Binary

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

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.

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. The astromech BB-8 spoke in 27th generation droidspeak, a compressed variant of standard droidspeak. Poe Dameron, his long-time companion, was able to understand him without any need for translation.

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.

Text and facts from the “Binary” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.