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In Season 3, Episode 10, "Heroes on Both Sides" of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Padme says:

"...to extend an olive branch...".

How are there olives in Star Wars? I know that you can slip up when saying things like this; "hold my beer" instead of an in-universe drink, "on the other hand" instead of paw, etc. But have olives ever been shown in Star Wars, and if so are/were they associated with peace, or is this just a slip-up using a real-world expression?

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  • 2
    So in-universe "beer" is OK but in-universe "olive branch" isn't?
    – Paulie_D
    Mar 15, 2021 at 18:17
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    "space olives" obviously
    – Valorum
    Mar 15, 2021 at 18:30
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    If there can be humans, why can't there be olives?
    – chepner
    Mar 15, 2021 at 20:01
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    This one is answerable and should be re-opened.
    – Valorum
    Mar 15, 2021 at 23:35
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    Olive oil apparently features in the canon web-novel "The Vow of Silver Dawn". Is that enough to conclude that olives exist? Mar 16, 2021 at 1:31

2 Answers 2

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Olive oil ("橄榄油") is mentioned in the (canon) Chinese-language novel The Vow of Silver Dawn

"The second is also from the Red Beauty Company, this time olive oil, and from the sediments at the bottom you can clearly tell the difference from the authentic. What you have there has about a 3% difference in density".

It follows that if they have olive oil, they have olives. Whether those are identical to Earthican olives (and quite why those are synonymous with peaceful overtures) is obviously subject to the usual caveats about 'space versions of things'.

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  • Really interesting, thanks. Mar 17, 2021 at 15:45
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I copy from this answer what the basis of parsec is:

They also use hours to measure time, which are just as Earth-centric. But remember, they don’t actually speak English in a galaxy far far away. Every word that is spoken on screen has been translated from the original language, so presumably the units have been translated into our units as well.

So, every unit is translated into a human measurement. It can be presumed that figures of speech are also translated. The name olive branch strengthens this:

The olive branch is a symbol of peace or victory allegedly deriving from the customs of ancient Greece, particularly regarding supplication to both the gods and persons in power and is found in most cultures of the Mediterranean basin.

From the Wikipedia article on Olive branch

So, the olive branch is an European / American figure of speech. It is very unlikely that they use the same figures of speech in a galaxy far, far away.

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    There are also cases where someone uses a figure of speech then later works go back and justify it in-universe. I'm pretty sure ducks were declared canonically native to Naboo just because someone there once said "sitting duck".
    – Withad
    Mar 16, 2021 at 11:29

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