“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away …” Or should that be: “Amser maith yn ôl, mewn galaeth bell bell i ffwrdd ...” 'Star Wars: A New Hope' has been dubbed into the Welsh language for the first time in order to celebrate the film’s 50th anniversary next year.
A boed i'r Grym fod gyda chi.
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That's what many Welsh Star Wars fans will be saying instead of "May the Force be with you" later this year.
Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the first Star Wars film, Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), and to celebrate the milestone, the iconic sci-fi adventure has been dubbed into the Welsh language – Cymraeg – for the very first time.
The new translation marks a collaboration with Welsh language broadcaster S4C and the Welsh Government.
Lucasfilm co-president Lynwen Brennan, who was born and raised in Wales, said: “Wales has such a rich history of storytelling and a beautiful lyrical language. We have never before had a translation of Star Wars into Welsh and I am so thankful that in celebration of our 50th anniversary we have been able to work with some incredible Welsh talent to make that a reality."
He added: “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.”
Welsh First Minister Rhun Ap Iorwerth commented: "Star Wars was one of the most influential films of my childhood and its appeal shows no sign of waning, captivating audiences to this day. To see a Welsh language version of this iconic film, using the talents of some of our best actors, is fantastic."
He added: “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."
The cast lending their voices to Star Wars: Gobaith Newydd include Matthew Rhys (The Americans, Widow's Bay) voicing Han Solo; Osian Morgan (Waterloo Road) providing the voice for Luke Skywalker; Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill, Enduring Love) taking on Obi-Wan Kenobi; Aimee-Ffion Edwards (Peaky Blinders, Slow Horses) voicing Princess Leia; and Mark Lewis Jones, who previously appeared in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) as Captain Canady, stepping into the role of Darth Vader.
Wales has a long-standing connection to the Star Wars franchise going back decades.
In 1979, a full-size Millennium Falcon was built at Pembroke Dock for the 1980 sequel Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.
Later on, 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.
The Welsh government is aiming to have one million people speaking Cymraeg by 2050.
The announcement was made last year and comes 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.
Star Wars: Gobaith Newydd will be broadcast on S4C and across its platforms from Christmas Day.
