Darth: Title Or Name?

[Lman316]

Okay, I know this must sound wierd, but I was thinking this a while back: in ANH, the way that Obi Wan says Darth Vader, it seems as though Darth is Vader's first name. But now with characters like Sidious and Maul having Darth added in front, it almost seems like it's a title, not a name.
My reason for thinking this was when Obi Wan said: "Only a master of evil, Darth." Now, if Darth was a title, like Mister, for example, would you say: "Only a master of evil, Mister" ? I mean, I know that you could say that, but it doesn't sound right, lol.
So, my question is (after all that rambling I just did) was the word Darth meant to be a title of a Sith or just Vader's first name?

Oh, BTW, how do you get the icons on the side of the post? I used to use Plo Koon, but I don't see any drop box to select it anymore.

[bigbarada]

Up until Ep1 I believed that Darth was a name, and I think it was intended to be for the OT. Whatever possessed GL to make it a Sith title, we'll never know.

The little picture you're talking about is called an 'avatar,' which you can choose in the 'user cp: edit options' section.

[the master jedi]

I've always thought of Darth as a title.

[humsup]

Yeah, it was until EPI that I realise there's lots of "Darth" around. Then I conclude myself that this supposed to be a tittle for the Sith.

[JediTricks]

I think Lucas initially wanted it to be a name, but it worked better by ESB as a title, so he just ran with that.

[Eternal Padawan]

I always thought it was another word for "Lord" Lord Vader, Darth Vader. Kind of like Moff and Governor were interchangable. I never thought Darth was his first name like Doug Vader or Ricky Vader.

And Obi Wan was kind of spitting it at him when he said "Only a master of evil, DARTH." Like he was insulting him for taking that title, knowing it was Anakin under all that hardware.

[Huckleberry Josh]

I always thought it was a title and a name . If you are a good enough Sith , you earn the title "Darth" and it simply becomes a name . But it also could be another name for "lord". I'm not really sure .

[Darth Cruel]

I am with JT on this one. It has the feel of originally being intended as a name and having been changed to a title later (which was actually earlier) in the overall story.

[GNT]

I think its a title given to a Sith in which it becomes a name

So "Darth Vader" is a title and is part of his name,but thats IMO :)

[JEDIpartner]

Well... as evidenced in the EU book that covers the "history" of the STAR WARS galaxy, there are a ton of Darths running around in there! So... I think it was probably after ANH that he decided it was a title and not a first name.

[BenQuad]

This is a lot like the old "Bail" debate.


Bail Organa, Bail Antillies - Title or name?

[evenflow]

I have to say that Darth is a title. Not a name.

[Eternal Padawan]

Bail, I think is a name. It's the "John" of the Star Wars universe. And if Antilles is the "Smith" of the Star Wars Universe, then Bail Antilles is really "John Smith" Hmmmm...I wonder if that's his REAL name...

[El Chuxter]

Agree with EP and JT I do. Darth was originally intended as a name and became a title (DARk lord of the siTH). Most Sith Lords dispense with their birth names and take a Darth title. Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader, for instance. And I'm sure that Frank and Edna Maul aren't running around on Iridonia looking for their lost son. The only exception to this rule is Sidious/Palpatine; the Darth title is discarded after he became Emperor and the title became unnecessary. (Vader kept the title, since any evidence he was Anakin was destroyed.)

Obi-Wan uses the title alone to mock Vader.

[JediTricks]

"Frank and Edna Maul, they're good people, I don't know how the apple could have fallen so far from the tree with that son of their's."

;)

Chux, I agree with your assessment of how the Emp went from Palpatine to Darth Sidious and then back to Palpatine. That's what makes sense to me, when he becomes such a public figure, he doesn't want folks to know he's a Sith lord, he wants them to think he's a weak and foolish old man.

[2-1B]

Chuxter, thanks for the lesson on DARk lord of the siTH. In my ignorance that NEVER occurred to me.

[Darth_Setnom]

I think it's a name... you know, once you become a full "Sith Knight" you leave your past behind you and forget about everything in it. That includes your name. You become a different person so you need a name.

And Darth is probably the part of the name that shows everyone that you beolong to the Sith Order, or family. OK, not everyone but in case someone hears you are "Darth" something, tey'll know you're a bad guy with a lot of power and that they shouldn't mess with you.

[The_Collector]

I read somwhere that Darth Vader roughly translated into Dark Father (Darth = Dark, and Vader being the welsh word for Father). And if you notice, both Maul and Sidious names translate out. Darth Maul meaning Dark Killer, and Darth Sidious, meaning Darth Sly. I can't really vouch for the EU darth names, (i.e. Darth Bane, Darth.....)

[JediTricks]

Sidious = "Insidious" = Working or spreading harmfully in a subtle or stealthy manner. (example: insidious rumors; an insidious disease) It's from the latin, "insidiae" = to ambush.

Maul = To injure by or as if by beating, it's root is direct.

[El Chuxter]

Add an "In" to "Sidious" and you get Insidious, as JT pointed out. Also (and I wish I could take credit for this, but I read it in a magazine), if you add "In" to "Vader", you get Invader, as in an Invader in the Jedi ranks. Probably just the former English major in me trying to put too much significance on everything! :rolleyes: