In the Star Wars universe, there are plenty of characters that speak in native tongues other than English. Furthermore, creating an alien language can be a tall task, but that apparently doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun with it.
According to Philly.com, David Acord — sound editor on Star Wars: The Force Awakens — managed to get one of the inhabitants of Jakku to utter the names of some of his favorite football players. Being a die-hard fan of the Philadelphia Eagles, Acord says the names “Celek” and “Fletcher” (referencing tight end Brent Celek and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, respectively) can he heard in the film.
“The language [Teedo] speaks is inspired by some Thai phrases that I was trying to learn for an upcoming trip to Thailand. For fun, I peppered in a few Eagles’ player names and my wife’s name as well,” Acord said. But he’s quick to note that he was also doing his job in the process, saying, “I was also trying to pick names that fit the alien language I was designing.”
Here’s the transcript of the scene in question:
(Rey hears BB-8 cry in distance)
AaayyHa!
Mahn toh wanee! (laughs)
Mahn toh wanee! (laughs again)
Celek! Soo Tai Ton!
(Rey comes over the dune and sees Teedo) Umbella Ko Chai!
Ta Ko Chee To Tai!
(Rey yells to Teedo: Tella Ma Parqua!)
Jah?
Preeka! Oom Chaka Tu!
See Kah Tu!
(Rey yells again: Parqua Zoltana!)
Baaarbara Kah Chuta!
Fletcher!
Beeda Kay, Preeya, Tuka Tana!
(Rey brandishes knife: “Noma!”)
Heeeyaa Soo! (growls)
Hup hai tah! Hup hai tah!
(Teedo begins his exit, Rey and BB-8 speak) See ho no kutek!
Skinna hakka ku tah, hakka koo!
Jub jub! (laughs)
Melle ko chuta, melle ko chuta…
Manchovy!
So did you catch these subtle nods to Eagles in The Force Awakens?