when exactly does the empire become english?

[Darth-Rion]

This is SWTOR discussion not dogma R us. Also..before you accusing me of being one of these nancy yank Americans I'm Northern irish. Yes Northern or Southern does matter, a LOT.

 

*SQUEALS!!!!!* EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

 

 

Another Northern Irish person on these forums! *cardiac arrest*

[Darth-Rion]

 

The complaint generally isn't that Americans don't know all the different regional accents of the England.

 

It's that there's simply no such thing as a "British accent".

 

There are 4 distinct countries in the UK. Each has a distinct set of their own accents.

 

And while Americans will differentiate a Scottish accent, a (Northern) Irish accent, perhaps even a Welsh accent if they're particularly adept -- you'd always call them Scottish/Irish/Welsh, you'd never call them "British accents" -- they are all technically "British accents".

 

So what Americans invariably mean by "British accent" is "English accent". If you're going to differentiate Scottish as being distinct from British, then demonstrate your knowledge and refer to it as "English" too. Otherwise it's a bit like saying a French guy has a "European accent" -- no such thing.

 

 

 

___

 

Wow this post got long. If anyone actually reads it, I'll eat my hat.

 

 

I read the entire thing (yes I snipped part of it, but thats cause I'm posting about this ^ part).

 

And dude, I could kiss you! You have no idea how much it irks me when people (note: No generalization, I'm sure even the French or Germans would say the same) refer to the upper class English accent as "British".

[Crito]

I read the entire thing (yes I snipped part of it, but thats cause I'm posting about this ^ part).

 

And dude, I could kiss you! You have no idea how much it irks me when people (note: No generalization, I'm sure even the French or Germans would say the same) refer to the upper class English accent as "British".

 

There is nothing wrong with calling any English accent 'a' British accent; it's just not correct to call it 'THE' British accent.

[Damidos]

Because Simon Timpleman is the greatest voice actor from the greatest plot of any game seires (legacy of kain). And bio ware being great fans need him to voice at least 30% of all of thier NPC'S in every game they make just to keep him in work becuase his voice is to epic not to be herd.

[Damidos]

There is nothing wrong with calling any English accent 'a' British accent; it's just not correct to call it 'THE' British accent.

 

ive spotted a fair few welsh accents in the game .

[Rhudian]

It seems to be a shorthand audio cue in Hollywood productions that an accent means a character is most likely to follow one of the following archetypes:

 

RP English: Oppressive aristocrat.

Cockney: Artful criminal.

Scottish: Stubborn, chaotic, powerfully strong drunk.

German: Dangerous scientist.

French: Impotent buffoon.

Any accent in the Iberian family: Sex object.

Russian: Scheming, blundering megalomaniac.

 

 

Other accents seem to have a much broader variety of characterizations, or just aren't used very often.

Edited January 11, 2012 by Rhudian

[Gremlinjim]

Americans, also remember you're English... if not for us, your "country" would have been colonized fully by the French so you know, there's that

 

And if not for our "country", the British would be speaking Deutsche under the flag of a different empire....so you know, there's that...(you're welcome, btw)

 

AND, we're not English - we just speak a better version of the same language.

[overfloater]

And if not for our "country", the British would be speaking Deutsche under the flag of a different empire....so you know, there's that...(you're welcome, btw)

 

Not to bump the thread or derail unnecessarily, but just wanted to highlight the gross historical inaccuracy here so that this myth isn't perpetuated any further.

 

Hitler had basically given up trying to make a dent in the UK well before the US arrived on the WWII scene in Europe. The Blitz was already over: he'd thrown countless aircraft and bombs at Britain, flattened large areas of major cities, yet still failed to make a substantial dent in the UK war involvement or industry. He'd already turned his attention elsewhere, places that didn't require air or sea invasion.

 

The reason the US used the UK as a major base of operations for much of its European campaign is the very fact that the UK was a secure base of operations. Yes, the US reinforced the aerial campaigns against Germany that were launched from the UK, and were involved in the D-Day landings that originated on UK shores. Why? Because the UK was a solid foothold for basing offensive operations; not because its defenses needed reinforcing.

 

I realize this is getting offtopic but someone always throws your argument around whenever the topic of US/UK accents comes up. So I figured I'd throw the counter out there too, so that you know how to avoid demonstrating your ignorance when attempting smug retorts in future.

Edited January 12, 2012 by overfloater

[overfloater]

I read the entire thing

 

Dammit. Now I have to go buy a hat.

[Wiggletphyre]

And if not for our "country", the British would be speaking Deutsche under the flag of a different empire....so you know, there's that...(you're welcome, btw)

 

AND, we're not English - we just speak a better version of the same language.

 

You do realise that the Nazi's didn't lose the war, they just moved to a different country

 

Guess which country...

[Eillack]

The accents are just really cool..why not give the Empire cooler voices?

 

And the Empires of old and new are Nazi's anyway remember, so it's just the voice that's English, nothing else.

Edited January 12, 2012 by Eillack

[Gun_Slinger]

Not to bump the thread or derail unnecessarily, but just wanted to highlight the gross historical inaccuracy here so that this myth isn't perpetuated any further.

 

Hitler had basically given up trying to make a dent in the UK well before the US arrived on the WWII scene in Europe. The Blitz was already over: he'd thrown countless aircraft and bombs at Britain, flattened large areas of major cities, yet still failed to make a substantial dent in the UK war involvement or industry. He'd already turned his attention elsewhere, places that didn't require air or sea invasion.

 

The reason the US used the UK as a major base of operations for much of its European campaign is the very fact that the UK was a secure base of operations. Yes, the US reinforced the aerial campaigns against Germany that were launched from the UK, and were involved in the D-Day landings that originated on UK shores. Why? Because the UK was a solid foothold for basing offensive operations; not because its defenses needed reinforcing.

 

I realize this is getting offtopic but someone always throws your argument around whenever the topic of US/UK accents comes up. So I figured I'd throw the counter out there too, so that you know how to avoid demonstrating your ignorance when attempting smug retorts in future.

 

Except that you forget the long game. Once germany had secured its footholds in the rest of europe, fortified, and perhaps rebuilt for a while, there is no way he would have ignored the sizable island empire on his doorstep for long. And at that point, England would have been his. That is all if the US had not entered the war. I'm not making an argument about WHY the US entered the war....but it's a damn good thing they did.

[FilthyIlls]

Can't wait for GTA V. Star Wars is missing some Black influence though. It's got Lando, and only part of Vader was black. (The coolest part) It just dose not seem fair to have the black NPC community all talk the way they do. lol To me anyway.

 

You know what's even funnier and incredibly ironic? Dark side blacks turn white the more evil they are! ***! Apparently sith corruption is a really bad case of vitiligo.

[CptBrit]

Hitler had basically given up trying to make a dent in the UK well before the US arrived on the WWII scene in Europe. The Blitz was already over: he'd thrown countless aircraft and bombs at Britain, flattened large areas of major cities, yet still failed to make a substantial dent in the UK war involvement or industry. He'd already turned his attention elsewhere, places that didn't require air or sea invasion.

 

You do realise people like him just stick their fingers in their ears shouting "LALALALALALALALA" whenever someone who actually studied history for longer than 5 mins corrects them.

 

I've already mentioned this exact point earlier in the thread. lol.

 

Except that you forget the long game. Once germany had secured its footholds in the rest of europe, fortified, and perhaps rebuilt for a while, there is no way he would have ignored the sizable island empire on his doorstep for long. And at that point, England would have been his. That is all if the US had not entered the war. I'm not making an argument about WHY the US entered the war....but it's a damn good thing they did.

 

What about the massive Russia offensive that would have drained Hitler to the bone? The war in the West was a forgone conclusion once the battle for the east started to favour Stalin, Also I say this in every thread that this gets thrown up but if Hitler had beat both us and the Russians. Guess who would be the only World Power left not including Italy or Japan? Yea America. Hitler wouldn't have been able to invade straight away but the resources Eurasia would have given him would have been incredible. What would America do? They wouldn't have been able to invade Europe without the safe build up area of the UK. Also with the War not a forgone conclusion, would so many Scientists have defected? Could the Nazi's have got the bomb before America? Lots of different variables and I love theorycrafting about WW2.

 

What I have no doubt about is that America bought down Hitler a lot faster than would have been possible without their help and made a stalemate situation (With the Russians beating Hitler into submission be bean unable to finish the job) highly unlikely. I'm not ungrateful to the Americans I mean how couldn't I be? but they didn't "save" anyone.

 

AND, we're not English - we just speak a better version of the same language.

 

No... No you don't speak the same language, you speak a language that happens to be slightly like ours but then again not. You speak American. And with your last comment no doubt you'd struggle at that.

 

 

 

Anyway How many different British Languages have people bumped into on their story lines? I've noticed at least a few Welsh, Scottish and 1 Yorkshire Accent, No Irish yet though. And did anyone else not trust the guy on Hutta? The guy who was a smuggler working for the "Empire", he definitely didn't sound Imperial

Edited January 13, 2012 by CptBrit

[Arell]

I only ever say it jokingly like. But still, it's fun. And Americans, also remember you're English... if not for us, your "country" would have been colonized fully by the French so you know, there's that (again, being totally joking)

 

I wonder what the native americans have to say about your kind "gesture".

 

More on topic, I believe BW even stated during one of their videos that the Imperial english accent was indeed picked as an homage to the movies.

Edited January 13, 2012 by Arell

[Kvars]

Pretty sure George Lucas said that the Empire was always intended to be British.

[RUM_MONKEY_BDA]

The 'Rebels' in Ep. IV always struck me as an archetype for how the US veiwed American Revolutionaries from 1776. Their army had a very grizzled 'Minute Men' kind of feeling to it for me (though Dodonna looked nothing like George Washington).

 

And the Ep. V's Hidden Rebel Base on the ice planet Hoth was very much "Valley Forge in Space".

 

Meaning us UK-types just had to be the bad guys. That and we just sound cooler

 

I now have a vision of Luke, Leia, Han, & Chewbacca crossing the Delaware in a boat named 'Millenium Falcon' for some reason...

[Debex]

Havnt read the whole thread so this has probably already been answered. But apparently most people agree that Lucas was trying to make connections between the British Empire and all our apparent killing and enslavery of different races around the world and the galactic Empire, who also do all those things.

 

Personally as a British person I can see the comparison.

[DarthGlitch]

Honestly?

 

Because the snooty, hoity-toity British accent goes better with the snooty, hoity-toity Imperial attitude.

[Debex]

Honestly?

 

Because the snooty, hoity-toity British accent goes better with the snooty, hoity-toity Imperial attitude.

 

Lol you have a very narrow idea of a "British accent". I take it you all think we speak like the Queen? Ill let you into a little secret, im from Belfast, part of the United Kingdom and we all speak like this:

 

 

Well I see "we all"...I was educated in a private school so my accent is a little more refined than what you will hear in that video. But to compare British people with snooty is totally wrong.

Edited January 13, 2012 by Debex

[Siyko]

sith empire of Kotor =/= sith empire of swtor.

 

Well you're wrong. I can verify it, directly from the SWTOR FAQ:

 

Star Wars: The Old Republic takes place approximately three hundred years after the events of Star Wars : Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR). At the conclusion of the Jedi Civil War in KOTOR, Revan disappeared into unknown space in search of a great threat to the Republic, an expanding Sith Empire led by a mysterious Emperor who planned vengeance for his ancient Jedi enemies. Revan never returned from unknown space, but the Sith Empire did, kicking off a war with the Republic that lasted for decades. Now, despite the uneasy truce created by the Treaty of Coruscant, the tension among the divided star systems is threatening to once again tear the galaxy apart.

[Ruliya]

I wonder what the native americans have to say about your kind "gesture". .

 

You know, I never even considered that . How very colonial of me. My apologies to them in that regards.

 

It probably boils down to Hollywood stereotyping American = Good Guy, English = Bad guy.

 

And I'm actually okay with this.

 

 

Havnt read the whole thread so this has probably already been answered. But apparently most people agree that Lucas was trying to make connections between the British Empire and all our apparent killing and enslavery of different races around the world and the galactic Empire, who also do all those things.

 

Personally as a British person I can see the comparison.

 

Of course you can see the comparison, the British Empire was a pretty nasty thing for those who weren't British (and almost as bad, if you weren't Nobility or in the Military)

 

We can't dispute historical fact on that point.

[Spoonwalker]

I had a nice long answer to this, but the interwebz ate it. Suffice it to say, the British are evil, Americans are awesome, we kicked Britain's butt then saved them from the Nazis, and the British accent, when properly enunciated, sounds sufficiently foreign yet easily understood to make the Imperials seem both familiar and yet different, because Star Wars is an American film, like that or not.

 

Most of this statment i can dismiss, But as a Very Proud EX-Scotish Squaddie whos Family have been solders for well over 150 years, I resent that and everything you imply with it.

You did not singlehandedly save europe, to imply otherwise is a dam right insult to the French, polish, Indian, Australian, New Zealander, South African, Canadian and the other 20 so countries that took part in WWII. Your nation was one in many and you should learn a thing before making Insulting comments like that.

 

An not only do you insult those other nations but you insult your own, The americans who fought beside people from those Allied Nations remember them proudly and in the conversations ive been honoured to have with the 30 or so ive met they have never once turned round and said that america saved europe because they were there and know better.

 

You should be ashamed.

Edited January 13, 2012 by Spoonwalker

[WonderLlama-Con]

I remember watching something than mentioned Lucas, while filming in London, used primarily local actors to portray Imperial characters. Both for ease of access, and to give the Imperials a sinister sort of unity.

 

I think it was in that "Star Wars Begins" fan documentary on youtube.

[zejaie]

I don't understand why the empire is suddenly english, can anyone else explain this to me?

 

Many of the actors int he original series were English. I guess they are considered more classical and that is what Lucas wanted, now it kinda stuck for all follow up content.