Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Teaches Us How to Speak Like a Local
When you visit Disney's Galaxy's Edge, you're bound to leave talking like a citizen of the Star Wars galaxy.
The newly-opened Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge theme park at Walt Disney World in Orlando (and Disneyland in Anaheim) is an immersive experience where guests can create their own Star Wars story. When they enter this new land, they arrive from off-planet – aka Disney’s Hollywood Studios – and onto Batuu, the small, forested planet on the edge of the Outer Rim and the last stop before reaching uncharted Wild Space.
Batuu’s spaceport, Black Spire Outpost, buzzes with activity. In the story, it has only been a month since the Resistance arrived on the distant planet, but two weeks since the First Order showed up. There are also scoundrels all about that see opportunity in the chaos, as the First Order hunts the Resistance, who are camped out in ruins outside of town.
While Kylo Ren, Rey, Chewie, and BB-8 are walking around BSO, crime boss Oga Garra is running the cantina – as well as all business activities at the Spire. Also in the mix is Dok-Ondar, Oga’s right-hand Ithorian, who tracks the books while also running a local shop. And Weequay pirate Hondo Ohnaka, who fans know from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Rebels, is a “legitimate businessman” while also assisting the Resistance. Eagle-eyed travelers to Batuu may be fortunate enough to spot Vi Moradi, the Resistance spy who undermines the First Order at every opportunity and the star of the Galaxy’s Edge tie-in novel Black Spire.
The locals of Black Spire Outpost have varying opinions about what’s happening to their home. Some side with the Resistance, others are with the First Order members because their credits work as well as anyone else’s. And still others play both sides.
But whatever the loyalties of those on Batuu, and in Black Spire Outpost, you’ll hear all of the local inhabitants speaking in the language of Star Wars. Visitors can download the Disney Play app to turn their smartphones into datapads to translate the Aurebesh used all over the park, but if you simply want to speak Basic like a local, I spent some time at Galaxy’s Edge asking for the words and expressions for everything I saw. Here are the expressions to know when “On-Batuu” so you don’t sound like an Off-Worlder:
Hello/Good Day: Bright Suns
Hello/Good Evening: Rising Moons
Goodbye: Good Journey/Good Run/May The Spires Keep You/ ’Til The Spire
Thank You: Well Bartered/Good Trade
You’re Welcome: And You
Good Luck: Good Run/May Your Deals Go Well
Guests/Tourists: Travelers/Off-Worlders/Visitors
Children: Younglings
Batuu Cast Member: Local
Money: Credits
Credit Card: Credit Chip
Toilet: Refresher
Water Fountain: Hydrator
Cell phone/Tablet: Data Pad/Communicator
Cash Register: Order Pod
Receipt: Cargo Slip
Allergy Order: Special Cargo
Happy Birthday: Happy Rotation Day
I don’t know: Only the Ancients Know
Stroller: Youngling Transport
Rally call for the First Order: For the Order
Rally call for the Resistance (“May the Force Be With You” also works): Ignite the Spark
Said in response to “Ignite the spark”: Light the Fire
Photo: Image Capture
Annual pass discount: Credit Reduction
Annual Pass: Frequent Traveler Card
Disneyland: The Pink Spire
And for the super nerdy, here is some employee speak on Batuu:
Leader: Commander
Coordinator: Deck Officer
Trainer: Job Processor
Trainee: New Recruit
Checking ID: Credential Confirmation
Order: Cargo
Condiment Bar: Service Pod
Dining Plan: Meal Credits
Kitchen Workers: Droids
Kitchen Coordinator: Droid Deck Officer
Counter Coordinator: Cargo Deck Officer
Busser: Pod Attendant
Dining Room Coordinator: Pod Deck Officer
Written by
Aaron Sagers is a New York City-based journalist, author, and researcher of the weird, pursuing the cross-cultural connections of the paranormal across the globe for more…