High Galactic

"I get it now. It's a basic algebra thing. You have to picture it written down in High Galactic instead of listening to it."

―Nakari Kelen

Pages from Ezra Bridger's private journal, handwritten in High Galactic

The High Galactic Alphabet (abbreviated HGA) was a form of writing used in the galaxy. Unlike the more common Aurebesh, which was widely used by all levels of society, High Galactic was typically adopted only by officials and the wealthy, and was often associated with snobbery. It saw use during the Clone Wars and the Galactic Civil War. It was notably used in certain Galactic Basic Standard holofeeds displayed on the planet of Coruscant, then capital of the Galactic Empire. Algebraic formulas could also be written down in High Galactic letters. The bottles containing the Nabooan wine called Domaine de la Maison sur le Lac also featured High Galactic characters on their stickers. Janyor of Bith's book on propaganda featured examples of persuasive artwork that used both Aurebesh and High Galactic copy executions, and Janyor noted that disparate versions of Saespo Choffrey's Sienar Fleet Systems mural using both of these writing systems were distributed through the outlying neighborhoods and residential districts of Capital City on Lothal.

Behind the scenes

"Well, actually, they do use the Roman alphabet in the Star Wars universe."

―Pablo Hidalgo

The tractor beam information gauge, as it appears in the original A New Hope (top) and the 2004 DVD version (bottom)

The original version of the 1977 movie Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope contained occurrences of the real-world Latin alphabet. Although those labels were later edited into Aurebesh in the DVD release, the Expanded Universe kept featuring Roman letters in in-universe situations. Eventually, those occurrences were identified as the High Galactic alphabet in The Written Word, a StarWars.com Hyperspace article written by John Hazlett. However, the Expanded Universe has since been rebranded Star Wars Legends, and is therefore no longer considered canon.

Regardless, Roman writings still appeared in "The Gungan General" and "Senate Murders," two episodes of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars canon television series. The novel Heir to the Jedi by Kevin Hearne recanonized the name High Galactic.

In the 2015 short comic Star Wars Annual (2015) 1 by Marvel Comics, a number of holofeed writings were mistakenly written in a Roman typeface which only mimicked real Aurebesh. When asked about it by a fan, Jordan D. White, editor for Marvel Comics, admitted there had been a mistake. However, he also endorsed the in-universe identification of those writings as High Galactic.

Appearances

A Basic holofeed written in High Galactic

• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "The Gungan General"
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Senate Murders" (Too small to be read in the final episode)
• Darth Maul—Son of Dathomir 1
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "On the Wings of Keeradaks"
• Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith (Mentioned only) ("Plan B")
• Star Wars Rebels – "A Princess on Lothal"
• Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope (First appearance) (Pre-DVD version only)
• Heir to the Jedi (First identified as High Galactic)
• Heir to the Jedi audiobook (First identified as High Galactic)
• Star Wars Annual (2015) 1
• Alphabet Squadron (Mentioned only)
• Alphabet Squadron audiobook (Mentioned only)
• The Mandalorian – "Chapter 15: The Believer"
• BB-8 on the Run
• Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
• Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi (Mentioned only) ("Hugs, with an 'H?'")

Sources

•  The Clone Wars Episode Guide: Senate Murders on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
• Rebel Journal by Ezra Bridger
• Sabine My Rebel Sketchbook
• Rey's Survival Guide
• Star Wars Propaganda: A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy
• Poe Dameron: Flight Log
• Star Wars: The Rebel Files
• The Last Jedi: Bomber Command
• Solo: A Star Wars Story: Tales from Vandor
• Star Wars: Smuggler's Guide

Notes and references

In other languages

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