{"id":727531,"date":"2026-08-04T20:16:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T20:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/727531\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T20:16:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T20:16:09","slug":"star-wars-dubbed-into-welsh-for-first-time-for-s4c-broadcast-wales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/727531\/","title":{"rendered":"Star Wars dubbed into Welsh for first time for S4C broadcast | Wales"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are a few links between the Star Wars<\/a> franchise and Wales, including the secretive building of the Millennium Falcon in an old hangar in the far south-west of the Celtic nation.<\/p>\n

But until now, speakers of Welsh \u2013 Cymraeg \u2013 have not been able to hear the words of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia spoken in their own language.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, however, it was revealed that a Welsh-language version of the 1977 blockbuster Star Wars will be shown on the Welsh television channel S4C<\/a> and its platforms from Christmas Day.<\/p>\n

Rhys Ifans, who has appeared in Harry Potter and Spider-Man films as well as Notting Hill, voices the Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi.<\/p>\n

Matthew Rhys<\/a>, a winner of a Primetime Emmy, voices Han Solo, and Aimee-Ffion Edwards, best known for her roles in Peaky Blinders and Slow Horses, is Princess Leia.<\/p>\n

Mark Lewis Jones, who had a role in the 2017 Star Wars film The Last Jedi, is the Welsh Darth Vader.<\/p>\n

The rising talent Osian Morgan voices Luke Skywalker, and Rhys Ifans\u2019s brother, Ll\u0177r, C-3PO. The Ifans siblings won plaudits for their 1997 cult film Twin Town.<\/p>\n

The announcement was made at the National Eisteddfod, the vast music and poetry festival taking place in Pembrokeshire.<\/p>\n

The National Eisteddfod was held this year in the Garreg Las area near Cardigan, North Pembrokeshire. Photograph: Joann Randles\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

The Welsh version of the film has been produced by Lucasfilm and Disney in collaboration with S4C and the Welsh government via its Creative Wales<\/a> agency. Its Welsh title is Star Wars: Gobaith Newydd (New Hope), reflecting the 1977 film\u2019s later title on reissue, Star Wars: Episode IV \u2013 A New Hope.<\/p>\n

The producer Michael Kohn, the director of distribution operations at Lucasfilm, said the company was excited about the project, which coincides with the movie\u2019s 50th anniversary in 2027.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been involved in a few Indigenous dubs of Star Wars over the years that aim to preserve and revitalise interest in learning the language,\u201d Kohn said. \u201cThey have been tremendously successful not only in their communities but internationally as well. The chance to celebrate the Welsh language through Star Wars is one we couldn\u2019t pass up.\u201d<\/p>\n

A version of the Millennium Falcon was created at a hangar at Pembroke Dock,<\/a> not far from the current Eisteddfod site. Built out of wood and steel in 1979 for Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, released in 1980, it was constructed under the code name \u201cMagic Roundabout\u201d, though local people knew what was going on.<\/p>\n

A 2022 exhibition at Pembroke Dock, west Wales, told the story of how, in the 1970s, a version of the Millennium Falcon was secretly built there. Photograph: Martin Cavaney\/Pembroke Dock<\/p>\n

Scenes for Lucasfilm\u2019s 1988 fantasy film Willow and the 2024 television series Star Wars: The Acolyte were also shot in Wales.<\/p>\n

Another Welsh connection is the Lucasfilm co-president Lynwen Brennan, who was born in Pembrokeshire.<\/p>\n

\u201cWales has such a rich history of storytelling and a beautiful lyrical language,\u201d Brennan said. \u201cWe 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWelsh 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Star Wars characters in Cardiff last year. Photograph: Ian Cook\/CameraSport\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Geraint Evans, the S4C chief executive, said: \u201cIt\u2019s such an iconic film to so many generations of fans across the world. It\u2019s a fantastic opportunity to promote the Welsh language.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Welsh government is aiming to have a million people speaking Cymraeg by 2050.<\/p>\n

The first minister, Rhun ap Iorwerth<\/a>, who is fluent in Welsh, said Star Wars was one of the most influential films of his childhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cIts appeal shows no sign of waning,\u201d he said. \u201cTo see a Welsh-language version, using the talents of some of our best actors, is fantastic. We already produce world-class TV and film here in Wales and I\u2019m really looking forward to seeing Star Wars in Welsh.\u201d<\/p>\n

And yes, there is a very nice translation for \u201cMay the force be with you\u201d: \u201cA boed i\u2019r Grym fod gyda chi.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for the beloved opening line, \u201cA long time ago in a galaxy far, far away \u2026\u201d : \u201cAmser maith yn \u00f4l, mewn galaeth bell bell i ffwrdd …\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There are a few links between the Star Wars franchise and Wales, including the secretive building of the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":727532,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[96,2839,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-727531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-movies","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/727531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=727531"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/727531\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/727532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=727531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=727531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=727531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}