While some alien-sounding words in the “Star Wars” franchise might not be instantly recognizable as swear words, the intent behind them is similar.
One of the most famous examples comes from “The Empire Strikes Back,” where a silver protocol droid on Cloud City utters the phrase “e chu ta” to C3-PO, described in expanded media as a Huttese curse word. In the fan-favorite “Star Wars: Rebels,” Garazeb Orrelios and Sabine Wren are among those who say “Karabast,” which the show’s executive producer and writer Greg Weisman explained in a blog post was an in-universe curse word. Additionally, the word “Kriff” is used like a swear word in some of the “Old Republic”-related books from author Timothy Zahn — with some pointing out the word swaps the F and K in the word “frick,” a synonym for the F-word. The “High Republic” era also has its own version of expletives with the word “Crikk,” with several mentions through comic books, novelizations, and audiobooks.
Considering the “Star Wars” universe is incredibly vast with thousands of planets and numerous galaxies, it shouldn’t come as a surprise there’s different languages with their own naughty words. Yes, a few select cases, the storytelling opts for real-life bad words to emphasize certain situations or make language more colorful — but thankfully, the franchise continues to get away with even the most vulgar-sounding swears as long as it’s a made-up word that boasts some bizarre sci-fi flair.
