The A-Z of the Star Wars universe

The "Star Wars" series brought a whole lot of new words into the lexicon of popular culture. Here is the A to Z of the intergalactic soap opera dreamed up by George Lucas:

The

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Star Wars

series brought a whole lot of new words into the lexicon of popular culture. Here is the A to Z of the intergalactic soap opera dreamed up by George Lucas:

A is for the Alliance, the rebel grouping fighting the evil Empire.

B is for Binks, as in Jar Jar Binks, an annoying computer-generated alien with a speech impediment. Fans detest this character.

C is for Chewbacca, or Chewie, the huge furry Wookie sidekick of Han Solo who communicates through growls and howls.

D is for Death Star, the annihilating space station built by the Empire to wipe out entire planets and thus guarantee galactic obedience.

E is for Empire, the realm controlled by the evil Emperor and his feared lieutenant, Lord Darth Vader.

F is for the Force, the invisible energy that runs through all living things and which can be manipulated by those trained in its ways.

G is for General Grievous, a cyborg known for his ruthless military prowess who hunts Jedi for sport and wears their lightsabres as trophies.

H is for Han Solo, the roguish-yet-charming smuggler character that rocketed actor Harrison Ford to stardom.

I is for Imperial Stormtroopers, whose white-and-black armour reflected the unnuanced view of the Empire.

J is for Jedi, the mystic fighting order that serves the light side of the Force.

K is for Kenobi, as in Obi-Wan Kenobi the Jedi master who trained Luke -- and his father, Darth Vader.

L is for Lightsabre, the laser-sword wielded by Jedi, and those who have gone over to the dark side of the Force.

M is for the Millennium Falcon, Han Solo's heavily modified spaceship.

N is for Naboo, a watery world that is home to Queen Amidala and Senator Palpatine.

O is for Organa, Senator Bail Organa, who raised Princess Leia as his own daughter after Leia's father, Anakin Skywalker, succumbed to the dark side of the Force and became Darth Vader.

P is for Palpatine, the senator of Naboo who became the evil Emperor and the Sith lord who trains Darth Vader in the dark side of the Force.

Q is for Queen Padme Amidala, the ruler of Naboo who goes on to secretly marry Anakin Skywalker and give birth to twins, Luke and Leia.

R is for R2-D2, a bullet-shaped droid that features throughout the series. It is Luke's sidekick in the original trilogy.

S is for the Sith, an order of evil, Dark Jedi.

T is for Tatooine, a dry, desert planet where both Anakin and Luke Skywalker spent their childhood.

U is for Unduli, as in Luminara Unduli, a female Jedi knight.

V is for Vader, Darth Vader, the big baddie of the series. He of the raspy breathing and black mask.

W is for Wampa ice creature, a towering carnivorous biped on the planet Hoth that almost made a meal of Luke Skywalker.

X is for X-Wing fighter, Luke's split-wing spaceship used to destroy the Death Star and which transports him around the galaxy.

Y is for Yoda, the green, Muppet-sized Jedi master who wields a mean lightsabre and has a fondness for upending syntax.

Z is for Zuckuss, one of a number of bounty hunters who answered Darth Vader's call to find the Millennium Falcon in The Empire Strikes Back.