Editing Languages in Star Wars (section)

=== Accents ===
Lucas intended to balance [[American English|American accents]] and [[British English|British accents]] between the heroes and villains of the original film. He also strove to keep accents "very neutral", noting [[Alec Guinness]] and [[Peter Cushing]]'s [[Received Pronunciation |particular British accents]], which he perceived as "sort of mid-Atlantic neutral accents".<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Scanlon|first1=Paul|title=George Lucas: The Wizard of Star Wars|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/george-lucas-the-wizard-of-star-wars-19770825|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=August 25, 1977}}</ref> 
In critical commentary on [[Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace|''Episode I – The Phantom Menace'']], Patricia Williams of ''[[The Nation]]'' felt there was a correlation between accent and social class, noting that [[Jedi]] speak with "crisp British accents" while the "graceful conquered women of the [[Naboo]]" and "white slaves" such as [[Anakin Skywalker|Anakin]] and [[Shmi Skywalker]] "speak with the brusque, determined innocence of middle-class Americans".<ref name="TheNation">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/racial-ventriloquism/|title=Racial Ventriloquism|last=Williams|first=Patricia J.|date=June 17, 1999|magazine=[[The Nation]]|access-date=July 26, 2016}}</ref>

To decide on the sound of [[Nute Gunray]], a [[Neimoidian]] character portrayed by [[Silas Carson]], Lucas and [[Rick McCallum]] listened to actors from different countries reading Carson's lines. Eventually, they chose a heavily [[Thai language|Thai]]-accented English, and Carson rerecorded the dialogue to mimic the Thai actor's accent.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.starwars.com/episode-ii/bts/profile/f20020530/indexp4.html |title=Silas Carson: Hero with a Thousand Faces |last=Chernoff |first=Scott |date=May 30, 2002 |publisher=[[Lucasfilm]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080103130737/http://www.starwars.com/episode-ii/bts/profile/f20020530/indexp4.html |archive-date=January 3, 2008 |access-date=July 26, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Gunray's accent was described by critics to be "Hollywood [[Orient]]al" that contributed to criticism of Gunray as an Asian stereotype.<ref name="TheNation" /><ref name="LATimes">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-may-26-ca-40965-story.html|title=A Galaxy Far, Far Off Racial Mark?|last=Harrison|first=Eric|date=May 26, 1999|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=July 26, 2016|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="USNews">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.usnews.com/usnews/opinion/articles/990712/archive_001413.htm|title=Fu Manchu on Naboo|last=Leo|first=John|date=July 4, 1999|magazine=[[U.S. News & World Report]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011082808/http://www.usnews.com/usnews/opinion/articles/990712/archive_001413.htm |archive-date=October 11, 2008|access-date=July 26, 2016}}</ref> [[Watto]]'s accent was similarly criticized as lending to [[Antisemitism|anti-Semitic]] and [[Anti-Arabism|anti-Arab]] connotations.<ref name="TheNation" /><ref name="USNews" />