Atrisian Basic


Atrisian Basic was a language that shared its name with the Galactic Basic Standard language and the celestial body Atrisia. The Atrisian Basic phrase "Imperius Unitada ober Totallex," meaning "Empire united over all," was written in the High Galactic alphabet on the Galactic Empire propaganda poster of the same name. The poster was commissioned by the Imperial Commission for the Preservation of the New Order and created by the artists Janyor and Dalraga de Cueravon. Janyor would later note his disgust with the fascist imagery of the work in his autobiocron Dear Anguillon. The poster was eventually included in the publication A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy, which described the motto depicted on it as "brutalist."

Atrisian Basic was introduced in Star Wars Propaganda: A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy, a 2016 book authored by Pablo Hidalgo. The Atrisian Basic word "ober" written on the Imperius Unitada ober Totallex poster depicted in the book is similar to the word "ober," an Austrian German word for "over, above" that is in turn similar to the Standard German word "über" of the same meaning—as used in "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles" ("Germany, Germany above all"), the first line of the Nazi Germany's national anthem.

The other words of the Atrisian Basic phrase on the poster, "Imperius," "Unitada," and "Totallex," share similarities with the Latin words "imperium" ("empire"), "unitus" (the perfect participle form of "unio", or "to unite"), and "totalis" ("the whole (of), all (of)"). The theme of the in-universe namesakes of Atrisia being connected etymologically to both Latin and Ancient Rome in which it was spoken was continued in Hidalgo's 2017 Star Wars: The Last Jedi: The Visual Dictionary, which introduced into the current Star Wars canon the terms "Elite Praetorian Guard" and "Atrisian Emperor"—which share their names with the Roman Praetorian Guard and the Roman emperors, respectively.

Behind the scenes


Atrisian Basic was introduced in Star Wars Propaganda: A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy, a 2016 book authored by Pablo Hidalgo. The Atrisian Basic word "ober" written on the Imperius Unitada ober Totallex poster depicted in the book is similar to the word "ober," an Austrian German word for "over, above" that is in turn similar to the Standard German word "über" of the same meaning—as used in "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles" ("Germany, Germany above all"), the first line of the Nazi Germany's national anthem.

The other words of the Atrisian Basic phrase on the poster, "Imperius," "Unitada," and "Totallex," share similarities with the Latin words "imperium" ("empire"), "unitus" (the perfect participle form of "unio", or "to unite"), and "totalis" ("the whole (of), all (of)"). The theme of the in-universe namesakes of Atrisia being connected etymologically to both Latin and Ancient Rome in which it was spoken was continued in Hidalgo's 2017 Star Wars: The Last Jedi: The Visual Dictionary, which introduced into the current Star Wars canon the terms "Elite Praetorian Guard" and "Atrisian Emperor"—which share their names with the Roman Praetorian Guard and the Roman emperors, respectively.

Sources


  • Star Wars Propaganda: A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy

Appearances