1337

""1337" brings up 19,205,792,216 results on the Holonet. 0.35 percent have a relevance factor greater than 50. This is likely due to the fact that the key phrase "1337" is a chain of numbers that correspond to various statistics. The search engine also suggests searches of the phrases "1138" and "A113"."

- PK-10

1337, also known as leet, was a hacker's code used primarily in the Outer Rim. Though it cannot be verified, Jett Worrap claims to be the inventor of the language, which randomly replaces Alternate Basic alphabet characters with numbers and symbols that remotely resemble the original characters. Because most systems in the Republic used Aurebesh, it looked like random gibberish to most members of the Core Worlds, and it could not be decrypted automatically because it followed no set formula. However, in the Outer Rim, where the written alphabet used in 1337 was also known, anyone familiar with the premise of the language could easily read it on sight.

Jett Worrap claims to have invented the code during his time working as a hacker for Jabba the Hutt, where he needed a way to talk to the other hackers on open channels without Repbulic intelligence listening in. The code was eventually leaked, and it became a Holonet phenomenon in the Outer Rim, popularized by poorer citizens who used inexpensive text conferences instead of live video or holographic chats commonly used on more affluent planets.

The Republic, and later the Empire, never fully caught on to the concept of 1337, though words like "noob" and "ownage" did eventually seep into obscure slang. Radar Spectros, who had known a programmer who used the code, had Kaffman, Ilmar Grmek, and himself learn the language in case they needed to broadcast on an open channel during their raid on the Jedi Temple. There, they encountered the Blood Karvers, unaware that they were actually the ones who supposedly originally invented 1337.

Jett Worrap first coined the name 1337 N00B5 for the name of Kaffman's new gang on Coruscant, and after repeatedly referring to the gang as such on Utapau and Tralus, the name eventually stuck.

The 1337 N00B5 used the language to publish anti-Imperial propaganda pamphlets to common citizens, without the Empire realizing what the pamphlets actually said. The 1337 N00B5 also used the code to communicate on frequencies that were being monitored by Republic or Imperial spies.

Rules and morphology
1337 originated simply as changing spellings of words and replacing letters with symbols or numerals that somewhat resembled the Alternate Basic character. It was not long, however, before Jett Worrap started adding twists like the -age suffix or the t3h article to keep it useful as a secret code that only an elite (i.e. 1337) few can guess. However, the Holonet community in the Outer Rim, rather than dissuaded, found the language more enticing than ever.

Basic 1337 starts out with changing spellings and swapping letters with numbers or symbols. It is not necessary to change every single letter possible; only enough to make the words different from their original spelling. The emotion behind a sentence in 1337 is indicated by how many letters are changed. Some examples include:
 * 1 (replaces L)
 * 3 (replaces E)
 * 4 (replaces A, the word "for", or syllables that sound like the phonetic pronounciation for the number)
 * 5 (replaces S)
 * 6 (replaces G)
 * 7 (replaces T)
 * 8 (replaces B, or syllables that sound like the phonetic pronounciation for the number)
 * 0 (replaces O)
 * /\/\ (replaces M)
 * | (replaces L)
 * ! (replaces i, though this is less used)
 * U (replaces you)
 * UR (replaces your)
 * 2 (replaces to or too", or when the syllable to'' is in a longer word)
 * O (replaces oh or syllables that sound like the phonetic pronounciation of the letter)

When there are not many letters that can be changed to any of these, it is common to change the spelling. An example is with words that end with -e to make a long vowel in the last syllable. In such words, 1337 tends to put the e before the last consonant. Any phonetic similarity to any syllable can warrant a replacement in a word, such as changing ew in "new" to oo.

Common 1337 phrases include:
 * 1337 (from elite: changed to eleet to leet to 1337) Can be used as an adjective for an accomplishment or talented person, or as a noun to denote the language itself.
 * N00B (from newbie: changed to noob to n00b) Usually used to describe a particularly unimpressive character or someone who is inexperienced in a certain field, especially 1337 itself. Also became slang for a cadet in the 1337 N00B5.
 * Roxxorz: (from rocks: changed to rox to roxxorz using the -orz suffix) Verb used when praising someone or something.
 * Suxxorz: (from "sucks: changed to sux to suxxorz, sometimes further changed to suxx0rz'') Opposite of roxxorz.
 * 'Haxxorz"': (from "hacks": changed to "hax" to "haxxorz", sometimes further changed to haxx0rz or h4xx0rz'') Usually "to hack" or "to hijack".
 * Pwn, or pwnage (from "own", changed to pwn) Pwn is usually a verb used to say that someone soundly defeated or bested another. Pwnage is a noun denoting the action of soundly defeating or besting someone.
 * Woot (sometimes further changed to w007 or even \\//\\//7) An exclamation of joy.

In addition, the Holonet text lingo, mostly consisting of abbreviated phrases, which had been used for many decades before the invention of 1337, was merged with 1337 and expanded. Many "n00bs" from the Core Worlds didn't realize that 1337 also required a fluency in obscure Alternate Basic acronyms. Some of these phrases include:
 * L0L (from "laugh out loud", changed to "lol" to "L0L", sometimes further changed to "lulz" using the -z suffix) An expression of laughter.
 * R0TFL (from "rolling on the floor laughing", changed to "rotfl" to "r0tfl", can be capitalized for further emphasis, sometimes changed to R07FL or R07F1) Another expression of laughter, generally more intense than "L0L"
 * WTH (from "what the hell?", changed to "wth", h can be changed to other letters standing for different words if desired. A common change is wtk for "what the kriff?") An expression of confusion, implying a request for clarification or simply shock that something has happened.
 * FTW (from "for the win", changed to "FTW, can further be changed to F7W', is almost always capitalized) Used after a noun to express a desire for its ultimate triumph or simply to express appreciation or allegiance.
 * FTL (from "for the lose, changed to FTL, can further be changed to F71'') The opposite of FTW.
 * O RLY (from "oh, really?", changed to "o rly, sometimes further changed to "0, R1Y, often succeeded by an excess of question marks) An expression of disbelief.
 * Omg (from "oh, my goodness, changed to omg, can be further changed to ZOMG or even Z0MG'') An expression of surprise.

To immerse these expressions into the 1337 language and distinguish them from the older text abbreviations, common prefixes or suffixes are often used:
 * -zor or -xor (can be done with one or two zs or xs, a -z suffix is often used)
 * -z
 * uber- (presumably from "super", changed to "uper" to "uber", can be further changed to ub3r) Used to emphasize something as supposedly better than normal.
 * t3h (from the, changed to teh to t3h, can be further changed to 73h or even 734) Placed before some adjectives to create intentional grammatical confusion.
 * -age (from Basic suffix, example usage) Placed after some verbs (especially pwn) to turn them into nouns denoting the action of the verb. This is done on verbs that do not support the -age suffix in actual Basic.
 * -ness (from Basic suffix, example goodness) Placed after some adjectives to turn them into nouns denoting the quality of the adjective. This is done on adjectives that do not support the -ness suffix in actual Basic.
 * -'d (from Basic suffix -ed, example played) Used instead of "-ed", often used after nouns to transform them into verbs in the past tense.

Behind the scenes
Though originally a joke, 1337 became an important subplot in Avian Hunt and artistic representation of the division between the wealthy and the poor, the somber and the eager, and other dichotomies.

There is canon basis for a language such as 1337 to be in the Star Wars universe: the word "noob" is used. There is also strong evidence that the Alternate Basic alphabet is used in non-digital media.

Appearances

 * Avian Hunt