Star Wars: Slang from a Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars slang has some pretty memorable moments. If you don’t have a great galactic vocabulary, here are some of our favorite words.
Like many sci-fi and fantasy series, there’s a lot of slang in Star Wars. It helps the galaxy feel more established and separate from Earth. Of course, there’s a fair amount of overlap, and most words are easy enough to pick up from context clues. But others are way out there. These are some of our favorite words out of the Star Wars galaxy.
Kriff
Courtesy of Lucas Films
There are a lot of expletives in Star Wars, but “kriff” is probably my favorite. It does have an official translation according to Wookiepedia, but it is a “vulgar expletive” and is also often said as “kriffing.” So I think it’s most fair translation is probably a certain four letter f-word.
But like I said, if you’re looking for ways to swear in a Star Wars setting (perhaps a $6,000 one?), there are options. “Crink”, “crik”, “dosh”, “kark”, and “pfassk” (if you can figure out how to pronounce it) will all let you express displeasure while in character.
Jizz
Courtesy of Lucas Films
Jizz is the popular, upbeat, swing-adjacent genre of music that Max Rebo plays throughout the galaxy. Musicians are known as “jizz-wailers.” You may have solved the cleaver riddle and noticed the closeness of the words “jazz” and “jizz.” But, y’know, much sillier. I’m not saying that you should loudly mention the music genre by name whenever possible in any Edge of the Empire games you may play or should you encounter it in the official parks, but you can if you wanted to.
Wizard
Courtesy of Lucas Films
This one is a bit more wholesome, originating from The Phantom Menace when Anakin’s friend, Kitster Chanchani Banai let him know how “wizard” his pod racer was. It came back around recently when Din Djarin wanted to describe his brand new-to-him N-1 Starfighter. Simply put, “wizard” is “cool” or “awesome.” It’s also sometimes real-world slang of British origin. We love referring to how “wizard” things are. It’s a little cheesy, but it’s also sweet and fun.
Spacer
Courtesy of Lucas Films
“Spacer” in Star Wars is used the same way “sailor” is on Earth. Spacers spend most of their lives and careers in space. Similarly, a Space Baby is someone born and raised in space, either on a ship or in space stations. Many of the most interesting stories to follow in Star Wars are Spacers. But out in space is where the wars are mostly happening. This one isn’t particularly fun to shout or use in a sentence, but it’s good to know. And I think a little bit telling of the importance of space in the universe.
Sleemo
This Huttese word is used commonly enough that many of us recognize it pretty quickly. “Sleemo” translates to “slimeball.” But since it’s a great word that’s fun to say, more than Hutts use it. Its definition has grown to include thugs, pirates, and general low-lifes. It may be the perfect word for them. Sleemo sounds like it describes someone you’d like to keep your distance from.
What’s your favorite Star Wars slang word? Do you ever use any galactic-originating words in your day-to-day life or drop them into your tabletop games? If not, where will you be using your new vocabulary? Let us know in the comments!
May The Force Be With You, Adventurers!
