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3N's Guide to #Aurebesh Fonts [Adapted for Twitter]
by 3ND-RA [& @AurekFonts]
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![(Alright, here goes. I may not get this out in one go, so be patient if it's half today, half tomorrow.)3N's Guide to #Aurebesh Fonts [Adapted for Twitter]by 3ND-RA [& @AurekFonts]1/](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Es88moIVEAIuD4C.jpg "(Alright, here goes. I may not get this out in one go, so be patient if it's half today, half tomorrow.)3N's Guide to #Aurebesh Fonts [Adapted for Twitter]by 3ND-RA [& @AurekFonts]1/")
3N's Guide to #Aurebesh Fonts [Adapted for Twitter]
by 3ND-RA [& @AurekFonts]
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Aurebesh, one of countless writing systems used throughout the galaxy, is an alphabet used primarily to transcribe the official language of the Galactic Republic/Empire: Basic.
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The aim of this guide is to help you choose the most appropriate and accurate Aurebesh font for a given purpose, (taking it for granted that Aurebesh is the most appropriate writing system for your purpose—a bold supposition, which we shall re-evaluate in a future guide).
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[Priority will be given to fonts that have appeared on-screen or in other official capacity in current Canon media. Therefore, all of these fonts may be termed “Canon Accurate,” and recommendations will be based upon use-case.]
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Chapter 1: A Brief History of Aurebesh
Aurebesh has existed in some form or another since antiquity. And like so much of the ancient galaxy, determining its origin with certainty requires weeding through millions of sources, 5/
Aurebesh has existed in some form or another since antiquity. And like so much of the ancient galaxy, determining its origin with certainty requires weeding through millions of sources, 5/
and pruning back the many contradictory histories, legends, and oral traditions that surround such artifacts and sources—all to discover that the answer still eludes you.
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[The real-world history of Aurebesh is a little less complicated than all that, but it has still taken a lot of digging, and a little guesswork has been employed. Remind me to stay true to the chapter heading and keep this a “brief history.” (A complete and thorough history 7/
will be the subject of a future guide.)
Various alphabets and writing systems were employed throughout the Original Trilogy of Star Wars films (including the earthly Latin alphabet). The vast majority of these were not intended to represent actual writing, but 8/
Various alphabets and writing systems were employed throughout the Original Trilogy of Star Wars films (including the earthly Latin alphabet). The vast majority of these were not intended to represent actual writing, but 8/
rather to suggest alien languages.
The first thing closely resembling Aurebesh was a script which appears several times in Return of the Jedi (1983). Most likely designed by Joe Johnston, the script appears to have been made by altering and 9/
The first thing closely resembling Aurebesh was a script which appears several times in Return of the Jedi (1983). Most likely designed by Joe Johnston, the script appears to have been made by altering and 9/
rotating Letraset dry-application lettering of Eurostile Black Extended. It was this screen specifically which inspired the creation of the alphabet known as Aurebesh:
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In 1993, while working for West End Games, writing books for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game, Stephen Crane “used freeze frame and sketched out the characters [he] saw, then worked at narrowing down how many distinct characters there were.” At the behest 11/
of his editor, he wrote to Lucasfilm for their opinion on setting a Star Wars alphabet in stone. Lucasfilm gave their approval, so long as Crane and West End Games “didn’t state that it was THE alphabet of the Star Wars galaxy.”
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This first real version of Aurebesh consisted of 34 letters, corresponding to the 26 letters of the English alphabet with 8 additional digraphs (letters representing a combination of 2 letters):
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In 1996, Crane expanded the Aurebesh to include common punctuation marks, as published in West End Games’ Star Wars Miniatures Battles: Imperial Entanglements expansion:
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By this time, fans had started to design their own Aurebesh fonts, (starting with “Aurabesh” [sic] by Mike E Webb), while Stephen Crane regrettably 15/
never found time to make an official digital Aurebesh font. (Hold on to that thought, as that information will be relevant a little further on.)
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The last major addition to Aurebesh (before returning to the in-universe history) comes to us from the officially licensed Star Wars Monopoly game, which added an Imperial Credit currency symbol:
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(The majority of this information comes from Crane himself, which you can read in this archived article he wrote.)
Okay now back to the in-universe commentary….]
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Okay now back to the in-universe commentary….]
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Suffice it to say that the long history of Aurebesh cannot be so much delineated as explored. That is, the precise chronology of its development and proliferation are difficult to 19/
pinpoint with exactness. However, it is clear that the letters of the Aurebesh bear a familial relationship with the High Galactic Alphabet. [(The High Galactic Alphabet is the in-universe name for the Latin Alphabet).] There are also notable similarities between 20/
both Aurebesh and High Galactic within some ancient runes found in the temples and tombs of ancient Force users such as the Jedi, the Sith, and the Zeffo. The direct relationship between Protobesh (aka Coremaic) is harder to pinpoint; my 21/
professional speculation is that Aurebesh replaced Coremaic as the prominent alphabet among the Core worlds, as it was better suited to digitization.
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Several major variants of Aurebesh can be found in current use, such as the ancient Domabesh and the more modern Droidobesh, and Dishabesh. As their contemporary use is well attested, they will be discussed alongside the basic Aurebesh fonts in the following chapters.
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Other and future studies may find other variants and evolutions of Aurebesh to be more important, but these few are an adequate survey for our investigation and recommendations of Aurebesh font usage.
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Chapter 2: Fonts that are Publicly Available
#1: "Aurabesh" [by Mike E. Webb]
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![Chapter 2: Fonts that are Publicly Available#1: "Aurabesh" [by Mike E. Webb]25/](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Es9G9zVUwAQ_GsQ.jpg "Chapter 2: Fonts that are Publicly Available#1: \"Aurabesh\" [by Mike E. Webb]25/")
#1: "Aurabesh" [by Mike E. Webb]
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[The first Aurebesh fan-font also happens to have been the first digital Aurebesh font, full-stop. The font is most notable for its non-standard approach to capital letters—featuring dropped capital letters. Since punctuation and numerals had yet to be created for Aurebesh, 26/
Webb seems to have invented his own, and interestingly, his numerals stuck around and have become accepted as canonical.
The first confirmed on-screen appearance of Webb’s Aurabesh font was the 2004 DVD release of A New Hope (Special Edition). Adding to 27/
The first confirmed on-screen appearance of Webb’s Aurabesh font was the 2004 DVD release of A New Hope (Special Edition). Adding to 27/
the initial changes made for the 1997 Special Edition, the English text on the Death Star’s tractor beam control panel was changed to Aurebesh. As Lucasfilm had not yet created an official Aurebesh font, Aurabesh was used.
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The giveaway? Rather than using Crane’s punctuation, the numerals and punctuation are the ones invented by Webb.
(Included is a comparison between Stephen Crane’s original design and Webb’s font)
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(Included is a comparison between Stephen Crane’s original design and Webb’s font)
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Confirmed sightings of Aurabesh include:
- A New Hope (2004 DVD onward)
- The Clone Wars
- Rebels
- Resistance
- Battlefront II
- Jedi: Fallen Order
- Squadrons
- The Mandalorian
...]
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- A New Hope (2004 DVD onward)
- The Clone Wars
- Rebels
- Resistance
- Battlefront II
- Jedi: Fallen Order
- Squadrons
- The Mandalorian
...]
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