Coat of arms of the galactic empire. Galactic Empire
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A FEW WORDS ABOUT VIRTUAL INSIGNIA
D.E. Belokurov
Along with the world of reality in which we live, there are countless virtual universes created by the imagination of artists, writers, filmmakers, computer game developers and other creative individuals. From the moment of its appearance, each of these worlds begins to live its own life, no less interesting and rich than the one in which you and I live. They develop, they mature, they exhibit traits inherent in the real world. And not the least important place among these features is occupied by people and other sentient beings in often unusual uniforms with no less unusual insignia, which can already be safely considered as representatives of a virtual unimorphological subculture.
It should be noted that this subculture is developing exponentially, and to date, in terms of the variety of types of uniforms and insignia, it is far ahead of the real uniformology.
For example: This article attempts to conduct brief overview uniform subculture created by world cinema, and, specifically, insignia used in films. And, since “it is impossible to embrace the immensity,” it is proposed to focus on the most prominent representatives of this community, who have already become “classics.”
1. "star Wars" - Star Wars
Perhaps we should start with well-known sagas, and, first of all, with such an iconic space opera as Star Wars by George Lucas, the first film of which was released in 1977. Total for this moment 6 full-length films were released, not counting many animated series.
When you hear the words “Star Wars,” Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Master Yoda, Solo Hon and Chewbacca immediately come to mind, squadrons of A- and X-fighters attacking the Death Star flash before your eyes, and a characteristic “discharge” sound rings in your ears Jedi light blades clashing in a desperate slash. And all these events unfold against the backdrop of a galactic confrontation between two systems - Palpatine's Galactic Empire, which rose on the ruins of the Galactic Old Republic, and supporters of this very Republic, called the Rebel Alliance (full name Alliance for the Restoration of the Republic, The Alliance to Restore the Republic). Well, of course, where there is war, there is an army and navy (in in this case, star), and what army can do without a uniform and corresponding insignia? This is how a unimorphological component appeared in the Star Wars universe, and, apparently, it was left to people who did not have the slightest idea about ergonomics and functionality. And, first of all, this concerns the insignia of the Galactic Empire.
The ranks and titles of imperial officers were marked using a set of colored squares located on the left side of the chest, in combination with a certain number of metal cylinders, which acted as multifunctional code devices, which were placed in the “shoulder” pockets. In principle, initially there were several versions of the mentioned system, but from a certain point on, the system shown in Fig. 1.1 was adopted as the base one. Figure 1.2 shows an example of wearing insignia by officers of the Armed Forces of the Galactic Empire.
Of course, from an ergonomic point of view, such a system is, to put it mildly, cumbersome - just try to count the squares on the insignia of senior and senior officers in a split second to determine your rank.
As for the insignia of privates and sergeants, “there is this great secret,” since they could not be found in any of the sources, and what is found on the Internet is nothing more than fan fiction of Star Wars fans. Of course, fan fiction also has every right to exist, but cannot be considered as the original version.
Fig.1.1. Officer insignia of the Armed Forces of the Galactic Empire (naval in the numerator, army in the denominator) |
The insignia of the Rebel Alliance military personnel appears to be more functional and understandable than those of their imperial opponents, but, apparently, they were created by a big fan of playing dice or dominoes (Fig. 1.3). Well, how else can we evaluate the gray square stripes with a set of red and blue dots, placed on the right or left side of the chest, with the help of which it was possible to identify the rank of the owner (Fig. 1.4)?
However, despite its numerous shortcomings, we can safely say that Star Wars has made a worthy contribution to the development of virtual cinematic uniformology.
2. "Star Trek" - Star Trek
The next, even larger-scale space opera is Star Trek.
We first learned about the United Federation of Planets in 1966, when the first episode of the saga was released. To date, the Star Trek cinematic universe includes 6 television series and 12 feature films.
The evolution of the uniform component of the epic turned out to be much more intense than that of Star Wars. It should be noted that in general, the Federation Starfleet alone used 9 insignia systems, successive in chronological order and covering a period of 200 years from 2180 to 2380.
One of the features of the Starfleet uniform was its color depending on the type of service. At the same time, over the 200 years of the history described, the color scheme was constantly changing, but the main line remained practically unchanged: the red color of the uniform or details of the uniform indicated belonging to the command and tactical service, yellow was assigned to the engineering service, and the research corps secured Blue colour.
Since in this article it is not possible to fully present all the illustrative material related to the insignia of each era, Fig. 2.1 shows the evolution of the insignia from 2180 to 2380. using the captain as an example.
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Fig.2.1. The evolution of Federation Starfleet insignia using the example of a captain |
And Fig. 2.2 shows the insignia of the Federation Starfleet in the final version, which has become a kind of “textbook”. These insignia were worn on the collar on the right, with the exception of flag officers - the latter were worn on the collar on both sides (Fig. 2.3). It is easy to see that the American-British naval rank system is taken as a basis.
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Fig.2.2. "Textomatic" Starfleet collar insignia |
In addition to the “textbook”, I would also like to note two more original systems of insignia that were used in the full-length film “Into Darkness”, which was shown in our distribution under the name “Retribution”, and the series “Dark Mirror” from season 4 of the television series, relating to the periods 2259-2270. and 2367 respectively (Fig. 2.4 and 2.5). Figure 2.6 shows an example of wearing insignia in the film "Retribution".
All of the above applies only to the Starfleet of the Federation, in addition to which there were many more races that had their own armed forces and, accordingly, their own system of insignia. And, of course, first of all, it is necessary to mention the Klingon Empire.
Among the Klingons, insignia in the form of pins were worn on the collar on the right side, and although, due to the lush facial hair inherent in this race, it is almost impossible to see them, the officer’s line of insignia was restored (Fig. 2.7), which cannot be said about the line of lower ranks.
3. "Babylon 5" - Babylon 5
Events in this 110-episode space opera revolve around the giant space station Babylon 5, which plays the role of a stronghold for the peaceful resolution of conflict situations on a galactic scale. The first episode was released in 1993, the last in 1998.
One of the main players in the galactic political arena is the community of planets known as the Earth Alliance, which has quite powerful armed forces in the army and star fleet. And, quite naturally, the mentioned armed forces had their own uniforms and original insignia, however, also based on the American-British system (Hollywood, what can you take from it).
As insignia for privates and non-commissioned officers of both the army and the navy, sleeve patches were used, almost identically repeating the insignia of the US Army, only with the chevron down (Fig. 3.1), and officers were distinguished by rectangular shoulder straps (Fig. 3.2 shows the shoulder straps army officers, Fig. 3.3 - naval officers). An example of wearing shoulder straps is shown in Fig. 3.4
In general, the system is understandable and quite functional, despite some redundancy. At least you don’t have to count the squares to find out the rank of the owner.
4. "Underwater Odyssey" - SeaQuest DSV
The creators of this 59-episode television series, which delighted the eyes of fans from 1993 to 1996, decided not to leave their home planet, quite sensibly judging that there are enough blank spots on Earth, waiting for their discoverers. And, first of all, this concerns, of course, the depths of the World Ocean.
At the center of the story are the adventures that befell the crew of the experimental combat submarine SeaQuest (literally “sea search”) of the United Earth Oceans Navy.
Since we are talking about the fleet, there are two branches of the Armed Forces in the series - the fleet itself (Navy) and the “quick reaction forces” in the format of the Marine Corps (Marines).
Triangular patches - sleeve and collar - were used as insignia. The naval insignia is shown in Fig. 4.1, and Fig. 4.2 shows the insignia of the Marine Corps of the United Oceans of Earth. Figure 4.3 shows examples of wearing insignia on the uniform.
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Fig.4.1. United Oceans Earth Navy Rank Insignia |
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Fig.4.2. United Oceans Marine Corps Rank Insignia |
We must pay tribute to the filmmakers - the world of “Underwater Odyssey” turned out to be well-developed and complete, and another confirmation of this is the logical system of ranks and corresponding insignia.
5. "Andromeda" - Andromeda Ascendant
"Andromeda" is an American-Canadian space opera, released in 2000.
In total, from 2000 to 2005, 5 seasons were released with a total duration of 110 episodes, after which the series became “completed”.
The epic tells the adventures of the crew of the starship Andromeda Ascendant, or simply Andromeda, led by Captain Dylan Hunt, in the universe of the Systems Commonwealth, covering our Milky Way Galaxy, the Triangulum Galaxy and the Andromeda Nebula.
The interests of the Commonwealth are protected from external and internal enemies by the armed forces - the High Guard, consisting of a star fleet called The Argosy and an army represented by the Lancer Corps.
Both used badges or stripes located on the collar as insignia. Moreover, each type of armed forces has its own badges and corresponding ranks: Fig. 5.1 shows the naval system, Fig. 5.2. - army. Figure 5.3 shows an example of wearing insignia.
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5.2. Lancer Corps insignia |
In my opinion, the insignia is quite functional (with the exception of the naval lower ranks, again, the ergonomics let us down) - however, one gets the impression that chess played an important role in the lives of their developers.
6. Battlestar Galactica
This film epic, perhaps, can be safely classified as a “Phoenix”, which has been reborn from the ashes every now and then. The fact is that the first full-length film with that title was released in 1978, followed by a 24-episode television series that ended in 1979. Then, in 2003, a decision was made about a remake, and between 2004 and 2009, 73 episodes were released, divided into 4 seasons, and in 2010, the 12-episode film “Caprica” was released, telling the story of the beginning of the confrontation between humans and Cylons. And this is not counting several full-length films, also related to the universe of the cruiser Galactica.
It should be noted that from a uniformological point of view, the film epic turned out to be at its best. True, in the rank system itself there is some eclecticism due to the mixing of army and naval officer ranks, but, in general, this does not spoil the overall picture.
This uniform aspect is most clearly manifested in the series of 2004-2009. Badges (pins) placed on the collar are used as insignia (Fig. 6.1).
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Fig.6.1. Insignia of the armed forces of humanity of the universe of the cruiser "Galaxy" (naval in the numerator, army in the denominator) |
Clear, convenient and quite ergonomic (Fig. 6.2).
And, most importantly, it is original, functional, and from an aesthetic point of view it looks quite good. It seems to me.
7. "Starship Troopers" - Starship Troopers
Although Paul Verhoeven’s “Starship Troopers” was based on the novel of the same name by American science fiction writer Robert Heinlein, apart from the very idea of the confrontation between people and bugs and the main characters, the film and the book have practically nothing in common. At the same time, I personally like the interpretation of events in the film version much more, despite the numerous technical and logical mistakes - well, here, as they say, it depends on taste and color.
The film was released in 1997 and immediately gained enormous popularity among fans of the genre. Subsequent films in the franchise were not as attractive, however, the Starship Troopers universe took a strong position along with the cinematic worlds already mentioned in this article.
What immediately caught my eye after the first viewing was a well-developed uniform component with clear and functional insignia (Fig. 7.1) - at least as regards the everyday uniform of the mobile infantry, the main striking force of the Federation (Fig. 7.2).
At the same time, the Federation Starfleet insignia system seems less clear; in any case, with all the desire, it was not possible to build any harmonious sequence. Nevertheless, the mentioned insignia is present in the film (Fig. 7.3), and perhaps a more in-depth analysis will allow us to recreate the entire line.
It is clear that the mentioned line can be found on the Internet, but - alas - all this, again, is purely fan fiction.
8. "Safari No. 6"
In 1990, the domestic film “Safari No. 6” by a little-known director and screenwriter Andrejs Abols was released, telling the story of civil war in some fictitious country. The plot was not original (a detachment under the command of Captain Ander and Sergeant Gez needed to destroy a certain strategic object, and during the operation the participants gradually realize that they are just pawns in someone’s own game), and the budget was clearly not up to par, so that the film went virtually unnoticed at the box office, despite the fact that main role Viktor Avilov played in it.
At the same time, this film is of great interest from a uniform point of view, since it was the first time in Soviet cinema that a system of virtual insignia was used. The latter were red and white discs, which in a certain quantity (depending on the rank) were attached to the flap of the left breast pocket (Fig. 8.1). In principle, it is understandable and accessible, and, most importantly, inexpensive (Fig. 8.2).
From a uniformological point of view, this film is interesting because, in fact, after Safari No. 6, it turned out to be the second Russian film in which fictional insignia are used.
Unfortunately, it was not possible to restore the entire line of insignia; we had to limit ourselves to only three ranks - really private, corporal and captain (Fig. 9.1). The candidate for real rank and file, of course, did not wear any insignia.
The insignia was located on the left side of the chest of the Combat Legion uniform (Fig. 9.2).
At the same time, it is not entirely clear whether the color scheme of the stripes carries any meaning or not.
Instead of a conclusion
As noted above, this article is an attempt to review virtual cinematic uniformology exclusively in the context of insignia. But this is just the tip of the iceberg, whose name is creative imagination. And God forbid that this iceberg does not melt in the ocean of everyday life.
Sources
1. Films of the Star Wars series - Star Wars, 1977-2008
2. The series and films of the Star Trek franchise - Star Trek, 1966-2014
3. TV series "Babylon 5" - Babylon 5, 1993-1998
4. TV series "Underwater Odyssey" - SeaQuest DSV, 1993-1996
5. TV series "Adromeda" - Andromeda Ascendant, 2000-2005
6. The series "Battlestar Galactica" - Battlestar Galactica, 2004-2009
7. The film "Starship Troopers" - Starship Troopers, 1997
8. Film "Safari No. 6", 1990
9. Film “Inhabited Island”, 2008-2009
Due to the lack of a clear official version, all the information below is a simplified compilation for the game of information about the Army of the Empire, its structure, uniform and insignia. We urge you not to request its adjustments to suit certain realities.
Ranks
The Empire's army is divided into four "branches":
- Military Forces of the Empire;
- Assault Units (Stormtroopers) of the Empire;
- Imperial Military Space Forces;
- Imperial Security Department.
The following ranks are listed in descending order of status and authority.
Assault Units use the same ranks as the Military Forces, with the same statuses up to Major: there are no higher ranks in Assault Units.
Officer ranks are ranks starting from lieutenant.
The last column provides a link to the insignia corresponding to a specific rank level. The sign is a metal plate with blue and red plastic rectangles. Red rectangles are replaced with yellow ones as a sign of special services to the Empire. In addition, to the right and left of the sign, a black stripe may indicate the presence of code cylinders in the left and/or right pocket of the form.
| Military Forces |
Military Space Forces | Security Department | Mark of distinction |
| Supreme Commander (Darth Vader) | not required | ||
| Moff (Sector Commander) * | Director | ||
| Admiral |  |
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| General |  |
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| Commodore |  |
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| Colonel | Captain | Colonel |  |
| Major** | Commander | Major |  |
| Lieutenant |  |
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| Sergeant | absent | ||
| Private | absent | ||
* - at the time of the game, the decree on assigning the ranks of Moffs to the governors of the Sectors had not yet been issued.
** - in the ranks of the Military Forces there are still participants in the Clone Wars with the rank of commander, which fully corresponds to the rank of major in the Military Forces.
Form
The uniform of officers of the Military and Military Space Forces is the same (see illustrations and):
- olive-gray trousers and double-breasted tunic;
- gray-olive cap (optional to be worn by officers of the rank of general and above);
- black belt with silver buckle without utilitarian bags;
- black thin leather gloves(optional);
- high quality black boots;
- insignia and code cylinders;
- The blaster holster is usually missing.
Sergeants and privates of the Military Forces are not simulated in the game.
The Imperial Security Department rarely uses an official uniform, however, on official occasions it is used white uniform classic imperial cut with insignia (and code cylinders) corresponding to the rank: see.
Assault units use powerful white combat armor. Stormtroopers do not wear insignia, because... identification is made using built-in helmet sensors. However, in a non-combat situation, the insignia can be attached to armor (without code cylinders) or to an official uniform (standard imperial cut uniform, but black - see). In addition, sergeants most often wear a large orange leather pauldron on the right shoulder: see. The standard form of stormtroopers looks like this: and .
The Galactic Empire, the resident evil from the Star Wars universe, is very fond of being compared to the USSR. Several books have even been written on this topic in the USA. They say that George Lucas, creating the terrible Empire ruled by the Sith, was inspired by the gloomy news from the Soviet Union. But in reality, these two powers do not have much in common. But parallels can only be drawn with great reserve.
Coat of arms of the Galactic Empire
Evil Empire
It all started with a small mistake. In March 1983, US President Ronald Reagan called the USSR an evil empire. These famous words of the American leader quickly spread around the world, became popular and left their place in history. Associations with Star Wars arise almost immediately. After all, it is difficult to perceive the Galactic Empire as anything other than an evil Empire. But here we need to remember that the Fourth Episode of Star Wars - the one that launched the franchise - was released in 1977, when Reagan was not even president yet. Moreover, two months after Reagan's speech, the world premiere of Episode Six, the film that completed the classic trilogy, took place. There is an opinion that Reagan managed to watch Episode Six before the big premiere. If this is so, then it is more likely that the president was inspired by the film than George Lucas by the words of the president. And this, you see, changes a lot.
Star Wars came out before Reagan called the USSR the Evil Empire
Sith Lord
Coincidences
TO obvious similarities The Soviet Union and the Galactic Empire can undoubtedly be attributed to the extreme militarism of both powers. The fictional state from Star Wars relies on military power as the foundation of its existence. And it is quite obvious that it is the high-ranking military that is the main caste in the Empire. Because the Empire is constantly at war and tries to keep both its population and its neighbors in fear. Darth Vader and Lord Sidious are constantly producing new and new types of destructive weapons.
The Death Star is a deadly thing that can destroy an entire planet. Undoubtedly, this is some kind of pinnacle of the military, economic and technological power of the Empire, a kind of analogue of the hydrogen bomb or intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Empire loses the Star in the fourth episode, but in the sixth it already has a new Star.
The Death Star is a weapon that can destroy an entire planet
The Sith also do not stand on ceremony with their neighbors. And if they need something from them, then they simply carry out an occupation. This is what Darth Vader does to Cloud City in Episode Five. He is not going to conquer it, he is sending in troops to dictate his terms. And here the parallel with the Soviet Union is also obvious.
Another clear similarity is the behavior of the leaders. Emperor Palpatine, aka Lord Sidious, is the most powerful man in the Galaxy. Moreover, his power is not only the power he possesses. Sidious is a Sith Lord who has mastered dark side Strength. After all, even Darth Vader is unable to release lightning, and Sidious uses them more often than a lightsaber. At the same time, he gives the impression of a man obsessed with his own safety. A giant guard, a special guard escorting destroyers around his flagship. And this despite the fact that Sidious is convinced that the Jedi will no longer stand in his way. On the other hand, it is the presence of impressive security that creates a distance between the protected and the rest of the world. This psychological technique, which was used in the Soviet Union for many years. The leader is protected by a guard regiment, and everyone must see this regiment. So that everyone understands where he is and where the leader is. All other similarities are from a cohort of conjectures and stretches. There are some similarities between military uniform Soviet military and imperial officers. Both powers adhere to the principle of “use force to intimidate.”
Differences
First, here's what's important. In Star Wars, the Empire fights against rebels, idealists, and fighters for freedom and democracy. In the Soviet Union, an uprising was basically impossible. Because a huge repressive machine worked day and night to suppress dissent. Any protest was nipped in the bud and simply had no chance of developing into anything more than simple discontent. The Sith Empire obviously also had to have such a repressive machine. But she's not there. More precisely, it is, of course, in the person of the military command. But this machine does not nip the protest in the bud; it eliminates the consequences. More precisely, he is trying to eliminate them.
The Sith, unlike the USSR, did not have a repressive machine
Imperial military uniform
Go ahead. The Galactic Empire has no population. That is, it, of course, exists, but somewhere there. It is not present in Star Wars in any form. The Soviet Union demonstrated to the world in every possible way the “happiness” of Soviet citizens. Achievements National economy, labor feats, the world's best athletes, outstanding cultural and scientific figures. The Empire simply doesn't have it. No demonstration of general happiness. No doctrine of universal equality. The Empire is for the Emperor, all for the sake of his power. Sidious doesn't even hide it. Probably the Sith Lord is the most honest dictator in world history and culture.
Finally, third. Sidious does not have any management elite (except Vader). The Sith Lord does not have his own Politburo, Central Committee, Party or anything like that. He is not the chairman, he is the Emperor. The Empire is his personal creation, and he does not need not only allies, but even “sixes” to rule it. He does not consult with his comrades, he simply gives orders. He has neither Suslov, who is responsible for ideology, nor Kosygin to create the appearance of carrying out reforms.
The Sith Lord is the most honest dictator in world history and culture
It is also important to remember how the Empire arose. After all, initially it was a Republic under the control of the Senate. Parliamentary democracy, at the center of which is an elected chancellor. This chancellor was the future Emperor. And one day, in an emergency, he received emergency powers, which he never relinquished. And this no longer resembles the USSR, but a completely different country and a completely different historical character. And this character just had the experience of transforming a republic into a personal empire.
There are many different symbols and emblems in the Star Wars universe that change or disappear over time. In addition, there is an Old Canon and a New Canon in which the symbolism differs.
So it won't hurt short description various symbols, divided into several thematic parts.
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If there are any errors or inaccuracies, please indicate them in the comments.
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The Bendu symbol was a circle connected by eight spokes, which symbolized the unification of the Galaxy by the Force. For monks who studied numerology, the number eight was of great importance.
Galactic Republic
The symbol of the Galactic Republic was an eight-pointed, slightly modified Bendu symbol. It was widely used, appearing on soldiers' armor, on troops' vehicles and guns, and on propaganda posters.
Although the Bendu symbol was eventually used by the Galactic Republic, it first used its own symbol.
➣ Old Republic symbol before being replaced by the Bendu symbol.
➣ A nine-pointed gray symbol was used on Republic warships from 4000-3996 BBY.
➣ Or alternative yellow color, later used on warships.
➣ Symbol of the Republic during the return of the Sith Empire.
It was a coat of arms similar to the symbol of the Jedi Order.
The symbol of the Old Republic was used in the seventh episode of the fifth season of The Clone Wars. The ancient Jedi ship used in the episode was based on the Corellian cruisers seen in the Legends video game Star Wars: The Old Republic. According to StarWars.com, the ancient Jedi logo seen on the cruiser is the symbol of the Old Republic, which was also used in the video game The Old Republic.
➣ And this is the symbol of the Sith Empire. Used during the Cold War (after the Great Hyperspace War) and in Star Wars: The Old Republic.
They used a six-pronged version of the Bendu symbol.
➣ Symbol of the Old Republic. Eternal Alliance. Variant of the game Star Wars: The Old Republic.
➣ Symbol of the Republic during the Clone Wars.
The Republic also uses a six-pointed version of the Bendu symbol.
➣ Symbol of the New Republic.
This "Legends" symbol is different from previous Republic emblems; it does not refer to Bend, but offers something new - the symbol of the Alliance (more on that in the next part) framed by stars representing the galactic community. The symbol is framed by a thin gold line. This color signifies the right of the people to self-government through representative bodies. The New Republic is a state of the people, created from many worlds. This emblem was created by the New Republic Provisional Council in 4.5 ABY under the leadership of Chief of Staff Mon Mothma.
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Galactic Empire
Symbol of the Galactic Empire of Sheev Palpatine. The Imperial six-pointed symbol was a modified Bendu galactic medallion, and the arrangement of the spokes resembled a slightly modified version of the Clone Wars-era Galactic Republic crest. It was applied to many things in the Empire, from uniforms and starships to flags and propaganda posters.
➣ The symbol of the "Restored Empire" was a modified Imperial symbol with an additional inner circle and a dot in the center. (4 ABY)
➣ Later it was replaced by new option in the Fel Empire. (New Empire). This is the same emblem, but with reverse colors. (44 ABY)
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In the new trilogy, other organizations with different symbols appear.
Here's how to identify the Rebel Alliance, the First Order, and more.
Writer & GeekDo you remember the first time you noticed the symbols of the Empire and Rebellion appear in the original trilogy? The Imperial insignia can be seen on uniforms, and the Rebel Alliance starbird appears on the helmets of the X-wing pilots who take on the Death Star. Symbols like those appear throughout the Star Wars universe in the films, television series, books, games, and comics. Like emblems in our world, the symbols allow you to tell which organization someone has pledged his or her allegiance to with a quick glance. Here are five such symbols from the galaxy far, far away:
1.
The Rebel Alliance stood against the Galactic Empire in the original trilogy and after years of fighting, the Rebellion eventually signed a concordance with the Empire. Their symbol, a starbird, is most often spotted on pilots’ helmets and can also be seen on uniforms on the Resistance base in The Force Awakens. The design may have roots in the phoenix/starbird graffiti Sabine Wren leaves behind in Star Wars Rebels.
2.
When Sheev Palpatine formed the Galactic Empire, he adopted a different version of the Galactic Republic’s crest. The new cog with six spokes was used throughout the organization. It’s visible on uniforms, flags, and even propaganda posters. The symbol is associated with the might of the Empire, and its presence on a world signifies Imperial control. In other words, the Empire knew how to brand itself.
3.
Though the remnants of the Empire signed the Galactic Concordance with the New Republic, not everyone wanted peace. The First Order rose from the ashes of the Empire. Like the Imperial crest, the First Order’s new insignia is prominently featured on uniforms and displays throughout their operations. It’s distinctive from the Imperial crest and represents a very different institution.
4.
Often referred to as the Republic, the Galactic Republic governed the galaxy before the Clone Wars and the rise of the Galactic Empire. The Republic was allied with the Jedi Order and managed the universe through the Galactic Senate. The Republic’s insignia was an eight-spoked cog.
5.
The Jedi Order was all about peace until the Clone Wars. Though a few Jedi survived Order 66 and the purge that followed, the Order as it was in the days of the Galactic Republic is no more. Their symbol of wings and what looks like a shining light represents their role and beliefs.
Do you have tattoos featuring any of these symbols? Share links in the comments or send me photos on