Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace Easter Egg - Star Wars Character's Names

Here's some info on the names of some of the characters:

R2D2 - I guess everybody knows this one refers to a dialogue between Lucas and an editor, when Goerge asked for a bit of dialogue that was on another reel. The edit said, "oh, you mean R2D2?", referring to Reel #2, Dialogue "2. That's how he got his name.

Obi-Wan Kenobi - Obi-Wan is taken from the term "OB Van", a tv or film production truck with the main recording and producing facilities on board.

Darth Vader - The Dutch may have foreseen the coming of Vader in little Ani, because in Dutch "vader" means father.

Cheers!

User Rating:
6.2
  6.2/10 with 109 votes
Contributed By: Jan Gundtofte-Bruun on 09-10-1999
Reviewed By: Webmaster
Special Requirements: See any movie!
Please correct this Egg if you see errors.

Pictures and Videos

None posted yet. Send us yours and be the first!

Comments

Crowley writes:
don't forget that these stories wer all written a long time ago - that's why this is Episode I and A New Hope is Episode 4. George Lucas wanted to imply all along that Vader was Luke's Father - hence as you quite correctly point out, vader means father...Darth Vader = Dark Father - the impression Lucas wanted to give
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
bbX writes:
Apparently Darth Maul means Dark Mother, as well as maul being an appropriate name. can't see George fitting that into the plotline though... bbX
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
jipsydude writes:
r2d2's name and all the other names where not created like that (ok maby darth vaders but) lucas just puiced names that sounded good phonetically but i know were you whent wrong. in a special (i dont know witch one) it was said that that was how the names came to be but it wasent sorry.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
CyberDwarf writes:
I know for a fact that R2D2's name was created the way that's mentioned above. But if Lucas creates all names phonetically, why do some guys get off so unlucky - take the Jedi council member Yarael Poof!
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Speed Freak writes:
Slave I -- the name of Boba Fett's ship -- was taken from a sound mixing/editing board. (It may or may not be a sound board but the name is taken directly from some of the equipment used to make a movie).
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Elaine Lye writes:
We all know that Qui-Gon was killed at the end of the movie. Is his name a corruption of the term 'quick-gone'? Creepy resemblance...
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
JBK writes:
also, jabba sounds like the russian word "zhaba" which means toad.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Animal 56 writes:
I believe one of Lucas' children came up with Jar Jar Binks during supper at the Lucas household, previous to the scripting of Ep.1.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
'quin writes:
Darth Vader: D.Vader: D.Vator: DV Ator: Deviator. One who deviates. That's my guess as to where Vader's name originated from. 'quin
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Darth Ewok writes:
"Darth Vader" does NOT mean "Dark Father." Vader is NOT Dutch for father, but it is SIMILAR to the word. Darth does not mean "Dark" in any known language. This rumour has been going around for so long that people now just accept it.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
To Speed Freak ([email protected]) about your "Slave I" comment: I didn't know that one, but I can tell how it fits: When using multiple sources for an edit, they all tag along to match the recorder machine. When you make one machine control another, the 'one' machine becomes the 'master' and the 'another' machine becomes the - 'slave'. (Using several machines you then get Slave1, Slave2, etc.). BTW all, thanks for the critic. Sure could be fun to get Mr. Lucas to share the real facts with us! :o) Jan
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
also tatooine is a real city, located in the deserts of tunisia
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Trivimaster writes:
to Darth Ewok- Vader IS Dutch for father and I know it, I am from Holland. You are right though that Darth does not mean dark in any language, but it does sound like it!
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Kyukei writes:
Darth does not have significance in itself for Vader, Darth is the term for all Lords of the Dark Side(e.g. Darth Sidious, Darth Vader, Darth Maul, etc). Vader is the Dark Lord of the Sith, Sidious is the master of all other Dark Jedi, and I'm just guessing that Maul is Lord of something or other.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
ZaphoD writes:
Tatooine is not a city located in Tunesia, it is an area... Maybe I'm just being anal... hmm... BTW, if you watch the X-Files movie, you will see that the area that "the bad guys" hang out in, is... yes! Tatooine!!!!
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
007Fanatic writes:
If one of Lucas's kids really came up with Jar Jar, they should have been promptly spanked and sent to bed early without their dinner.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Colbabe writes:
R2D2 wasn't named for the old "Reel 2 Dialogue 2" thing. Lucasarts' "Behind The Magic" CD-ROM refutes this. Jipsydude's explanation is correct, according to BTM. BTM has a 300 trivia questions about the Star Wars universe, and I got tricked by this one, because I thought it was the "Reel 2 Dialogue 2" answer.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
bsilver writes:
The Tattoine is a desert in Tunisia.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Dear Dark Ewok, Vader is Dutch for Father!!! Greeting from the Netherlands, Dodo
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Hey Dark Ewok, what do you think the Dutch word for father is? I really want to know that, because i think used for more than 15 year the wrong word. Erwin is right. Father means vader in Dutch which means also dad in English. Greetings, Sander van der Velde.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Serval writes:
About the reason why so many people think that Darth=Dark. 1) it's obvious, Darth_anyone is a lord of the dark side of the force.. 2) in France, the name of Darth Vader was Dark Vador. Why Dark ? why Vador ? never found anyone to explain it.....
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Rincewind writes:
Sorry folks, but yes -- "vader" *does* mean father in Dutch. And, by extension, in Afrikaans.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Max_Rebo writes:
Funny how people from other countries know Dutch better than the Dutch people themselves! *LOL*
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Mothzilla writes:
I'm not Dutch, but if the Dutch word for "Father" is "Vater", then that's pretty darn close don't you think?
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Johngo Kongo writes:
I thought Darth was the titulation for a Sith lord. (DARk lord of the siTH)
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
That is exactly where the word comes from Johngo.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Well, for the last time: vader (dutch) is the same as father (english)...Vater is german (notice the capital V, anyone?). Trust us dutch people on that....we are know for our multilingual abilities, especially if it's our native bloody language! One more thing about Darth...remember that Darth had to come from somewhere...GL had to think it up, and what is better than something which sounds dark? Remember this is 1978 we're talking about...most people werent as well informed as we are now, so they had to get it in one go: it had to be obvious. And then we have our Obi-wan Kenobi. An obi is a japanes word for a robe or cloak. The '-wan' suffix is a japanes word indicting someone worthy of respect...hence Obi-wan translates as robed-one...which fits Obi-wan, for he is robed and worthy of respect. The kenobi part also means something, but for the life of me I cannot remember what. When I came across it (a long time ago...8P) I remember thinking to myself: so that is what it means! But now I cant remember what! Any help from that asean community is welcome... As for Han Solo...dont know where Han comes from, but solo...you figure it out, loner. And thats all for now...hope u enjoyed. PS: cant be buggered to correct my spelling errors.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
*wavjunkie writes:
perhaps Darth Maul is meant to mean something along the lines of : Mauler from the dark side
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
me writes:
Here are some more: Boba Fett = Robert A. Fett (he did something in the movies) Luke Skywalker = Luke S. (Lucas) How to "Lucasize" your name (they did this with all originally unnamed characters): First Name = 1st 3 letters of your first name + 1st 2 letters of your last name Last Name = 1st 2 letters of the town/city/etc. you were born in + 1st 3 letters of your mother's maiden name example: John Doe was born in Chicago to Jim and Mary Doe. Mary's Maiden name is Adams. His Star Wars name is Johdo Chada
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
anonymous writes:
Han Solo's name is phonetic. Lucas wanted something that made him sound like he was a rogue, a pirate. "Han" is similar to handsome, "solo" obviously gives the image that he is independently strong. BTW, did you know that in the first copy of Star Wars ,R2D2 was called A2 and that Han Solo was actually a green alien called a UREALLIAN? interesting.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Well, I for one know that vater is German for father...It's part of my last name which means stepfather in German.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
kenobi77 writes:
And the name "Luke" means "light"...
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
KanSer writes:
Back to the Obi-Wan Kenobi Comment. Yes, in Japanese Obi means Belt or Robe. Wan is like san, chan, and all those suffixes that amount to stuff like Sir and Ma'am. Ken means weapon and followed by belt or robe the name could mean, Cloaked one worthy of respect wielding weapon.(lightsaber) Or this is a bunch of lucky crap that came when he lucasized an OBGYN. cheers --Dan
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
You are all off on artoo's name. r2d2 came from the original idea Lucas had for the little droid. th screenplay from ANH simply states: Artoo-Deetoo, a droid with an Art -Deco look.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
erikZ writes:
Dear TK323, I'd like to clear something up: In the Dutch language, "vader" means father. In German, "Vater" means father. So, that means that Darth Vader is probably derived from the dutch word "VaDer". Regards, Erik Vroon
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
tommi writes:
why do you dutch people claim that vader is different from Vader... can't you realize that names are written in capitalized letters, even if the word that it's referring is not... My name could be Big Peanut and then youd say that my last name doesn't mean peanut because it's written slightly different? Or am I missing something else here... what was wrong with Darth Vader meaning Darth Father
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
snukkels writes:
Ok to settle this... I am dutch, have been for almost 25 years now... I speak dutch absolutely fluently... The dutch word for father is VADER... Let me just spell it again V A D E R... If you don't want to take my word for it search the internet http://www.google.nl/search?q=dutch+english+dictionary&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&hl=nl&lr= for an online dutch enlish dictionary and verify... for example: http://dictionaries.travlang.com/DutchEnglish/ http://www.freedict.com/onldict/dut.html Hope the message is clear now...
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
r2d2 writes:
Han Solo's first name is an ancient asian military high rank title meaning commander or genneral. Actualy Han Solo is often reffered to as Captain Solo ;) tip:Chingiz Han
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
h3c7o4 writes:
If I remember correctly George Lucas came up with the name Darth Vader from a pond he used to go to as a kid named dark water creek. I could be mistaken but it makes more sense than all of this stuff about German and Dutch references.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Phatmojo writes:
Thanks. The cicuit is now complete. When I began reading your comment I was unaware that I was actually a loser. Now that I have converted my entire family's names to Lucasspeak, I have fully matured into a complete loser. ;)
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Pumpinking writes:
Han Solo is in swedish: han=he solo=alone
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
kane_knight writes:
Another possible origin for Lord Vader's name includes the Kingston Trio's version of "the Zombie Jamborie." You see, the introduction features a Calypso mystic called simply "Lord Invader." I seem to remember there was another reference that might hint at this being an allusion to the Kingston Trio/Zombie Jamborie, but don't have the appropriate record to compare with.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Nathan writes:
Darth Vader DOES mean Dark Father, although I was stupid enough to think that I was the only one to ever find that. Vader is father in Dutch, try Babelfish for that one before you argue... and Darth means Dark, in SANSKRIT... Which is a KNOWN, if dead language.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
jedbob writes:
OK, since we're being all linguistic here, let me point out that the previous comments regarding the Japanese origins of Obi-Wan are largely wrong. "Obi" is a large sash wrapped around the waist when wearing a kimono. It does *not* mean "a robe". "Wan" is not a term of respect, and it is never attached to anyone's name in the way "-san", "-chan", or "-kun" is. The most common meanings for "wan" are "a wooden bowl", "a bay", or the barking of a dog. "Ken" means specifically "sword", and is not a general term for a weapon.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Pie is good writes:
Tatooine is actually a place in Tunisia but it's spelt Tataouine.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Muppet writes:
Yeah, you guys are great... I don't have any idea where you people get your information about how George Lucas came up with the names for his characters, and, I'd almost be willing to bet that if you asked George himself, he probably wouldn't be able to tell you. If any of you had anything more than the investigative abilities of a one legged cochroach and did a little bit of research - possibly by securing a copy of the original Star Wars paperback - you would most likely know that this "Reel 2, Dialog 2" nonsense is exactly that! Nonsense! The original names of both "R2D2 and C3PO" were "Artoo-Detoo and Seethreepio". The truth shall save ye. now stop writing here and move on... Other Easter eggs to explore kiddies!
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
marmotgod writes:
Derth or Dearth means 'scarcity' or 'lack of'. Scarcity of Fatherhood would be a good descriptor for Vader as father to Luke. Not sure how Lucas developed the Star Wars world, but if Vader was the first Sith he outlined... Could be he created Darth Vader and just used the first part as a title thereafter? Could there be any connection between Obi-'Wan' and Pada'wan'?
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No


Related Pages
All Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace Easter Eggs
More Movies Easter Eggs
Top 25 Movie Easter Eggs
Site Friends
Slipups.com
Cocktails and Drink Recipes at Drinkswap.com
Register - Privacy Policy - About Us - Contact Us