Ethnic Identities in Star Wars

Post by **Coyote** » 2004-11-23 08:53am

It seems that black people are called "Nubians" in Star Wars... Caucasians tend to fall into the clans of Corellians and a few others...

Anybody have an idea if Asians have a distict name for their ethnicity?

Lord Revan · Post by **Lord Revan** » 2004-11-23 09:01am

I dout that it's that simple as for example Mandalorian are multi-ethnic (Clan of Fett is kiwi, but clan of Ordo caucasian). And were did you, get the idea that black=nubian in SW)

Post by **Coyote** » 2004-11-23 09:14am

Lord Revan wrote:I dout that it's that simple as for example Mandalorian are multi-ethnic (Clan of Fett is kiwi, but clan of Ordo caucasian). And were did you, get the idea that black=nubian in SW)

I've run across it in a few EU novels. I think the first time I saw Lando referenced as a "Nubian" was in the Lando Calrissian books that came out in the late 80's. "Lando Calrissian and the Star Cave of ThonBoka" and stuff like that.

I've seen the Nubian reference to Lando many times, and that is the only logical use of the word, since it refers back to an ancient term from the Bronze Age for a African tribe south of Ethiopia.

VT-16 · Post by **VT-16** » 2004-11-23 09:21am

Nubia is a planet, and Nubian shipdesign is mentioned in TPM. Doesn´t say anything about black people being called 'Nubians'.

Dooey Jo · Post by **Dooey Jo** » 2004-11-23 09:48am

I thought Nubians were people from Naboo, and Watto's comment on the queen's ship ("Nubian, huh?") meant that it looked like it was from Naboo.

VT-16 · Post by **VT-16** » 2004-11-23 09:53am

Nope, the Naboo come from Naboo as the Nubians (and their ship-designs, used by the Naboo among others) come from Nubia.

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2004-11-23 10:19am

VT-16 wrote:Nope, the Naboo come from Naboo as the Nubians (and their ship-designs, used by the Naboo among others) come from Nubia.

The supporting evidence of such?

Pcm979 · Post by **Pcm979** » 2004-11-23 10:22am

Ep. 1 ICS, p. 12 & 13. Lotsa references.

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2004-11-23 10:24am

Pcm979 wrote:Ep. 1 ICS, p. 12 & 13. Lotsa references.

Ah...okay.

Bob the Gunslinger · Post by **Bob the Gunslinger** » 2004-11-23 03:05pm

Coyote wrote: Anybody have an idea if Asians have a distict name for their ethnicity?

"There's ..too many of them!"

In the OT, they were known as the Cannon Fodder, and had a life span measured in seconds.

Big Phil · Post by **Big Phil** » 2004-11-24 11:53am

I've never seen anybody in Star Wars referred to anything other than their species (i.e., human, wookiee, jawa, hutt, etc.). I've also read the early Lando Calrissian and Han Solo books, and I don't recall his skin color ever being referred to, just his species (human).

Nobody thought there was anything unusual about Lando being black in the movies, why are you bringing up his skin color 24 years later?

Tychu · Post by **Tychu** » 2004-11-26 12:30am

SancheztheWhaler wrote:I've never seen anybody in Star Wars referred to anything other than their species (i.e., human, wookiee, jawa, hutt, etc.). I've also read the early Lando Calrissian and Han Solo books, and I don't recall his skin color ever being referred to, just his species (human).

Nobody thought there was anything unusual about Lando being black in the movies, why are you bringing up his skin color 24 years later?

Actually there was. Billy Dee Williams actually states that there was a questioning. In the Insider with the Billy interview a few years back he states that he was surprised to be called to an audition. He then goes on to say that most "black" people didnt get such hollywood roles that they usually only played in ethnicity movies in those days

Post by **Coyote** » 2004-11-26 03:27pm

SancheztheWhaler wrote:Nobody thought there was anything unusual about Lando being black in the movies, why are you bringing up his skin color 24 years later?

Simple curiosity. I've seen references to different Twi'lek races with different names, there's the ones with blue skin, some green, some with spots, etc... I remembered Lando being referred to as a Nubian in at least one EU novel and it got the ol' ball of curiosity rolling.

The Vodka Vindicator · Post by **The Vodka Vindicator** » 2004-11-26 04:26pm

well since star trek takes place in a VERY distant future you'd expect some changes in culture so different names for racial groupings seems possible to me.

Lonestar · Post by **Lonestar** » 2004-11-27 02:27am

The Vodka Vindicator wrote:well since star trek takes place in a VERY distant future you'd expect some changes in culture so different names for racial groupings seems possible to me.

*Throws Rock at Vodka*

Gorefiend · Post by **Gorefiend** » 2004-11-27 02:58am

In Star Wars they usually go for planet of origin or background of the planet. Humans from Corellia are called Corellian. Humans from Kuat, call themselves Kuati and so on.

Nubia is a planet in the core regions, know for its exotic ship designs.
Lando might have been born there and for that reason been a Nubian.

Also there are various planet with colonies who’s populations call themselves by the old planet of origin. Many humans on Ord Mantell or other Rim Worlds are of Corellia descent and call themselves Corellian. Might also have to do with being a registered citizen of one planet or another.

the different naming for twileks of various colours is something done among slave traders as far as i recall, because certain typs of twileks are rarer then others and for that reason fetch more credits (or truguts in hutt space :]) twileks usually go for which clan they belong to (secura and the like)

Lord Poe · Post by **Lord Poe** » 2004-11-27 03:02am

The only time I've heard "Nubian" referring to blacks in Star Wars was in "Chasing Amy".

HOOPER
Fuck Lando Calrissian! Uncle Tom
nigger! Always some white boy gotta
invoke "the holy trilogy"! Bust this -
those movies are about how the white
man keeps the brother man down - even
in a galaxy far, far away. Check
this shit. You got cracker farm-boy
Luke Skywalker, Nazi poster boy -
blond hair, blue eyes.
And then you've got Darth
Vader: the blackest brother in the
galaxy. Nubian God.

BANKY
What's a Nubian?

HOOPER
Shut the fuck up! Now Vader, he's a
spiritual brother, with the force and
all that shit. Then this cracker
Skywalker gets his hands on a light-
saber, and the boy decides he's
gonna run the fucking universe - gets
a whole Klan of whites together, and
theyre gonna bust up Vader's 'hood
the Death Star. Now what the fuck do
you call that!

BANKY
Intergalactic Civil War!

Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman · Post by **Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman** » 2004-11-27 04:13pm

The Vodka Vindicator wrote:well since star trek takes place in a VERY distant future you'd expect some changes in culture so different names for racial groupings seems possible to me.

Star Trek? Wait... I think I remember the movie now... Isn't it the one where the heroes were fighting the bald Emperor of Planet Mongo?

Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman · Post by **Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman** » 2004-11-27 04:31pm

The Vodka Vindicator wrote:well since star trek takes place in a VERY distant future you'd expect some changes in culture so different names for racial groupings seems possible to me.

Right, and since *STAR TREK* takes place in a VERY distant future you'd expect people to have quite unusual names like Han Solo, Darth Vader, and Chewbacca.

Post by **The Wookiee** » 2004-11-27 06:52pm

The Vodka Vindicator wrote:well since star trek takes place in a VERY distant future you'd expect some changes in culture so different names for racial groupings seems possible to me.

Someone who deliberately browses the Pure Star Wars forum and replies to a Star Wars question with a Star Trek answer is either clueless or trolling. Which are you?

Pcm979 · Post by **Pcm979** » 2004-11-27 10:28pm

I think it was a typo.

Of course, coming from Captain "Oh, look I think I'll post some useless shit in a 6-month-old thread" here you can't be sure.

Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman · Post by **Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman** » 2004-11-28 01:32am

Pcm979: I don't think it's a typo when you mistyped WARS with TREK. Neither is confusing "a long, long time ago" with "VERY distant future".

The Wookie: Now don't be too hard on Vodka. It is the fact that he blurted out that post SO INNOCENTLY that makes it so HILARIOUS!!!

Sorry guys, just simply can't resist.....

Post by **Dalton** » 2004-11-28 11:40am

Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman wrote:The Wookie: Now don't be too hard on Vodka.

Big Phil · Post by **Big Phil** » 2004-11-29 07:23pm

Coyote wrote:
SancheztheWhaler wrote:Nobody thought there was anything unusual about Lando being black in the movies, why are you bringing up his skin color 24 years later?
Simple curiosity. I've seen references to different Twi'lek races with different names, there's the ones with blue skin, some green, some with spots, etc... I remembered Lando being referred to as a Nubian in at least one EU novel and it got the ol' ball of curiosity rolling.

I think you may have misunderstood my point. My point was that nobody in the movies (i.e., Leia, Han, Darth Vader, Stormtroopers, etc.) thought there was anything unusual about Lando being black. Whether you or Billy Dee think that was odd is irrelevant when considering the fictional Star Wars universe. You said in your original post that "black people are called 'Nubians' in Star Wars" and my response was that I've never seen or heard any character in any of the films or books make any reference to the color of a human characters skin. So if that is the case, then why are you so concerned?

Bob the Gunslinger · Post by **Bob the Gunslinger** » 2004-11-30 02:28pm

Coyote wrote: Anybody have an idea if Asians have a distict name for their ethnicity?

"Neimoidians."

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Ethnic Identities in Star Wars

Ethnic Identities in Star Wars

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