Star Wars dubbed into Welsh for first time | UK News

Star Wars: A New Hope, the first film released in the popular franchise, has been dubbed into the Welsh language for the first time. 

A new version of the 1977 film – titled Star Wars: Gobaith Newydd – is set to be broadcast on the Welsh-language TV channel S4C from Christmas Day onwards to celebrate the saga’s 50th anniversary next year.

The announcement was made at the National Eisteddfod, the largest cultural festival in Wales.

The film, directed by Ellyn Stern and produced by Lucasfilm and Disney in collaboration with S4C and the Welsh government, features the voices of several well-known Welsh actors, including Primetime Emmy winner Matthew Rhys as Han Solo and Notting Hill star Rhys Ifans as Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Aimee-Ffion Edwards, perhaps best known for her roles in Peaky Blinders and Slow Horses, voices Princess Leia, while Osian Morgan, who has appeared in TV shows such as Waterloo Road and Emmerdale, is Luke Skywalker.

Mark Lewis Jones, who appeared in 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi – the second film in the franchise’s so-called sequel trilogy – takes on the role of Darth Vader.

‘A beautiful lyrical language’

Welsh First Minister Rhun Ap Iorwerth hailed Star Wars as “one of the most influential films of my childhood” and insisted the film’s appeal “shows no sign of waning, captivating audiences to this day”.

Mr ap Iorwerth said: “To see a Welsh language version of this iconic film, using the talents of some of our best actors, is fantastic. We already produce world-class TV and film here in Wales, and I’m really looking forward to seeing Star Wars in Welsh later this year.”

Lucasfilm co-president Lynwen Brennan, who was born and raised in Wales, said the country had a “rich history of storytelling and a beautiful lyrical language”.

Ms Brennan said she was “so thankful” Star Wars was being translated into Welsh, adding: “Welsh speakers will finally be able to enjoy the film in our native language, and my hope is that it will have the same emotional impact as if you were watching the film again for the first time.”

Last year, Wales’s government set a target of having one million Welsh speakers by 2050.

It came after figures from the latest census in 2021 showed a fall in the number of people who could speak the language compared to a decade earlier.

An estimated 538,000 people in Wales – or 17.8% of the population – said they could speak Welsh, compared to 562,000 in 2011 (or 19% of the population).

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Long-standing link to sci-fi series

Wales has a long-standing connection to the Star Wars franchise going back decades.

In 1979, a full-size Millennium Falcon – the iconic starship primarily piloted by Harrison Ford’s Han Solo and the Wookie Chewbacca in the original trilogy – was built at Pembroke Dock for the 1980 sequel Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.

Meanwhile, scenes from the Disney+ series Star Wars: The Acolyte, as well as Lucasfilm’s 1988 film Willow – and the 2022 sequel TV series of the same name – were shot on location in Wales.