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Domabesh

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Domabesh was an alphabetic script used throughout the galaxy for thousands of years. The script dated to millennia prior to the Galactic Civil War, having been used in carved inscriptions on a temple honoring the ancient Dark Lord of the Sith Exar Kun. Still in use by the beginning of the Imperial Era, the script was seen on worlds such as Saleucami, Jedha and Daiyu.

Description

Domabesh letters were roughly square in proportion, with strokes of slightly varying widths, and some filled regions. The letters shared some visual similarities with the common Aurebesh writing system.[4]

History

Republic era

Offworld Travel

Domabesh[7] came into use thousands of years prior to 0 BBY,[8] as inscriptions on a temple honoring the ancient[3] Dark Lord of the Sith[9] Exar Kun were carved in it. The inscription read "OUR TEMPLE HONOURING SITH LORD EXAR KUN".[3][10] By 10 BBY,[11] the crime lord Dryden Vos of Crimson Dawn had plundered Kun's temple and looted an obsidian slab engraved with this script, which was set into a custom-made desk that Vos used on his yacht, First Light.[3]

An ancient navigational dataplaque presumed stolen by Vos from the Bureau of Ships and Services Heritage Museum on Coruscant, said to be from an old Jedi survey craft, was inscribed with "LIGHT" at the top, "DARK" at the bottom, and "THE BALANCE" in the middle.[12]

A page in a holobook that Kai Brightstar consulted to find a cure for sniffles read "TABLE OF CONTENTS" in this script.[13] When Brightstar's fellow Jedi Initiate Lys Solay looked up information on the kibbin on her datapad, it showed a picture of the creature along with a caption in this script, although the name of the animal was misspelled as "KIBGIN".[14]

After SF-R3 added Lys Solay and Myra's research on the leepur to the Galactic Creature Guide, he showed them the new entry on a datapad, where the headline was written in Domabesh. It read "JUANBRAVO".[15]

Imperial era

In 19 BBY,[16] a sign for "Offworld Travel" in a town on the planet Saleucami was written in the script.[5] The same year,[16] decommissioning facility workers on Corellia, including infiltrators Rafa and Trace Martez, wore helmets decorated with[1] the letters "KVH" written in this script.[17]

In 10 BBY,[18] when the Millennium Falcon became trapped in a gravity well, the crew was forced to inject a drop of coaxium into the fusion reactor to give the freighter the kick needed to escape. During the process, Tobias Beckett opened up a box with a sticky grey substance that he used to attach a little pump to a hose. The word "DOM" was written on the lid, using this script.[10]

In 9 BBY,[19] two signs in Daiyu spaceport, reading "SHIPCYR" and "IS[obscured character]REW" respectively, were written in Domabesh, although every letter in the latter's name was mirrored. Some of the signs in Daiyu City also used this script. One such sign advertised "FRESH BREW," although the entire sign was upside-down. Another sign read "FRESH" and a third sign read "DISCO".[2]

In 5 BBY, a wall next to a set of stairs near a screen store on Ferrix carried an inscription using this script, ending in the letters "TSO". White industrial container on a salvage yard on Ferrix carried a warning in this script,[20] reading "CAUTION": "FLAMMABLE".[21] Computer monitors inside the transport business Xanwan's freight kiosk contained some lettering in this font, although none of it made any sense.[22] An ad painted at a wall said "OWAUWAC FREIGHT" (although the first letter in the second word had faded away and was obscured by a pipe), with the first word written in this font.[21]

Domabesh

In 0 BBY,[23] a Rebel MP wore a helmet with the initials "MP" written in this font, and a shirt with the letter G written in the same script. The Holy Quarter of Jedha City was decorated with writing in the script prior to the city's destruction,[4] on walls, archways and railings. For example, "BO MEATH THE[two characters obscured by burn marks] SZ T E" was written on one archway, while another archway read "THEFORCESURROUNDS" ("The Force surrounds") was painted on a different archway. Other inscriptions produced gibberish when translated.[24] During the Battle of Scarif, the Rebel pilot Red Twelve wore a flight helmet with yellow markings in the script, with the inscription on the right side of the helmet ending with "OSS", while the one on the left began with "BOO".[4] The bounty hunter Tam Posla wore a helmet adorned with "MA", short for "Milvayne Authority," in the script.[25]

New Republic era

By 34 ABY,[26] Resistance pilot Venisa Doza wore a flight helmet with red markings that spelled out[27] "DOZA"[28][29] in the script.[27]

Behind the scenes

"It's called domabesh, and was made for Rogue One."
―Pablo Hidalgo[30]
Domabesh font

Domabesh first appeared in the Star Wars Anthology film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which was released in 2016.[4] In 2019, when Glyn Dillon, a costume designer of Rogue One, was asked about the font on Twitter, he revealed that it was called Domabesh and had been developed at the request of[31] director[4] Gareth Edwards.[31] According to Barry Gingell, who worked as a graphic designer on the television series Andor,[20] the alphabet was created by Dominic Sikking,[32] a graphic designer on Rogue One.[4]

In 2021, when asked on Twitter, Lucasfilm Story Group member Pablo Hidalgo called it "Domabesh,"[30] but the name did not appear in canon until the 2024 refererence book The Art of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.[33] According to Hidalgo, Domabesh is thought to be an archaic script, not as ancient as Ur-Kittât, but older than Aurebesh.[34]

According to concept art by concept designer Will Htay, the full Domabesh inscription on one of the archways in Jedha City in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is "THEFORCESURROUNDSUSPENETRATESANDBINDSTHEGALAXYTOGETHER", or "The Force surrounds us, penetrates and binds the galaxy together";[35] paraphrasing Obi-Wan Kenobi in the film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, where the old Jedi Master says, "The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together."[36] In the actual movie, only "THEFORCESURROUNDS" is seen.[4] According to Gingell, font designer Sikking originally planned to use spaces, but the concept artist removed them in the production art of Jedha and this idea stuck.[37]

A piece of concept art by Chris Caldow in the behind the scenes book The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story shows a Jedha market cooking stall that says "FRY" in Domabesh.[38]

In the teaser trailer for the film, there is a shot of Imperial stormtroopers driving a TX-225 Occupier assault tank through the streets of Jedha City, with a Domabesh inscription set in stone on the building behind them, reading "BAR BELLOQ";[39] seemingly a nod to René Belloq, the main antagonist from the Lucasfilm production Raiders of the Lost Ark,[40] that the titular character meets in an Egyptian bar at one point.[41] This shot does not appear in the film.[4]

The Art of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor later confirmed the name Domabesh to be canon.[7]

In the Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures episode "A New Discovery," the headline of the newly written entry on the leepur in the Galactic Creature Guide reads "JUANBRAVO" in Domabesh. This appears to be a reference to Juan Luis Bravo, who worked as a storyboard artist on this episode.[15]

Appearances

This in-universe list is incomplete. You can help Wookieepedia by expanding it.

Sources

This in-universe list is incomplete. You can help Wookieepedia by expanding it.

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Star Wars: The Bad Batch — "Decommissioned"
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Obi-Wan Kenobi — "Part II"
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Solo: A Star Wars Story The Official Guide
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Star Wars: The Bad Batch — "Cut and Run"
  6. ↑ Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures — "The Missing Kibbin"
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Art of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
  8. ↑ "Lightsabers and Jedi Equipment" states that Exar Kun lived thousands of years before Darth Sidious and Darth Maul. Maul's apprenticeship to Sidious ended during the Battle of Naboo, dated to 32 BBY by Star Wars: Galactic Atlas. Therefore, by 0 BBY the script must have been in use for thousands of years.
  9. ↑ "Lightsabers and Jedi Equipment" — Star Wars Encyclopedia
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Solo: A Star Wars Story (Note that, as shown in On translating the runes on Dryden Vos's desk by Ender_HappyLeviathan on Reddit (December 17, 2020) (backup link), half the inscription on the obsidian slab can be seen in the film, while the rest can be seen in the guide book Solo: A Star Wars Story The Official Guide. Also note that the inscription on Becket's box is seen upside-down.)
  11. ↑ Star Wars: Timelines dates the events of Solo: A Star Wars Story to 10 BBY.
  12. ↑ Star Wars: Scum and Villainy: Case Files on the Galaxy's Most Notorious
  13. ↑ Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures — "Get Well Nubs"
  14. ↑ Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures — "The Missing Kibbin"
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures — "A New Discovery"
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Star Wars: The Bad Batch begins with Order 66, the execution of which is dated to 19 BBY by Star Wars: Galactic Atlas. As the episodes "Cut and Run" and "Decommissioned" take place shortly thereafter, it must also be set in that year.
  17. ↑ StarWars.com "Decommissioned" Concept Art Gallery on StarWars.com (backup link) (Slides 1, 8)
  18. ↑ Star Wars: Timelines
  19. ↑ Star Wars: Timelines dates the events of Obi-Wan Kenobi to 9 BBY. Therefore, the events of "Part II" must be set in 9 BBY.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Andor — "Kassa"
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Andor — "Reckoning"
  22. ↑ Andor — "That Would Be Me"
  23. ↑ Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
  24. ↑ Star Wars: Timelines dates the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to 1 BBY.
  25. ↑ Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide
  26. ↑ Star Wars: Timelines places the events of Star Wars Resistance Season Two, which includes the episode "Rendezvous Point," in 34 ABY.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Star Wars Resistance — "Rendezvous Point"
  28. ↑ StarWars.com Rendezvous Point Concept Art Gallery on StarWars.com (backup link) (Slide 3)
  29. ↑ StarWars.com Bucket's List Extra: 7 Fun Facts from "Rendezvous Point" - Star Wars Resistance on StarWars.com (November 25, 2019) (backup link)
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Pablo Hidalgo (@pabl0hidalgo) on Twitter (post on May 30, 2021): "It's called domabesh, and was made for Rogue One." (backup link)
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Glyn Dillon (@glyn_dillon) on Twitter (post on March 27, 2019): "The fonts were made at Gareth's request for R.O. he didn't want a universe with just one text (and mostly one font). They were designed by the art dept graphics team. I was able to use them in any designs that needed text. Dishabesh just seemed to suit Enfys more than the others." (original link is obsolete)
    Alban Leloup (@LelalMekha) on Twitter (post on March 27, 2019): "Dishabesh, eh? That's the actual name they gave it? And the one in this picture is "Domabesh," right?" (backup link)
    Glyn Dillon (@glyn_dillon) on Twitter (post on March 27, 2019): "Correct" (original link is obsolete)
  32. ↑ Barry Gingell (@BazatronPrime) on Twitter (post on June 13, 2023): "Domabesh was done by Dom Sikking." (backup link)
  33. ↑ The Art of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
  34. ↑ Pablo Hidalgo (@pabl0hidalgo) on Twitter (post on June 21, 2021): "I don't know how that was decided; but I do know Domabesh is thought to be archaic, with its usage on Jedha. Not as ancient as the McQuarrie script, but much older than run-of-the-mill Aurebesh at least." (backup link)
  35. ↑ Rogue One: A Star Wars Story by Htay, Will on HTAYDESIGN (backup link archived on May 17, 2023) (concept art)
  36. ↑ Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
  37. ↑ Barry Gingell (@BazatronPrime) on Twitter (post on June 18, 2023): "UPDATE: Dom says hi and he's flattered. He says spaces are allowed and originally planned, but the concept artist removed them in his Jedha art and it stuck." (backup link)
  38. ↑ The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
  39. ↑ ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY Official Teaser Trailer on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
  40. ↑ Rene Belloq on Giant Bomb: "Rene Belloq is one of Indiana Jone's [sic] villains in the classic film series. Belloq has been known to steal Indy's archeological finds before he can bring them to a museum or wherever they may be heading. Rene appears in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark as well as games based off of the Indiana Jones movies." (backup link archived on February 22, 2022)
  41. ↑ Film / Raiders of the Lost Ark on TV Tropes: "During Indy and Belloq's Nonviolent Initial Confrontation at a Cairo bar, Indy reaches for his gun only to discover that the entire place is filled with armed Arabs." (backup link archived on May 15, 2023)
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