Star Wars Symbols: What They Mean

Star Wars is a fascinating space phenomenon that has been entertaining science fiction enthusiasts for decades. Since the original films release in 1977, Star Wars has become one of the most successful film franchises ever created, with their prequel trilogy following the story of Anakin Skywalker, who in the original trilogy was revealed to be a jedi-turned sith, father of beloved Luke Skywalker who trained as a Jedi under the famous Master Yoda, to defeat his father & evil Empire Palpatine, to the sequel trilogy which takes place 30 years after Return of the Jedi and focuses on a young Jedi Rey. 

Since the trilogy movies we’ve also seen a handful of Spin-off movies, Christmas specials, and in later released Tv shows, with the most popular being The Mandalorian, following the life of a bounty hunter tasked with bringing in something of great value.

Throughout the films, series & comics you may have noticed the different symbols & logos, each one representing a different meaning, group or belief. The following article will talk you through the symbols and help you understand the meaning behind them and what significance they hold.

 

The Rebel Alliance symbol is hard to miss, even if you’ve only watched Star Wars once, it’s also referred to as the Resistance Crest of Alliance Crest, this symbol stood for the union that re-established the Republic. 

Rebel pilots sport the symbol on their flight helmets, almost three decades after the Endor battle, the resistance took up a similar logo, multiple pilots such as beloved character Poe Dameron, had helmets that wore the same logo. 

Additionally the new republic symbol has almost the exact same star and bird, and is considered through the fanbase as a symbol of peace, balance & freedom.

After the union re-established the Republic, fought at the Battle of Endor and won, they rebranded themselves as The New Republic. After some time, the Empire’s remnants signed the Galactic Concordance, considering the Empire was safe. The New Republic prioritized reforming galactic politics and bringing order. 

The Republic’s provisional council chose the seal as the alliance’s logo, which was inspired by the emblem before them; the alliance’s Blue Crest, though it was featured in red most of the time. It was positioned with a circular border of stars that symbolised the galactic community and the trimmed golden circle which represented the people’s right to rule themselves.

One of the lesser known symbols, this symbol represents the heloist clan. The purpose of the followers of the heloist clan is to guide young initiates, rather than being selected for crafitness, members were chosen depending on their intuitions. The Heloist Clan is not mentioned in the films, they were originally created for the 2010 Star Wars Legends. 

Also known as the Republic senate or the Galactic Congress, this was designed as a governing body, the senators spoke for a variety of worlds and planets within the galaxy, they arbitrated disputes between different worlds and helped create regulations and laws. During the invasion of Naboo, Senator Palpatine was elected Supreme Chancellor. Who eventually had been granted emergency powers during a wartime crisis. 

The Galactic Empire has always had a place in the Star Wars universe. First known as the Galactic Empire, although often referred to as the Empire and remembered as the Old Empire, this organisation was the fascist galactic government that replaced the galactic republic, after the Clone Wars. 

Founded by Darth Sidious, or Empire Palpatine as he made promises of peace and civility after the destruction of the Clone Wars. The Galactic Empire symbol is linked to the Empire’s might and symbolises imperial control over all.  

Later referred to as the First order, the Galactic Empire was based on the fascists powers of World War II, particularly the Naxi party, and this is where the term Storm-trooper came from. 

The Jedi Order, arguably the most popular faction within the Star Wars universe, and up until Clone Wars, was based purely on peace. 

However, during the Clone Wars Empire Palpatine had instructed the beginning of Order 66, which was to eradicate any existing Jedi Knights, or training Jedi Knights, including the children at the temple. 

The symbol represents beliefs and role, which is why the execution of Order 66 felt so heartbreaking for the Jedis as it was believed that there were no survivors. 

Leaving behind the Galactic Empire, the First Order embraced all the same protocols as the Empire, such as the Dark Side governing and ruling over the galaxy. Regardless of their commitment to the Galactic Empire, the First Order adopted a new logo & design. 

Displayed on all the uniformed soldiers the First Order considered themselves the rebranded version of the Empires followers, with time to prepare and build strength again the First Order returned 

This logo is part of the canon, and was also featured in the Rise of Skywalker, which saw the final ending for our Skywalker saga, as we watch Rey experience her final chapter in her journey to discovering the truth about where she comes from. 

The Sith is a 3-pronged emblem, and it could feature multiple meanings, however the Star Wars series has apparently eliminated the hint of “The One’s” which was originally thought to symbolise The Father, The Daughter and The Son which was initially added in the Clone Wars animation trilogy. 

Most fans are familiar with the Sith Logo with its Hexagon-shaped border and six arrows within the inner circle, which typically points towards the six corners of the hexagon. 

However, Sith have featured in almost every aspect of the Star Wars franchise, and depending on religion or era, the logo may change. 

It is also largely correlated with the one of the Galactic Empire, and First Order since both Darth Vader (Anakin) and the Empire (Palpatine) were Sith leaders. 

To conclude, there are a lot of different symbols within the Star Wars Universe, and this article has covered the main recurring Symbols that a fan would typically notice. 

We can surely expect to see more occurrences of symbols and symbolism within the Star Wars Franchise, especially with the recent production of shows appearing on Disney+ it is unlikely that we have seen the last of many of these fan favourite symbols.