Symbolism in Star Wars

[SpaceMarine93]

There's a thread about symbols in the Pure Star Trek section, so I thought that maybe I could open one up here about Star Wars symbols.

Many Warsies know, for example, about what the Rebellion Alliance Starbird symbol stands for:



It is the symbol of resurrection in the form of a Star Wars analogue of a phoenix, as the Rebellion strives to resurrect the Republic and everything good it stood for (That, and Galen Marek).

The Galactic Republic symbol:



According to Wookiepedia, this originally belonged to the Bendu - which was "a collection of non-confrontational beliefs practiced by the Bendu monks." The symbol of Bendu represented the unification of the galaxy by the Force. The Republic later adopted it as a symbol. The number of eight holds great meaning for some reason. The Sith curiously have a similar one :



as a symbol, though the meaning is lost to me. So does it mean a galaxy united by the Dark side of the Force or something?

The Jaing Head of the Mandalorians:



Being a clan-based, war like people with a system that values honor, this predatory symbol reflects strength and aggression. But there's probably a deeper meaning behind it.

I don't know much about the other symbols. CIS symbol, for example. Can anyone here explain that, and perhaps share your own interpretation behind the other symbols?

Edit: Sorry about the size of the symbols.

[Eleas]

The Galactic Republic symbol:

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2 ... Emblem.svg

According to Wookiepedia, this originally belonged to the Bendu - which was "a collection of non-confrontational beliefs practiced by the Bendu monks." The symbol of Bendu represented the unification of the galaxy by the Force. The Republic later adopted it as a symbol. The number of eight holds great meaning for some reason. The Sith curiously have a similar one :

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2 ... TORkit.svg

as a symbol, though the meaning is lost to me. So does it mean a galaxy united by the Dark side of the Force or something?[/url]

Not a bad choice of OP.

As for the Republic/Sith Empire symbols, I tend to think along similar lines as you do. They both appear to depict an entire galaxy, symmetric and ordered. The Sith Empire uses that motif but gives it a harder, simpler edge. Both point toward a galaxy unified under one government, but the Sith symbol features a more jagged look, particularly with the arrows expanding outwards.

[YT300000]

The tracing of symbol from Old Republic to Empire to New Republic is pretty interesting as well - by Episode III, the design lost most of the flourish that it had in Episode I (it kept and extended the cog design), closely resembling the Imperial Emblem that we see in the original trilogy. For the New Republic, the design was almost entire based on the Rebel Alliance symbol - but the surrounding ring from the final symbol of the Old Republic was kept.

Interestingly, the Rebel Alliance symbol also bears resemblence to the old symbol of the Jedi Order. This is one element of the prequels that they definitely got right.

[Havok]

Leave it to fatty nerds to put way too much into a cool looking emblem on a helmet. The "Rebel Alliance symbol" wasn't a symbol of the alliance at all. It was, if anything, a squadron symbol in TESB and nothing more. I don't think it even was uniformly used again, even as a fighter squadron symbol, in ROTJ IIRC.

Don't get me started on the scribble scrabble of a skull on Fett's armor that got turned into a culture, when it was clear that it was the equivalent of skull and crossbones on a military helmet.

The Empire symbol, not pictured, is the only one that had any significance in the movies as it is the only one that represents anything, that being FUCKING EVIL and the faceless machinations of the Empire. (Used on the Death Star Gunner helmets, TIE Fighter pilot helmets, Imperial Walker pilot helmets)

This is one of the few things that I can't decide if I like or dislike about what Lucas did reusing the Empire's symbol in the prequels.
On one hand it was a nice touch perverting/altering the symbol of the Republic, simplifying it, the way the Emperor "simplified" the Republic into the Empire.
On the other hand, I felt the movies had way too much closure and bow tieing for my tastes and would have been fine with no connecting symbols whatsoever.

The Sith emblem, which I didn't even know existed until now, looks like further alteration of the original Empire symbol out of universe and in universe, looks like the impetus for the alteration of the Old Republic symbol into what became the Empire's symbol.

Granted my objections and approvals of these "symbols" are mostly out of universe, so take that as you will.

In universe, Palpatine obviously merged the Republic's emblem with the Sith's as:
A) they are similar to begin with, both coming from different sides of the same philosophy.
B) Palpatine incorporated both of his philosophies in the symbol; power through politics (the Republic symbol) and power through the Dark Side (the Sith symbol) into what constituted and symbolized his rise to power and his rule.
C) it was a way of taking his Sith heritage and turning it into something new as that is what he had created not just with the Empire, but with his Sith Order.
D) he couldn't just slap Sith symbols on everything as it was not common knowledge that he was a Darth and the galaxy may actually have an issue with being ruled by someone that was openly and ecstatically evil.

The Rebel Alliance/New Republic symbol is a symbol because of Luke Skywalker and Luke Skywalker only. He blew up the first Death Star, saving the Alliance and then defeated Vader and destroyed the Emperor and the Empire. You can ascribe whatever else you would like to it, but those are the reasons.

Mandalorians are stupid and so is their stupid emblem.

[Havok]

Ghetto remix:
Leave it to fatty nerds to put way too much into a cool looking emblem on a helmet. The "Rebel Alliance symbol" wasn't a symbol of the alliance at all. It was, if anything, a squadron symbol in TESB and nothing more. I don't think it even was uniformly used again, even as a fighter squadron symbol, in ROTJ IIRC.

Don't get me started on the scribble scrabble of a skull on Fett's armor that got turned into a culture, when it was clear that it was the equivalent of skull and crossbones on a military helmet.

The Empire symbol, not pictured, is the only one that had any significance in the movies as it is the only one that represents anything, that being FUCKING EVIL and the faceless machinations of the Empire. (Used on the Death Star Gunner helmets, TIE Fighter pilot helmets, Imperial Walker pilot helmets)

This is one of the few things that I can't decide if I like or dislike about what Lucas did reusing the Empire's symbol in the prequels.
On one hand it was a nice touch perverting/altering the symbol of the Republic, simplifying it, the way the Emperor "simplified" the Republic into the Empire.
On the other hand, I felt the movies had way too much closure and bow tieing for my tastes and would have been fine with no connecting symbols whatsoever.

The Sith emblem, which I didn't even know existed until now, looks like further alteration of the original Empire symbol out of universe and in universe, looks like the impetus for the alteration of the Old Republic symbol into what became the Empire's symbol.

Granted my objections and approvals of these "symbols" are mostly out of universe, so take that as you will.

In universe, Palpatine obviously merged the Republic's emblem with the Sith's as:
A) they are similar to begin with, both coming from different sides of the same philosophy.
B) Palpatine incorporated both of his philosophies in the symbol; power through politics (the Republic symbol, it's roundness an coloring) and power through the Dark Side (the Sith symbol, the number of lines in the cog and how they are dispersed, not pointing into the spaces between the interior lines, but pointing into them*) into what constituted and symbolized his rise to power and his rule.
C) it was a way of taking his Sith heritage and turning it into something new as that is what he had created not just with the Empire, but with his Sith Order.
D) he couldn't just slap Sith symbols on everything as it was not common knowledge that he was a Darth and the galaxy may actually have an issue with being ruled by someone that was openly and ecstatically evil.

The Rebel Alliance/New Republic symbol is a symbol because of Luke Skywalker and Luke Skywalker only. He blew up the first Death Star, saving the Alliance and then defeated Vader and destroyed the Emperor and the Empire. You can ascribe whatever else you would like to it, but those are the reasons.

Mandalorians are stupid and so is their stupid emblem.

* This difference, between the Bendu/Jedi symbol and the Sith symbol, shows more symbolic difference and insight in the insignias than anything else.

The lines emanating from the center in the old Bendu/Republic emblem signifies the non confrontational approach that the Bendu, then Jedi and the Republic used in their dealings with the rest of the galaxy, internally and externally, as the lines go outward symbolizing the search for knowledge and exploration/expansion, but not straight into the lines in the internal ring, going between them in the passive and non-aggressive way.

Conversely, the Sith emblem, is simplified. It doesn't have the added lines or "complications" of the Bendu/Jedi symbol and while it has the lines jutting outward similarly, also representing the quest for knowledge and exploration/expansion they do so in a far more aggressive and Sith-like nature plowing directly into what is in front of them.