It’s been a while since I covered the topic which gives this blog its name: Star Wars’ favorite fake space-letters: Aurebesh. For newcomers, my goal is to examine the use of alien writing in Star Wars: The Old Republic, and, when possible, both translate the words and explore their context in the game’s world. Aurebesh and other forms of writing appear across the many planets we visit in the game, and it’s fun to discover the meaning of this writing which is hidden in plain sight.
I like to describe what I do as “diegetic translations” which is a fancy way of saying that I hope I can help players interact with the holograms, monitors, posters and signs written in alien languages in the same way we can assume our characters do.
Jetpack Design Station
The first subject of this post is the monitor included as part of the decoration “Jetpack Design Station.” This decoration is a reward from the current, tenth PVP Season. The decoration is a small work table scattered with tools and parts for the jetpack mount that is the ultimate reward of the season. The station has a quite lovely art deco aesthetic, but, of course, the feature that first caught my eye was the computer monitor detailing the specs of the Outer Rim Runner Jetpack.
SWTOR has many Aurebesh readouts that have been reused and repurposed throughout the years. Given the sheer scope of the game, this is understandable, but I do appreciate that the art team included a bespoke graphic designed for this specific game asset. The extra attention to detail helps this decoration stand out, even if you can’t read exactly what it says.
The Rocketeer by Dave Stevens, 1982.
The Outer Rim Runner Jetpack is clearly inspired by the jetpack worn by the Rocketeer, a comic book character created by writer/artist Dave Stevens in the early 1980s. The Rocketeer was created as a throwback to the pulp heroes of the 1930s including Doc Savage, the Shadow and Commander Cody. The Rocketeer is probably most well known from the cult-favorite 1991 movie of the same name, but it looks to me like SWTOR’s jetpack is directly inspired by the single exhaust version of the rocket seen in Steven’s comics, not the one used on the big screen.
There isn’t too much to translate here, and I imagine anyone could venture a reasonable guess to what the text reads. I confess, however, that I did take a moment to wonder why a jetpack would need spoilers, but then I remembered the most infamous jetpack malfunction in Star Wars history.
Boba Fett! Where?
So rest assured, that you are significantly less likely to ricochet off the hull of a crimelord’s sail barge into the maw of the great Pit of Carkoon while jetting around the galaxy using this PVP reward. Still, you might want to double check the warranty.
7.8.1 Livestream
As I wrote this post, SWTOR hosted a livestream focused on both the next update and a discussion of what to expect in the months ahead. Rather than comment on every announcement, I’d like to focus on two points that stood out for me.
In December, the announcement from the producer letter that garnered the most attention was their plan to launch of 8.0 as part of the game’s 15th anniversary. However, during this week’s presentation Keith Kanneg and Eric Musco made sure to emphasize that before talk of the game’s next era begins, the developers aim to spend the first half of this year focused on bringing Legacy of the Sith to a proper conclusion and an epic finale worth remembering. I think this is a good decision. There is still plenty of story ahead of us, and I’m eager to see where how it ends.
Sure Anri is cool, but her name isn’t a portmanteau of “River Styx”.
Secondly, the team revealed the details of the upcoming Galactic Season. I won’t lie, when I first learned that the next two seasons would feature rewards drawn from the first four Galactic Seasons, I was disappointed. I fully completed and collect all the loot from all of those seasons the first time around. But here’s the thing, it’s not all about me. It’s been five years since the first Galactic Season, and the fact of the matter is that there are plenty of players who missed out on the earlier seasons. Limited time seasons and battle passes are deliberately designed to exploit players’ fear of missing out on rewards, I’ve never liked it when rewards, especially cosmetic ones, become unavailable. Maybe you heard that Altuur is the best companion, or you could use a pink blaster to complete your fit, or you’re certain the GAME Jacket will make you cool like Fonzie. Discovering that you can no longer earn those rewards isn’t a great feeling for new or returning players.
As for me, I won’t say no to more Cartel Coins, and I was pleased to learn that bronze, silver and gold Cartel Packs from the rewards tracks are being refreshed with some new additions. In truth, those packs have long since gone stale for me, and it became a rare event to get anything interesting at all from them.
I am glad that players will get another chance at Season Rewards that are new to them. I’ve been clear from the start that I don’t consider “Galactic Seasons” to be “content.” I don’t mean that as an insult. SWTOR’s most prominent feature is its story, and we’re getting three major story updates in a row in the lead up to the Legacy of the Sith’s finale. I will take that any day of the week.
Galactic Season objectives are something to do in between those updates, and MMOs need that too. I’ve played the game’s heroics, daily areas and flashpoints countless times, so I appreciate that Seasons provide a framework to keep me and my friends and guild-mates busy with something different while also handing out some rewards. And if this frees up the developers to have more time to prepare 8.0, so much the better.
The Mandalorian and Grogu and Hugo and Apollo Creed
Finally, let’s take a quick look at some Aurebesh that showed up in the brand new trailer for The Mandalorian and Grogu. The writing seen in both examples is meant to serve as tributes to other film-makers. The first screenshot shows Din Djarin speaking with an Ardennian food truck chef. The alien is voiced by Martin Scorsese, one of film’s most famous and important directors. Indeed, the food truck (and presumably its proprietor) is named “Hugo.” This is likely a reference to Scorsese’s 2011 movie of the same name, which in itself is a was made to honor to the earliest days of motion pictures. However, there are references within references here. Jon Favreau who directed The Mandalorian and Grogu also wrote, directed and starred in the movie Chef in which his character, a disgraced famous chef, rediscovers his love of cooking by operating a small food truck.
The next screenshot features two aurebesh words which are clearly a tribute to the late Carl Weathers. I don’t know the context for this sign within the movie, but this is clearly a reference to Weathers who was beloved both for playing Apollo Creed in the Rocky movies and his work on The Mandalorian Disney+ show where he portrayed Greef Karga and directed two episodes.
I know some serious minded fans poo-poo these sort of things, whether you call them Easter Eggs or self-indulgent inside jokes, but references to inspirational works go all the way back to the very first Star Wars film. In Episode IV alone, George Lucas quotes two Akira Kurusawa movies, Yojimbo and Hidden Fortress, and even Lucas’ own THX-1138.
This sort of thing does not bother me. It’s only natural that artists pay tribute to those who inspired them. Will The Mandalorian and Grogu be the greatest movie ever, on par with Good Fellas or Seven Samurai? Perhaps not, but it shouldn’t have to be.
The teaser trailer for The Mandalorian and Grogu debuted last year shortly after the conclusion of the previous live-action Star Wars production. After watching it, I joked to friends that the tag line for the movie should’ve been “Hey, Star Wars Fans! Did you love Andor? You’re gonna hate this!” I was being sarcastic, of course, but I have very different expectations of this new movie. I loved Andor, but was it fun? Not really. From the very beginning Star Wars was filled with silly aliens, spaceships and whiz-bang action, and I’m okay if the first movie in years returns to those roots.
Star Wars doesn’t have to be just for jaded old school fans, it can be for kids too. And, look, kids love Baby Yoda. When he first appeared back in 2019, it felt like it was the first time since at least the lead-up to the release of The Phantom Menace that Star Wars had such a large impact on popular culture. It’s only natural that Grogu be the focus on the franchise’s return to the big screen.
So I hope eight olds love this the way I loved the first Star Wars movie. They deserve it more than I do.
