Galactic Basic

"In Basic, please?"

- Garazeb Orrelios

Galactic Basic, also known as Basic, or galactic standard, was the name of the most prevalent language in the galaxy. It was spoken by species including&mdash;but not limited to&mdash;the humans and the Pantorans, but not by the Ewoks and the Talz. The Gungans of Naboo spoke a heavily accented dialect of Basic, with many differences in grammar and vocabulary. Diplodialect was a specific register of Basic used in the diplomatic circles of the Galactic Republic.

Most stormtroopers, the elite soldiers of the Galactic Empire, could only speak and understand Basic, despite the commonness of other languages such as Huttese. With vocal cords that were quite different from those of many other species, Wookiees and Ithorians were entirely unable to speak Basic, though they could learn to understand it. Ithorians used translators to simulate speaking Basic. Tasu Leech, leader of the Kanjiklub, would never desire to speak Basic, which he dismissed as a "soft language for soft people."

Basic could be written in several forms, including Aurebesh, High Galactic, and Outer Rim Basic.

Behind the scenes
Basic is the name given to the English language in the Star Wars saga, although in dubbed versions of the films it will for all intents and purposes resemble those languages. As a result, Basic comes in as many accents as those of the actors in the films, television series and video games. For example, when she filmed the original Star Wars, Carrie Fisher spoke with Received Pronunciation during her first day of shooting (which was the scene where Leia confronts Wilhuff Tarkin). "I had a British accent," she explained. "Who could say those lines? 'I thought I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board.' What? Say that like an American and I'll pay you."