Star Wars fans can now customize their own desktop keyboards to have the look of a computer terminal straight from the Death Star. Rather than selling a full desktop replacement keyboard to loyal fans, Disney’s Lucasfilm partnered with NovelKeys to create two different sets of replacement keycaps that will appeal to loyal audiences of the franchise. These keycaps fit over the individual keys on your existing keyboard and come with a script for the official Aurebesh language of the Galactic Empire, making it a nice novelty gift for any loyal Star Wars fan.
Unless you’re familiar with your way around a standard keyboard layout, this means that non-touch typists may need a little help from C-3PO to decipher the keys and translate the keyboard into English. In addition to the Aurebesh characters, you’ll also find a set of keys with iconography from the series, like a lightsaber for the enter key and Dark Side symbols, inlcuding Darth Vader’s helmet. Unlike other Star Wars-themed replacement keyboards in the past, this keyboard is an official collaboration with NovelKeys, and that means that the replacement keycap sets don’t come cheap. They’re priced at $250 for the keycaps, and users are expected to supply their own keyboard. C-3PO is similarly not included for translation needs, but if you aren’t already familiar with the official Aurebesh language of the Empire, NovelKeys also offers a second variant of the keyboard with the English alphabet to make typing a bit easier. This way, you’ll at least know what key you’re pressing. Regardless of whether you order the full Aurebesh keycap set or the one with the English sublegends, both kits come with eight unique novelty keycaps “to show your loyalty to the Empire.”
The set comes with a total of 157 keycaps, and pre-orders will begin on December 10, and users will have until January 5, 2019 to get their orders in. Because each set will be custom made, delivery isn’t expected until April 2019. “Please note that this set will only be available for the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Guam.” NovelKeys advised. The keycaps are manufactured by Signature Plastics, and they will be sold through NovelKeys or the Kono Store.
