The names are as iconic as the franchise they’re associated with. Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher). Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). Obi-Wan Kenobi (Sir Alec Guinness). Han Solo (Harrison Ford). Chewbacca... I dunno, Smith (Peter Mayhew)? And Darth Vader, aka Anakin Skywalker (David Prowse/James Earl Jones). But if we’re talking only about the movie that started it all back in 1977, Star Wars, sans the subtitle Episode IV: A New Hope, you would scratch that "aka." His name actually was Darth Vader, or, if he were filling out a tax form — assuming the Empire pays taxes — Vader, Darth, right there between Chewbacca and Din Djarin on the attendance roll call.

The Darth Vader Name Foreshadows the Future of the Franchise

How the name came about reveals George Lucas' ambitious, overall plan for the Star Wars franchise from the start. But before the name, there was the concept. As many fans will know, Lucas' groundbreaking Star Wars was fueled by his passion for feudal Japan, inspired by classic samurai films, most notably Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress. Darth Vader himself was fashioned after legendary Japanese warrior Date Masamune, the "One-Eyed Dragon of Ōshū," with American illustrator Ralph McQuarrie and British sculptor Brian Muir working together to create a look that fit Lucas' vision of Vader as a samurai.

Cleverly, Lucas used the name to foreshadow his plans for the future of the franchise. As he tells Rolling Stone in a 2005 interview, "'Darth' is a variation of dark. And 'Vader' is a variation of father. So it's basically Dark Father." It's a tip off to one of the most iconic movie twists of all time, the mind-boggling reveal of (44-year-old spoiler) Darth Vader as Luke Skywalker's father in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

The Story Behind Darth Vader's Name Is as Much Fiction as It Is Fact

The above is fact or, as Obi-Wan says, "... from a certain point of view." The story behind the concept and design of the character certainly is true, but Lucas' claim of the name "Darth Vader" as having been part of some master plan he had for Star Wars from the beginning is definitively not. In reality, the name "Darth" was simply the character's first name from the beginning, and didn't become a title for a Sith Lord until years later.

Let's start first with Lucas' assertion that the name means "Dark Father." As reported by Huffpost, Lucas' comments led to the popular myth that "Dark Vader" means "Dark Father" in German. This, however, is simply inaccurate. In German, dark is "dunkel," and father is "vater," which would give you "Dunkel Vater." In Dutch, dark is "donker," and while father is indeed "vader," the pronunciation is quite different: it's vaah-der, not vay-der. So, while we could give Lucas a pass on the "Vader" half of the name, neither "Dunkel Vater" nor "Donker Vader" are likely to invoke the fear Lucas sought for the name. As Huffpost reports, Lucas' original statements about the origin of the name, in interviews given at the time of Star Wars' release in 1977, are a direct contradiction to his later assertions, with Lucas saying:

"The name sort of appeared in my head one day. I had lots of Darth this and Darth that, and Dark Lord of the Sith. The early name was actually Dark Water. Then I added lots of last names, Vaders and Wilsons and Smiths, and I just came up with the combination of Darth and Vader."

The Evidence Against Lucas' Claims About Darth Vader's Name Is Overwhelming

Even if George Lucas' claims about the German/Dutch roots of the name were accurate, it would still be more circumstantial than part of a nine-part saga he envisioned from the start. Ex-wife Marcia Lucas, whose impact on the franchise is much deeper than most Star Wars fans are aware of, says, “When I was his wife, I never knew there were nine stories. I never knew there were two stories.” Lucasfilm creative art manager Phil Szostak, who has debunked many of the myths that surround Star Wars, confirms that, at the time of Episode IV's release in 1977, Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker were, in fact, two different people, and that Darth Vader really had murdered Anakin years before.

For those who doubt Marcia Lucas and Phil Szostak, the evidence is pretty clear. Huffpost reports that when Lucas wrote the first Star Wars, not only were the two characters different people, but in some early versions of the script, Luke's father is very much alive, and in the final version of the script, "Darth Vader" is, in fact, the character's name. Early drafts of The Empire Strikes Back still indicate that Anakin and Darth are two separate people, with Luke actually meeting his father, as a Force Ghost, while training with Yoda, per the previously cited Inverse article. That same article also talks about how the twist of Darth Vader being Luke's father was actually a late addition to the film, with screenwriter Willard Huyck joking, "You can always make Darth Vader Luke's father" when Lucas was explaining about having hit a creative wall with Empire's final act. The fact that Leia is Luke's sister wasn't even in the picture until planning for Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, as stated by Mark Hamill.

"Darth" Becomes Something More in the Star Wars Franchise

It wouldn't be until 1999's Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace that "Darth" would come to be a title bestowed upon a Sith Lord, with fan-favorite villain Darth Maul (Ray Park) the first to be referred to as "Darth" in live-action since Vader's introduction in 1977. To be fair, the idea of "Darth" as a title may have been planted in The Empire Strikes Back, with Darth Vader being repeatedly referred to as "Lord Vader" in the film. But first name or title be damned: "Darth" has impacted the franchise significantly. The name itself is perfection, with "Darth" having that instant feel of dark villainy Lucas sought, while "Vader" starts a tradition of Sith with threatening names (think "Maul," "Tyrannus," or "Sidious"). It also links Vader to a long line of Sith, making him part of a legacy of evil, and not just a one-off villain, which in turn deepens the franchise as a whole, allowing for projects like The Acolyte to explore how that lineage has played a large part in the grand story that is Star Wars.

The films of the Star Wars franchise, including Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, are available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.