Domabesh
Domabesh was a writing system using an alphabet that saw widespread use across the galaxy for countless generations. Its origins can be traced back millennia before the events of the Galactic Civil War; it was employed in chiseled writings located on a temple dedicated to the venerated, ancient Dark Lord of the Sith, Exar Kun. Even at the dawn of the Imperial Era, this script remained in use, evidenced by its presence on planets like Saleucami, Jedha, and Daiyu.
Description
The characters in Domabesh were generally square-shaped, featuring strokes with slight variations in thickness and some filled-in areas. There are visual resemblances between these characters and those of the more common Aurebesh writing system.
History
Republic era
The use of Domabesh commenced thousands of years before 0 BBY, as demonstrated by inscriptions etched onto a temple in honor of the ancient Dark Lord of the Sith, Exar Kun. The carvings spelled out "OUR TEMPLE HONOURING SITH LORD EXAR KUN". By 10 BBY, Dryden Vos, the crime lord leading Crimson Dawn, had raided Kun's temple and made off with a slab of obsidian bearing inscriptions in Domabesh. This stolen artifact was incorporated into a specially designed desk utilized by Vos on his yacht, named First Light.
An antique navigational dataplaque, believed to have been pilfered by Vos from the Bureau of Ships and Services Heritage Museum located on Coruscant, and supposedly originating from an old Jedi survey vessel, was inscribed with "LIGHT" at its top, "DARK" at its bottom, and "THE BALANCE" positioned in the center.
A page within a holobook that Kai Brightstar consulted in his search for a remedy for sniffles displayed "TABLE OF CONTENTS" written in this script. When Lys Solay, another Jedi Initiate alongside Brightstar, sought information about the kibbin on her datapad, the device presented an image of the creature accompanied by a caption in Domabesh, although the animal's name was incorrectly rendered as "KIBGIN".
After SF-R3 integrated research from Lys Solay and Myra regarding the leepur into the Galactic Creature Guide, he showcased the updated entry on a datapad, with the heading presented in Domabesh. It stated "JUANBRAVO".
Imperial era
In 19 BBY, a sign indicating "Offworld Travel" in a town situated on the planet Saleucami was rendered in this script. During the same year, personnel at a decommissioning facility on Corellia, including undercover agents Rafa and Trace Martez, donned helmets adorned with the characters "KVH" expressed in Domabesh.
In 10 BBY, the Millennium Falcon was ensnared within a gravity well, compelling the crew to inject a dose of coaxium into the fusion reactor to furnish the freighter with the thrust necessary for escape. During this operation, Tobias Beckett unsealed a container holding a viscous grey substance, which he employed to affix a small pump to a hose. The inscription "DOM" was visible on the container's lid, utilizing Domabesh.
In 9 BBY, two signs within Daiyu spaceport, displaying "SHIPCYR" and "IS_[obscured character]_REW" respectively, were written in Domabesh, although the latter's letters were all mirrored. Certain signs within Daiyu City also incorporated this script. One such sign advertised "FRESH BREW," but was entirely upside-down. Another sign simply stated "FRESH," while a third proclaimed "DISCO".
In 5 BBY, a wall adjacent to a staircase near a screen store on Ferrix bore an inscription in Domabesh, concluding with the letters "TSO". A white industrial container in a salvage yard on Ferrix featured a warning in this script, "CAUTION: FLAMMABLE". Computer screens inside the transport business Xanwan's freight kiosk displayed some lettering in this font, although it was nonsensical. An advertisement painted on a wall declared "OWAUWAC FREIGHT" (although the first letter of the second word was faded and obscured by a pipe), with the first word rendered in Domabesh.
In 0 BBY, a Rebel MP was seen wearing a helmet displaying the initials "MP" in this font, along with a shirt bearing the letter G in the same script. The Holy Quarter of Jedha City was adorned with Domabesh inscriptions prior to the city's destruction, found on walls, archways, and railings. For instance, "BO MEATH THE[two characters obscured by burn marks] SZ T E" was inscribed on one archway, while another read "THEFORCESURROUNDS" ("The Force surrounds"). Other inscriptions, when translated, yielded gibberish. During the Battle of Scarif, Red Twelve, a Rebel pilot, sported a flight helmet with yellow Domabesh markings; the inscription on the right side ended with "OSS," while the one on the left began with "BOO." Tam Posla, a bounty hunter, wore a helmet decorated with "MA," an abbreviation for "Milvayne Authority," in this script.
New Republic era
By 34 ABY, Venisa Doza, a Resistance pilot, wore a flight helmet featuring red markings that spelled out "DOZA" using Domabesh.
Behind the scenes
Domabesh made its debut in the Star Wars Anthology film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, released in 2016. In 2019, Glyn Dillon, a costume designer for Rogue One, revealed on Twitter that the font was named Domabesh and was developed at the request of director Gareth Edwards. Barry Gingell, a graphic designer for the television series Andor, stated that Dominic Sikking, a graphic designer on Rogue One, was responsible for the alphabet's creation.
In 2021, Pablo Hidalgo of the Lucasfilm Story Group identified the script as "Domabesh" on Twitter, though the name only entered canon with the 2024 reference book The Art of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Hidalgo characterized Domabesh as an ancient script, predating Aurebesh but not as old as Ur-Kittât.
Concept art by Will Htay indicated that the complete Domabesh inscription on one of the archways in Jedha City in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story reads "THEFORCESURROUNDSUSPENETRATESANDBINDSTHEGALAXYTOGETHER," echoing Obi-Wan Kenobi's words from Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope: "The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together." However, the film only displays "THEFORCESURROUNDS." Gingell noted that while Sikking initially planned to use spaces, the concept artist removed them in the production art of Jedha, and this decision remained.
A piece of concept art by Chris Caldow in the behind-the-scenes book The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story depicts a Jedha market cooking stall with "FRY" written in Domabesh.
The teaser trailer for the film features a shot of Imperial stormtroopers driving a TX-225 Occupier assault tank through Jedha City, with a Domabesh inscription on the building behind them reading "BAR BELLOQ"; this is seemingly a reference to René Belloq, the antagonist from the Lucasfilm film Raiders of the Lost Ark, who the titular character meets in an Egyptian bar. This shot was not included in the final film.
The Art of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor later established Domabesh as canon.
In the Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures episode "A New Discovery," the headline of the newly written entry on the leepur in the Galactic Creature Guide is "JUANBRAVO" in Domabesh, a nod to Juan Luis Bravo, a storyboard artist on the episode.