throughout the films.

One of the key elements of their friendship is their contrast in personalities. C3PO is very talkative, anxious and often worried, while R2D2 is more reserved, resourceful and brave. C3PO’s anxiety and tendency to panic often leads to comic relief, while R2D2 is often the one who saves the day with his technical expertise. This dynamic between the two characters is both humorous and endearing, as the audience comes to appreciate the different strengths and weaknesses of each character.

Another important aspect of their friendship is their loyalty and dependability. C3PO and R2D2 are often the only constant companions throughout the original trilogy, and they stick together through thick and thin. They are always there for each other, and they demonstrate a deep sense of trust and camaraderie. This loyalty is evident in the way they work together to achieve their goals, and the way they look out for each other.

In addition, C3PO and R2D2’s friendship also highlights the theme of the importance of diversity and the power of friendship. Despite their differences in personalities, abilities, and design, the two characters are able to form a deep bond, and their friendship is an example of how people from different backgrounds can work together and achieve great things.

In conclusion, the friendship between C3PO and R2D2 in the original “Star Wars” trilogy is one of the most enduring and endearing relationships in the series. Their contrast in personalities, loyalty, and dependability, as well as their ability to work together, make them a compelling duo. Additionally, their friendship also highlights the theme of the importance of diversity and the power of friendship in the series.

Not half-bad.

Overall, this is not a flawless final essay. But it is an excellent draft.

The Force is strong in the following ways:

• The first paragraph is wonderful. It provides just enough context to introduce the topic and makes me want to read more.
• The body paragraphs discuss compelling elements of their friendship.
• The essay has no inaccurate information about the subject matter.
• Turn of phrase is fantastic– “enduring and endearing” is particularly catchy.

Much to learn, these aspects have:

• The essay makes a lot of sweeping claims in the body paragraphs, but doesn’t provide specific examples from the movies.
• The final paragraph is quite repetitive and adds nothing new to the essay. A teaspoon of repetition can help drive home important points, but it shouldn’t read as a copy/paste of prior sentences.

Draft #2: Attack of the Edits

With those Draft 1 notes in mind, I told ChatGPT:

Edit the essay to include specific examples of their friendship from the movies

About 10 seconds later, ChatGPT sent me a revised draft. Most of the essay is exactly the same, except where shown in the redlines below:

Paragraph #2:

Poor C3PO. He speaks dozens of languages, but is most fluent in panic.

Paragraph #3:

I’m glad C3PO gets to be the hero of this paragraph.

Paragraph 5 (last one):

This last tweak is kind of adorable. ChatGPT, I see you taking my edits and thoughtfully incorporating them!

Now that the essay had some concrete examples added in, I moved on to tackle the repetition problem.

Draft #3: Revenge of the Cuts

My next prompt for ChatGPT came swift as the slash of a lightsaber:

Remove the repetitive elements from this essay

After a few blinks, ChatGPT gave me a little more than I bargained for.

Paragraph #1:

I didn’t love these edits to the intro paragraph. This version isn’t bad, but the edits felt unnecessary to me. The intro was great as-is … was.

Paragraph #2:

Nooooooooo.

ChatGPT, like Anakin Skywalker, has a hard time knowing right from wrong, and got a lil overzealous killing things.

Paragraph #3:

Boom! Gone like Alderaan.

(But the essay is fine without this paragraph, so whatevs.)

Paragraph #4:

This insertion doesn’t make up for pulling a Death Star on the previous paragraph, ChatGPT.

Paragraph #5 (the last one):

Final sentence is leaving us on a real cliffhanger. But there are bigger problems.

This draft is weaker than the previous one because the cuts went too far. This was because I got cocky as an editor and was too vague with my prompt.

In other words, I lost the high ground.

Observations

There is more to this Star Wars essay-writing story (to be continued). But Draft #3 is a great point to stop and reflect on how the For- I mean, ChatGPT works.

I’m blown away by the speed and quality of Draft #1. In 20 seconds, ChatGPT produced something better than what many sleep-deprived English majors could produce in 20 minutes (I would know). The writing is functional and at some points even sparkles.

In Star Wars-speak, Draft #1 was an incredibly promising padawan. My editing goal was to level this essay up to a fully-fledged Jedi Knight. Adding examples in Draft #2 was the first step.

Draft #3 went to the Dark Side because, while ChatGPT is an amazing tool, it has limitations. My instructions this time around were overly broad. And ChatGPT didn’t know it needed to keep the examples it had added in the prior draft.

The result?

Stay tuned for Part 2.

You probably already guessed this, but Draft #4 will be called “A New Draft.”