Darth Vader‘s iconic chestplate actually contains letters in Hebrew, but their translation is hotly disputed. Darth Vader’s armor is an imposing sight, but it also serves another function. Anakin Skywalker’s defeat at the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar left his body ravaged, and he was sealed in armor to keep him alive. The suit’s functions are controlled by buttons and switches on its chest plate and belt, with the former including characters from a real-world language.
There are numerous writing systems in the Star Wars franchise, with most created for the galaxy far, far away, and a few from reality. While difficult to see in the Star Wars original trilogy films, the Darth Vader costume’s chest plate includes Hebrew characters. The Hebrew writing forms what might be one of several phrases that tie into Darth Vader’s original trilogy character arc and the characters may have an in-universe counterpart as well.
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The Hebrew Characters On Darth Vader’s Chest Plate Don’t Have A Direct Translation
Darth Vader’s chestplate contains several Hebrew characters, some of which are turned upside down. The phrase appearing on the prop is believed to read: “מעשיו לא יסלחו, עד שיגיע” The syntax of the phase is disputed by Star Wars viewers familiar with Hebrew but some of the most popular translations of the Hebrew phrase are: “His deeds will not be forgiven until he merits,” “My actions didn’t go away until they came,” and “His actions will not be forgiven until he arrives.”
The translations are inexact, but it’s notable that these parallel Darth Vader’s famous change of heart at the end of Return of the Jedi. Although Darth Vader’s actions throughout the saga are arguably irredeemable, the fact that he turned on Emperor Palpatine to save his son (and thus help bring an end to the Empire’s fascist oppression) redeemed Vader in the eyes of viewers and many characters in-universe, with Anakin Skywalker appearing in Jedi’s final scene as a Force ghost alongside Obi-Wan and Yoda. The suit’s Hebrew writing may also have an in-universe meaning.
What Language Are The Chest Plate Characters Written In From A Star Wars Perspective?
The Star Wars franchise does occasionally feature the Latin alphabet (known as the High Galactic alphabet), but the most common writing system is the fictional Aurebesh. There are, however, plenty of other fictitious writing systems in Star Wars, such as the Mandalorian writing system, the ancient Sith language, and several unnamed writing systems, such as the characters seen on the targeting computer of Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced X1. There is no in-universe acknowledgment of the Hebrew writing on Darth Vader’s chest plate, so it is likely yet another unnamed writing system in the Star Wars galaxy.
