Dejarik
{{short description|Fictional board game}}
{{good article}}
{{use mdy dates|date=May 2021}}
Dejarik, also known as holographic chess or holochess, is a primarily-fictional board game appearing in the Star Wars space opera franchise that uses holographic figures as pieces. The game has been roughly described as that universe's equivalent of terrestrial chess{{efn|In the sense that a chess variant is understood as a game "related to, derived from, or inspired by chess".{{cite book|author=David Brine Pritchard|title=The Encyclopedia of Chess Variants|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aieGHAAACAAJ|year=1994|publisher=Games & Puzzles|isbn=978-0-9524142-0-9|page=vii|access-date=May 1, 2021|archive-date=May 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501065919/https://books.google.com/books?id=aieGHAAACAAJ|url-status=live}}}} since it is played on a board with a chequered pattern, each piece has a specific way of moving and attacking, and if it lands on a spot occupied by an opponent, it destroys the other piece. Over the years, several official and fan-made replicas have been made. As of 2021, no single, official rule set for the game has been released, and instead, a number of different rule sets (mostly designed by fans) for the game co-exist. Even the number of figures to be used in the game is unclear, although the best known variant uses eight.
The game debuted in the 1977 film Star Wars, in a scene on board the Millennium Falcon. It is notable as one of the classic, early examples of holograms, 3D and AR in fiction.
Origins and history
Dejarik first appeared on screen in the 1977 space opera film Star Wars. In a scene lasting about 15 seconds, while traveling from Tatooine to Alderaan aboard Han Solo's light Corellian space freighter the Millennium Falcon, the Wookiee Chewbacca plays the game against the droid R2-D2. When R2 seems to be winning, Chewbacca rages, to which C-3PO comments on his useless anger. Han Solo then chimes in on how it is better not to displease Chewbacca, since Wookiees are famous for ripping their opponents' arms, at which point a scared 3PO changes his mind and suggests that R2 "let the Wookiee win". The dejarik board later appears when the starship is flying from the Death Star to Yavin IV, as Luke Skywalker sits in front of it, mourning Obi-Wan Kenobi's death at the hands of Darth Vader.{{cite AV media |people=Lucas, George (director) |date=1977-05-25 |title=Star Wars |type=Motion picture |publisher=Lucasfilm}}
The movie prop representing the game used in the scene was designed and created by Phil Tippett and Jon Berg.{{Cite book|last=Wixson|first=Heather A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UqhADwAAQBAJ&q=Dejarik+holochess&pg=PT310|title=Monster Squad: Celebrating the Artists Behind Cinema's Most Memorable Creatures|date=2017-11-11|publisher=BearManor Media|pages=310|language=en|access-date=May 3, 2021|archive-date=October 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211014212801/https://books.google.com/books?id=UqhADwAAQBAJ&q=Dejarik+holochess&pg=PT310|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Solo: A Star Wars Story|url=https://www.tippett.com/portfolio/solo-star-wars-story/|access-date=2021-05-01|website=Tippett Studio|language=en-US|archive-date=May 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501061346/https://www.tippett.com/portfolio/solo-star-wars-story/|url-status=live}} The game later made appearances in a number of Star Wars media, including the television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. In the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Finn briefly activates the Falcon
In the ''Star Wars'' Universe
Dejarik is a popular holographic game in the world of Star Wars, installed, for example, on the decks of starships in order to provide entertainment during long flights through hyperspace. A typical game station consists of a hologram generator, usually placed in the cylindrical base of the set, on which there is a board made of three circles filled with alternating white and black fields. When launched, colorful, three-dimensional characters are generated. These characters are controlled by the player using a keyboard built into the table. Each piece has its own specific abilities that can be used during the game. When two characters take the same place on the board, they fight each other.{{cite web|date=2018-09-22|title=Star Wars' Holochess Game Was Really Thought Out|url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2458081/star-wars-holochess-game-was-really-thought-out|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-01|website=CinemaBlend|archive-date=May 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501050158/https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2458081/star-wars-holochess-game-was-really-thought-out}}{{cite web|date=2018-05-25|title=30 Things You Completely Missed in Solo: A Star Wars Story|url=https://screenrant.com/solo-a-star-wars-story-completely-missed-easter-eggs-references/|access-date=2021-05-01|website=ScreenRant|language=en-US|archive-date=May 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501051458/https://screenrant.com/solo-a-star-wars-story-completely-missed-easter-eggs-references/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Smith|first=Mike|date=14 March 2012|title=Fiction's most famous games – and how to play them for real {{!}} Unplugged|url=https://ca.games.yahoo.com/blogs/unplugged/fiction-most-famous-games-play-them-real-234912482.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141211062836/https://ca.games.yahoo.com/blogs/unplugged/fiction-most-famous-games-play-them-real-234912482.html|archive-date=2014-12-11|access-date=2021-05-01|website=Yahoo Games Canada}}
The 1977 scene was originally designed to include ten figures, but the version shown in the film in 1977 has eight.{{efn| The original eight pieces are named Ghhhk, Grimtaash the Molator, the Houjix, the Kintan strider, the K'lor'slug, the Mantellian Savrip, the Monnok, the Ng'ok; those names were first revealed in the Star Wars Customizable Card Game.{{cite book|author=Christian Blauvelt|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rgXeDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA84|title=Star Wars How Not to Get Eaten by Ewoks and Other Galactic Survival Skills|date=24 September 2019|publisher=DK Publishing|isbn=978-1-4654-9863-2|page=84|access-date=May 1, 2021|archive-date=May 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501063355/https://books.google.com/books?id=rgXeDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA84|url-status=live}} The two pieces revealed in the 2018 movie are named the Bulbous and the Scrimp. A reference to an eleventh piece, named karkath, is made in the 2018 Star Wars novel, Last Shot.{{cite book|author=Daniel José Older|title=Last Shot (Star Wars): A Han and Lando Novel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PmBKDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT37|date=17 April 2018|publisher=Random House Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-525-62215-4|page=37|access-date=May 1, 2021|archive-date=May 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501063355/https://books.google.com/books?id=PmBKDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT37|url-status=live}}}} This was because ten figures were originally designed in 1977, but George Lucas preferred the visually "less cluttered" version with eight. In Solo, a prequel to the 1977 Star Wars, Chewbacca damages the dejarik projector on the Millennium Falcon, providing an in-universe explanation as to why there are only eight figures on the screen. This implies that the full version of the game should have ten, not eight, figures.{{cite web|last=Newbold|first=Mark|date=2021-04-22|title=Regal Robot: Scrimp and Bulbous, the 'lost' Dejarik pieces|url=https://www.fanthatracks.com/news/collecting/regal-robot-scrimp-and-bulbous-the-lost-dejarik-pieces/|access-date=2021-05-01|website=Fantha Tracks|language=en-GB|archive-date=May 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501062645/https://www.fanthatracks.com/news/collecting/regal-robot-scrimp-and-bulbous-the-lost-dejarik-pieces/|url-status=live}}
Rules
The detailed rules of the game were not described in the film or other official media, and due to a lack of an official, licensed release of the game, a number of fans have created their own ruleset variants over the years.{{cite web|title=Dejarik Rules Collection|url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iw3g_udV7W-5XfNFlcppRwCMOhFag1lTcSPc9ygdseY/edit?usp=embed_facebook&usp=embed_facebook|access-date=2021-05-01|website=Google Docs|language=en|archive-date=May 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501061346/https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iw3g_udV7W-5XfNFlcppRwCMOhFag1lTcSPc9ygdseY/edit?usp=embed_facebook&usp=embed_facebook|url-status=live}}{{Cite book|last=Clark|first=Mark|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pAjYCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT325|title=Star Wars FAQ: Everything Left to Know About the Trilogy That Changed the Movies|date=2015-08-01|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|isbn=978-1-4950-4608-7|pages=325|language=en|access-date=May 3, 2021|archive-date=October 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211014212801/https://books.google.com/books?id=pAjYCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT325|url-status=live}} More official rules were created in 2017, when the first licensed computer game implementing dejarik (Star Wars: Jedi Challenges) was created;{{Cite book|last=Bergen|first=Doris|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ueQUEAAAQBAJ&q=Dejarik&pg=PA185|title=The Handbook of Developmentally Appropriate Toys|date=2021-02-15|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-4758-4921-9|language=en|access-date=May 3, 2021|archive-date=October 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211014212801/https://books.google.com/books?id=ueQUEAAAQBAJ&q=Dejarik&pg=PA185|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Gartenberg|first=Chaim|date=2018-04-18|title=Star Wars holochess comes to the iPhone with ARKit|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/18/17251802/star-wars-holochess-dejarik-arkit-augmented-reality-jedi-challenges-ios-app|access-date=2021-05-01|website=The Verge|language=en|archive-date=May 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501035906/https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/18/17251802/star-wars-holochess-dejarik-arkit-augmented-reality-jedi-challenges-ios-app|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Bishop|first=Bryan|date=2017-08-31|title=Star Wars: Jedi Challenges pits you against Kylo Ren with an augmented reality lightsaber|url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/31/16230408/star-wars-jedi-challenges-lightsaber-lenovo-augmented-reality|access-date=2021-05-04|website=The Verge|language=en|archive-date=May 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504062629/https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/31/16230408/star-wars-jedi-challenges-lightsaber-lenovo-augmented-reality|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Bishop|first=Bryan|date=2017-07-15|title=Disney is making a Star Wars holochess game with augmented reality|url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/15/15975882/star-wars-jedi-challenges-holochess-ar-lightsabers-disney-d23-expo-2017|access-date=2021-05-04|website=The Verge|language=en|archive-date=May 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505205057/https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/15/15975882/star-wars-jedi-challenges-holochess-ar-lightsabers-disney-d23-expo-2017|url-status=live}} in 2019, a licensed board game version known as Galaxy's Edge: Dejarik Board Game with Checkers was also released, but with different rules than the computer version from 2017.{{cite web|last=Newbold|first=Mark|date=2019-06-05|title=Galaxy's Edge: Dejarik Holochess set review|url=https://www.fanthatracks.com/news/conventions-events/galaxys-edge-dejarik-holochess-set-review/|access-date=2021-05-01|website=Fantha Tracks|language=en-GB|archive-date=May 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501050202/https://www.fanthatracks.com/news/conventions-events/galaxys-edge-dejarik-holochess-set-review/|url-status=live}}{{Citation|title=Galaxy's Edge Dejarik Holochess Boardgame Set|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGGdn_d6nlI|language=en|access-date=2021-05-01|archive-date=May 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501050917/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGGdn_d6nlI|url-status=live}} In 2020, it was announced that at some point, Lucasfilm developed gameplay rules for dejarik, but as of 2021, they were still not publicly released.{{cite web|date=2020-03-09|title=Always Two There Are Trivia Gallery|url=https://www.starwars.com/series/star-wars-rebels/always-two-there-are-trivia-gallery|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200309204108/https://www.starwars.com/series/star-wars-rebels/always-two-there-are-trivia-gallery|archive-date=2020-03-09|access-date=2021-05-01|website=StarWars.com}} All known rules so far (as of 2021) are for the version with eight figures.
Significance
In addition to a number of licensed merchandise products,{{cite web|last=Newsdesk|first=Laughing Place Disney|date=2021-04-22|title=Star Wars Holochess Prop Replica Deluxe Set with "Lost" Dejarik Creatures Announced by Regal Robot|url=https://www.laughingplace.com/w/news/2021/04/22/star-wars-holochess-prop-replica-deluxe-set-with-lost-dejarik-creatures-announced-by-regal-robot/|access-date=2021-05-01|website=LaughingPlace.com|language=en-US|archive-date=May 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501102926/https://www.laughingplace.com/w/news/2021/04/22/star-wars-holochess-prop-replica-deluxe-set-with-lost-dejarik-creatures-announced-by-regal-robot/|url-status=live}} several Star Wars fans have created their own dejarik game replicas over the years.{{cite web|last=Walsh|first=Michael|date=March 8, 2021|title=Fan-Made STAR WARS Dejarik Set Is a 3D Printed Delight|url=https://nerdist.com/article/star-wars-3d-printed-dejarik-set/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-01|website=Nerdist|archive-date=May 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501061346/https://nerdist.com/article/star-wars-3d-printed-dejarik-set/}}{{cite web|date=2015-11-12|title=Fan Builds Fully Functioning Holochess Table|url=https://dorksideoftheforce.com/2015/11/12/fan-builds-fully-functioning-holochess-table/|access-date=2021-05-01|website=Dork Side of the Force|language=en-US|archive-date=May 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501061355/https://dorksideoftheforce.com/2015/11/12/fan-builds-fully-functioning-holochess-table/|url-status=live}} A theme-park replica of the game has been created in 2017 in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge theme park.{{cite web|last=Orellana|first=Vanessa Hand|title=Inside Disneyland's Star Wars Galaxy's Edge|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/star-wars-land-disney-galaxys-edge-every-angle-inside-disney-latest-theme-park-smugglers-run-ride-millenium-falcon/|access-date=2021-05-01|website=CNET|language=en|archive-date=May 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504213903/https://www.cnet.com/news/star-wars-land-disney-galaxys-edge-every-angle-inside-disney-latest-theme-park-smugglers-run-ride-millenium-falcon/|url-status=live}}
Dejarik has been the subject of scientific research in the field of human–computer interaction{{Cite journal|last1=Kubicki|first1=Sébastien|last2=Querrec|first2=Ronan|date=August 2017|title=Le "Dejarik" : Jouons à ce jeu provenant d'une galaxie lointaine en Réalité Augmentée et sur Table Interactive|url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01577676|journal=29ème conférence francophone sur l'Interaction Homme-Machine|location=Poitiers, France|pages=2 p|access-date=May 1, 2021|archive-date=May 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501034422/https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01577676|url-status=live}} and has been identified as one of the classic, early examples of holograms{{Citation|last=Taylor|first=Allen G.|title=Creating Holographic Objects|date=2016|url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-2202-7_14|work=Develop Microsoft HoloLens Apps Now|pages=161–167|editor-last=Taylor|editor-first=Allen G.|place=Berkeley, CA|publisher=Apress|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-1-4842-2202-7_14|isbn=978-1-4842-2202-7|access-date=2021-05-01|archive-date=October 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211014212806/https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-1-4842-2202-7_14|url-status=live}}{{Citation|last=Bendel|first=Oliver|title=Hologram Girl|date=2019|url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19734-6_8|work=AI Love You : Developments in Human-Robot Intimate Relationships|pages=149–165|editor-last=Zhou|editor-first=Yuefang|place=Cham|publisher=Springer International Publishing|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-3-030-19734-6_8|isbn=978-3-030-19734-6|access-date=2021-05-01|editor2-last=Fischer|editor2-first=Martin H.|archive-date=October 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211014212804/https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-030-19734-6_8|url-status=live}} and AR (augmented reality) in fiction.Diephuis, Jeremiah, Georgi Kostov, and Gabriel Mittermair. "[https://conferences.computer.org/vrpub/pdfs/VRW2021-2ANNoldm4A10Ml9f63uYC9/136700a410/136700a410.pdf All AR-Board: Seamless AR Marker Integration into Board Games] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501034424/https://conferences.computer.org/vrpub/pdfs/VRW2021-2ANNoldm4A10Ml9f63uYC9/136700a410/136700a410.pdf |date=May 1, 2021 }}." 2021 IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces Abstracts and Workshops (VRW){{cite web|date=2016-03-21|url= http://www.rcetj.org/index.php/rcetj/article/view/151|access-date=2021-05-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321091732/http://www.rcetj.org/index.php/rcetj/article/view/151|archive-date=2016-03-21|title=Mobile Augmented Reality for Learning: A Case Study|url-status=usurped}}{{Cite journal|last1=Marina|first1=Knauer|last2=Joschka|first2=Mütterlein|date=2016|title=Two Worlds, One Gameplay: A Classification of Visual AR Games|url=http://www.digra.org/wp-content/uploads/digital-library/paper_392.pdf|journal=Conference: 1st International Joint Conference of the Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA) and the Foundations of Digital Games Conferences (FDG) at: Dundee, Scotland|access-date=2021-10-12|archive-date=May 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505224250/http://www.digra.org/wp-content/uploads/digital-library/paper_392.pdf|url-status=live}} Dejarik has also inspired a number of inventors to create physical devices that would imitate the holographic effects seen in the film,{{cite web|date=2018-05-22|title=Holograms: are they still the preserve of science fiction?|url=http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/may/22/star-wars-holograms-3d-images-future-holochess-princess-leia|access-date=2021-05-01|website=the Guardian|language=en|archive-date=June 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620122649/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/may/22/star-wars-holograms-3d-images-future-holochess-princess-leia|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Luke|first=Dormehl|date=October 2, 2019|title=Holochess, anyone? This AR game system gives tabletop gaming a digital upgrade|url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/tilt-five-tabletop-video-gaming/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-04|website=www.digitaltrends.com|archive-date=May 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504063319/https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/tilt-five-tabletop-video-gaming/}} from older products such as the 1983 Archon computer game{{clarify|date=June 2024}} to more recent ones such as those designed by Voxiebox.{{cite web|title=Voxiebox: A real-life Star Wars 3D holographic display that plays video games|url=https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/174772-voxiebox-a-real-life-star-wars-3d-holographic-display-that-plays-video-games|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-01|website=ExtremeTech|archive-date=May 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501061347/https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/174772-voxiebox-a-real-life-star-wars-3d-holographic-display-that-plays-video-games}}
See also
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{BGG|182162|Dejarik}}
{{Star Wars universe}}
{{Star Wars tabletop and pinball games}}
Category:Fiction about holography