Skeleton Crewis still a month away from hitting Disney+, and it’s already surprising people in the best possible way. The new Star Wars series got anew trailerlast week, but, instead of the classic orchestral score that’s typical of the franchise, it features an actual 1980s pop song,Peter Schilling’s “Major Tom (Coming Home),” withthe lyrics translated into Huttese, the language spoken in the galaxy’s darker underbelly, which caught every fan’s attention and raised many questions. Let’s brush up on our Huttese and see what answers we get.
“Major Tom (Coming Home)” Perfectly Aligns With the Premise of ‘Skeleton Crew’
Everything knownaboutSkeleton Crewso far points to heavy ’80s nostalgia, including an Amblin-inspired premise that follows a group of kids who find themselves lost and far from home. Together, they must rely on one another to find their way back, with the help of the mysteriousJod Na Nawood(Jude Law).“Major Tom (Coming Home)” adds to that atmosphere, and that’s just too good to be a simple coincidence.
The original song was released in two versions: one in English and another in German. Both tell the story of an astronaut named Major Tom who gets lost in space after a system failure on his ship. However, it seems like he planned the issue all along, because, by the end, he says he is “coming home” while leaving Earth behind.A crew gettinglost in spacebecause of a system malfunction is exactly what happensto the kids in the trailer, as they explore a crashed ship on their planet. Also, Major Tom seems similar to Nawood, a mysterious character with ulterior motives who is also extremely cocky in nature. Another hint about how the song may connect toSkeleton Crewis in the German version. The chorus features the line “völlig losgelöst,” which translates to “completely detached.” In the trailer, Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) says “We’re lost, really lost,” which aligns with the idea of being “completely detached” from one’s home planet.
This Isn’t the First Time Star Wars Has Featured Pop Songs on Its Soundtrack
While most people usually associate Star Wars withJohn Williams' iconic score, theSkeleton Crewtrailer is hardly the first time the franchise has opted for pop/rock songs. However, this is indeedthe first time Star Wars has used an actual licensed song,and the novelty of hearing ’80s music attached to the galaxy far, far away certainly sticks.
There have been original pieces written for Star Wars, though.The Acolyterecently featuredVictoria Monét’s “Power of Two” in its ending credits. InAhsoka, the original song “Igyah Kah” became Sabine Wren’s (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) unofficial theme, sung bySarah Tudzinin Huttese, too. ForAndor, composerNicholas Britellwrote the catchy electronic theme “Niamos!”. In the gameStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Cal Kestis (Cameron Monaghan) listens to “Sugaan Essena” by Mongolian bandThe Hu, sung in an original Star Wars language. All this started, of course, with the iconic “Jedi Rocks” inStar Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. Using either licensed or original songs in the soundtrack should definitely become a new trend on Star Wars television, though.
The Huttese Version of “Major Tom” Provides Interesting Insight Into the Star Wars Language
The version of “Major Tom” that plays in the trailer keeps the same melodies while changing the lyrics and translating them into Huttese, the language spoken by gangsterJabba the Huttand pretty much every other bounty hunter, scoundrel, orcriminalin the Star Wars galaxy. There’s never been an official Huttese dictionary or language guide, but it’s instantly recognizable for its short syllables and abrupt sounds. Following what little Huttese is spoken in the movies and series, some things can be deduced about the lyrics. According to thetrailer transcriptavailable on YouTube, what is featured corresponds to the bridge countdown (“Fwanna, duba, dopa, bo”) and the chorus (“Jee-jee at attin, haspivaka. Palyeeka. Bunky dunko."). The only known words there are the numbers, “jee-jee” (“we”), and “bunky dunko” (“home”), allowing us to assume thatthe trailer version is probably a direct translation of the original English version, which reads: “Four, three, two, one. Earth below us. Drifting, falling. Floating weightless. Calling, calling home.”
This expands the small collective knowledge of Huttese in Star Wars, which consists of only a handful of words and sentences. For example, “pateesa” translates to “friend,” and is one of the few words that can be caught on “Igyah Kah” towards the end, too. Huttese is usually a great language for cussing, however, with “sleemo” (“slime ball”) being everyone’s favorite, and “e chu ta” being a general insult. “Haspivaka” and “palyeeka” sound really nice, too; we just need to know what they mean.
Skeleton Crewpremieres on Disney+ on December 3.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
Four kids make a mysterious discovery on their home planet that leads them to get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy.
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