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If you’ve been enjoyingStar Warscontent for a while, you might have come across mention of a certain language called Galactic Basic, Galactic Basic Standard, or simply Basic. While not exactly as prevalent as droids or the phrase “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” this language is arguably as integral to the Star Wars universe as any of them.
But whether you’ve seen it mentioned in a book, comic, or other material, you may have left with more questions than answers. In many cases, characters will refer to someone speaking Basic and then simply continue using the same language as everyone else. This is unlike more recognizable languages like Huttese, a harsh tongue famously belched out bythe deceptively powerful Jabba the Hutt. So is Basic just English? Is it a whole different language just translated for you, the reader/viewer? Let’s find out.
What Is Galactic Basic?
In the simplest term, Galactic Basic Standard is pretty much what the name implies:the most widely-used language in the galaxy, enough to be considered ‘standard’ among the majority of its denizens.
When you hear someone speaking in a language you understand in Star Wars,it’s most likely Basic.
From a behind-the-scenes perspective,it was likely a move of convenience. Hard to come up with a new language for each of the countless (and counting) races that appear in the series.
So, most inhabitants from the bougie elite on Coruscant to the humble moisturefarmers of Tatooineknow of it and speak it fluently.
The catch is that it’salso most specifically suited for use by humanoid races. So you’ll never hear a Wookiee like Chewbacca capable of twisting their mouths around Basic. It’s just not made for their vocal cords.
Some races like the Ithorians (those aliens with heads that look kind of like flat, curved hammerhead sharks) havecreated devices to translate their own spoken language into Basic, despite being unable to reproduce it with their double mouths.
But there’s no secret thathumans have the advantage when speaking Basic. Luckily, there are several ways for any race to understand and converse in Basic.
Aside from the aforementioned translation devices,a number of written alphabets exist.The most notable among these isAurebesh.
What Is Aurebesh?
If you’ve seen almost anyStar Wars media, you’ve seen Aurebesh.Aurebesh is one of the most commonly used writing systems in the Star Wars universe, and it’s the written version of Basic.
First appearing in Episode 6: Return of the Jedi,it started out as just meaningless symbols. But it has since become among the most recognizable elements in Star Wars, even more than some of the droids (but don’t tell them that, they have feelings too).
The alphabetcontains 26 characters, corresponding with the real-world Latin Alphabetused for English.
Author and illustrator Stephen Crane first established Aurebesh this waywhile writing a rulebook for the Star Wars Roleplaying Gamein 1994,using the characters that appeared on a Death Star screen in Return of the Jedi. So yes, it’s been around almost as long as Star Wars itself.
“The Star Wars alphabet that inspired the Aurebesh appears on screen for a span of mere seconds. That was enough time for me to notice them, though. As a graphic designer who worked (and still works) with fonts on a daily basis, I was intrigued by these glowing symbols on a Death Star readout.” -Stephen Crane
Aurebesh isn’t the only writing system for Basic, despite being the main one you most likely recognize. Another isOuter Rim Basic, also known as Huttese.
This isn’t to be confused with the actual spoken Huttese language, which is entirely separate and certainly not confusing at all.
Outer Rim Basic can notably be seenon Anakin Skywalker’s podracer readout screen in Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Like Aurebesh, it corresponds to the Latin Alphabet.
There’s one more writing system calledHigh Galactic, and there’s no real way to sugarcoat this. It’sliterally just the Latin Alphabet.
Considering that and how the other writing systems translate, you might suspect something about Basic. Is it the Star Wars version of English? Well, the answer isn’t so simple.
Is Galactic Basic Just English?
Basic isn’t necessarily just a convenient sci-fi word for English. Don’t get it confused, however. The purpose of Basic is theorized to essentially justmake things easier for the audience.
When you hear someone speaking in your language in Star Wars, that’s Basic, but it’s not exactly English or any other real-world language.
It’s left up tothe interpretation of the audience. Technically, you could say it’s just English, French, or whichever language any particular piece of media is translated into.
But since those languages don’t exist under those names in thediverse Star Wars galaxy,you could also see it as a language completely unknown in the real worldthat’s helpfully being translated for everyone watching.
