Star Wars takes place a long time ago, in a Galaxy far, far away. We get to see spaceships, flying cars, blasters, and space wizards with lazer-swords, but also a mixture of the wild wild west, World War II, and some clothing styles clearly inspired by our Earth's history. This article will look to highlight some examples of the terminology used for the technology and materials that are found in Star Wars and how they relate to things present in real life.
| Common Terminology
|
| Power Packs
|
Batteries
|
| Macrobinoculars
|
Binoculars
|
| Sonic Blender
|
Blender
|
| Holocamera, Imager
|
Camera
|
| Groundcar, grav-car, hover-car
|
Car
|
| Comlink
|
Cellphone
|
| Vibrosaw
|
Chainsaw
|
| Chronometer, Chrono
|
Clock
|
| Rangefinder
|
Crosshairs/Rifle scope
|
| Datatapes
|
Data disks
|
| Turbolift, Lift tube
|
Elevator
|
| Slideramp
|
Escalator
|
| Holodramas, Holovids
|
Movies, Films, Television shows
|
| Glowlamp, Glowrod
|
Flashlight, Torch
|
| Illumination bank
|
Floodlight
|
| Load lifter
|
Fork lift
|
| Grav lifter
|
Hovering Fork lift
|
| Chopter
|
Helicopter
|
| Holonet
|
Internet
|
| Hydrojack
|
Jack/port
|
| Turbohammer
|
Jackhammer
|
| Repeater/Repeating Rifle
|
Heavy Machine Gun
|
| Sparkstick, Igniter stick
|
Matchstick
|
| Loudhailer, Voice amplifier
|
Megaphone
|
| Nanowave
|
Microwave
|
| Turbocart
|
Mine cart
|
| Speeder, Swoop bike
|
Motorcycle
|
| Holojournal
|
Newspaper
|
| Power coupling
|
Power line
|
| Vibroscalpel
|
Scalpel
|
| Acceleration strap
|
Seatbelt
|
| Hydroshovel, Vibroshovel
|
Shovel
|
| Sonic shower, Sanisteam
|
Shower/Sauna
|
| Credit game
|
Slot machine
|
| Lightpole
|
Street light
|
| Air taxi
|
Taxi
|
| Viewscreen, Vidscreen, Holovision
|
Television display
|
| Therma-slice
|
Toaster
|
| Grav-mill
|
Treadmill
|
| Hydrospanner
|
Wrench/Tool
|
| Holoscanner
|
X-ray machine
|
| Change cubes
|
Dice
|
| Spacers tape, mesh tape, engine tape
|
Duct tape
|
| Hydropack
|
Canteen
|
| Absorbmat
|
Coaster
|
| Medkit, Medpac
|
First Aid Kit
|
| Holo faker
|
Identity forger
|
| Medcenter
|
Hospital
|
| Viewport
|
Window
|
| Spacescraper
|
Skyscraper
|
| Holojournalist
|
Reporter
|
| Minder
|
Therapist
|
| Periodical chrono
|
Magazine
|
| Synthleather
|
Vynil
|
| Slicer, Slicing
|
Hacking tool/Hacker, Hacking
|
| Bacta
|
Healing gel/liquid
|
| Thermajug
|
Thermos
|
| Refresher
|
Bathrooms, toilets, showers
|
Materials
Here are some examples of common materials found in Star Wars.
| Durasteel
|
Steel/Metal
|
| Transparisteel
|
Glass/Heavy glass
|
| Durasheet, Flimsiplast
|
Paper
|
| Permacrete, Duracrete
|
Concrete
|
| Armorweave
|
Kevlar
|
| Synthweave
|
Synthetic material
|
| Synthfur
|
Synthetic fur
|
| Plasto-cast, Plexi-cast
|
Casting/Paster
|
Prefixes
You’ll notice that a lot of material in particular share a similar root to their real-life counterpart, but just have a different prefix. The most common ones you’ll find are:
- Dura - hardened material
- Holo - relating to holographs or communication
- Synth - used for anything synthetic
- Transpari - used for anything
- Vibro - tool/weapon that utilizes a vibration cell to amplify sharpness
Additional Reference