Darth
Encyclopedia
In the fictional Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...

universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....

, Darth is the traditional title of a Sith
Sith
-Sith:The Sith is a name applied to certain characters in the Star Wars universe. In the films they are the central antagonists. They are capable of using the dark side of the Force.-The Invention of the Sith:...

 Lord or Master, the first part of the new name they take on. One backronym
Backronym
A backronym or bacronym is a phrase constructed purposely, such that an acronym can be formed to a specific desired word. Backronyms may be invented with serious or humorous intent, or may be a type of false or folk etymology....

 is that is a condensed version of 'Dark Lord of the Sith'.

The term first appeared in the original script for Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...

, which bore little resemblance to the final release of the film. In it, a "Darth Vader" appeared as an Imperial official who would be renamed Grand Moff Tarkin
Grand Moff Tarkin
Governor Wilhuff Tarkin or Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, appearing as the main antagonist of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, played by British actor Peter Cushing. A younger version of the character makes a brief cameo in the prequel film Star Wars...

 in the final film, with Darth Vader
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....

 becoming the name of the menacing black-armored villain.

However, the title Darth is not given to all Sith. Many important Sith, such as Lumiya and Exar Kun, did not take the title of Darth. In addition, Sith Lords in the Old Sith Empire before the Great Hyperspace War did not hold the title of Darth.

Film history

When the first Star Wars movie was in production, "Darth" was intended as Vader's actual first name
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...

, rather than his title. Because of this, Vader was the only known Sith Lord who carried the name "Darth" prior to the release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is a 1999 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the fourth film to be released in the Star Wars saga, as the first of a three-part prequel to the original Star Wars trilogy, as well as the first film in the saga in terms...

in 1999. When Darth Sidious
Palpatine
Palpatine is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the Star Wars saga, portrayed by Ian McDiarmid in the feature films.Palpatine first appeared as the unnamed Emperor of the Galactic Empire in the 1980 film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back...

 and Darth Maul
Darth Maul
Darth Maul is a fictional character in the science fiction saga Star Wars. He is one of the main antagonists of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, portrayed by martial artist Ray Park and voiced by Peter Serafinowicz....

 were revealed in The Phantom Menace, the name took on its distinct association with the Sith (not counting towards the audiences who had read the Star Wars series books prior to the video), and has since appeared throughout all eras of Star Wars fiction. In Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...

, Obi Wan Kenobi refers to Vader as simply "Darth".
Darth was a title given to certain Sith Lords which preceded either their chosen Sith
Sith
-Sith:The Sith is a name applied to certain characters in the Star Wars universe. In the films they are the central antagonists. They are capable of using the dark side of the Force.-The Invention of the Sith:...

 name, or, in some cases, their birth name.

Theoretical origins

Many Sith Lords chose to add "Darth" to their name, so much so that the word is considered synonymous with the dark side of the Force in some circles. It was also taken to signify giving up one's old life. Such examples are Anakin Skywalker becoming Darth Vader, or Jacen Solo becoming Darth Caedus. But the origins of the word are uncertain. It is often thought that "Darth" is merely a contraction of the title "Dark Lord of the Sith", but there are theories that suggest a deeper interpretation.

The possibility of Rakatan origin

Because the first recorded Sith to use the title were Darth Revan and Darth Malak, the fact that they derived much of their power from the Star Forge, a creation of the Rakata, has led some historians to suggest that "Darth" is actually a corruption of the Rakatan word Daritha, meaning "emperor". Others note another Rakatan connection: the words for "triumph" or "conquest" in Rakatan is darr, and the word for "death" is tah, leading to the theory that "Darth" is derived from darr tah and therefore means "triumph over death" or "immortal". Given the obsession of the Sith with discovering the means to live forever, this idea, on the surface, is not entirely without merit. But others point out that the true meaning of darr tah is "conquest through death," meaning the conquest of one's enemies.

Ultimately, the flaw in such theories involving a Rakatan origin is that, even if they are accurate, they cannot spring specifically from Revan or Malak's own connection to the Star Forge. Five years prior to their emergence as Sith Lords (3,964 BBY), the title "Darth" was already well known by the Jedi in connection to the Sith, which is why Padawan Zayne Carrick could call Jarael "Darth Sunshine". In addition, Haazen claimed that if he were to take a name like the Sith of old, it would be "Darth Hayze," all but asserting that the title Darth was around prior to Revan and Malak. There is still the possibility that one of the Rakatan theories could be correct, since the ancient Sith homeworld of Korriban had once been occupied by the Rakata (circa 28,000 BBY), which is one way either the Daritha or darr tah term could have entered the ancient Sith language. But even if the Rakatan connection proves to have some validity, numerous other cultures make similar claims to the etymology of the title, so for the present, there is no definitive answer as to what the term "Darth" truly means.

Some have speculated that the style of armor worn by Darth Andeddu suggests that the title may date back as far as the days of the Old Sith Empire (6,900 BBY to 5,000 BBY). However, very little has been verified about the life of Darth Andeddu, and his dates of birth and death are, as yet, unknown. As such any assertion about the history of the "Darth" title based on presumptions about Andeddu's use of the title must be considered speculative at this point in time.

Usage of the term

The earliest verified use of the title was by the master and apprentice duo of Darth Revan and Darth Malak, after the Mandalorian Wars and during the Jedi Civil War. Later Sith Lords of the Jedi Civil War era also used the title Darth, as did the founding Sith Lord of the Light and Darkness War, Darth Ruin, though there were few later Sith bearing the title until the rise of Darth Rivan and Darth Bane
Darth Bane
Darth Bane is a fictional character in the Star Wars Expanded Universe. He is first mentioned in the novelization of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, and is thereafter consistently referenced in Expanded Universe material. He is a major character in the Jedi vs...

. During the Draggulch Period, Lord Kaan discouraged the usage of the term within the Brotherhood of Darkness, claiming that it promoted rivalry among the Sith. Darth Bane, believing that the reason was merely fear, revived the use of the title in the last days of the Brotherhood. Bane, as the only survivor of the Sith Order after the Seventh Battle of Ruusan, was largely able to reshape the Sith in his own image, instituting such reforms as the Rule of Two, and most (possibly all) of the Sith of his lineage adopted the Darth title as he did, generally coupling it with a new Sith name (e.g. Sidious
Palpatine
Palpatine is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the Star Wars saga, portrayed by Ian McDiarmid in the feature films.Palpatine first appeared as the unnamed Emperor of the Galactic Empire in the 1980 film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back...

, Tyranus, Vader), which appears to have been chosen for the apprentice
Sith Apprentice
Sith Apprentice is a Star Wars fan film that made its debut on the internet on March 29, 2005, directed by John E. Hudgens and co-written by Hudgens, Denny Humbard, and Men in Black creator Lowell Cunningham. Made for around $1000, it is a spoof of Star Wars and The Apprentice, with Emperor...

 by the master at the time the apprentice swore allegiance to the Sith.

By the time of the One Sith, the "Darth" title was reserved only for those who proved their power and their unquestioning loyalty to Darth Krayt. Others, such as Vul Isen, were not entitled to the Darth title despite their expertise in the Dark Side of the Force, and were not regarded as real Sith by some of the Darths.

Cultural impact

Columnist Maureen Dowd
Maureen Dowd
Maureen Bridgid Dowd is a Washington D.C.-based columnist for The New York Times and best-selling author. During the 1970s and the early 1980s, she worked for Time magazine and the Washington Star, where she covered news as well as sports and wrote feature articles...

 has used the nickname "Darth Cheney", amongst others, to refer to former U.S. Vice-President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...

 Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....

. The comparative moniker was used by others to voice their opposition to the politician. Most references, however, are still associated with the Star Wars universe.

Darth in other countries

In some cases, the word Darth was changed for a variety of reasons. In Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, for instance, Darth Vader's name was changed to Dart Fener, probably for dubbing reasons. This is the only case where the word "Darth" loses its "h"; other Sith Lords retain the Darth adjective and do not have the altered name (e.g. Darth Sidious
Palpatine
Palpatine is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the Star Wars saga, portrayed by Ian McDiarmid in the feature films.Palpatine first appeared as the unnamed Emperor of the Galactic Empire in the 1980 film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back...

, Darth Traya, Darth Revan
Darth Revan
Revan, voiced by Rino Romano, is the player's character in BioWare's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic video game. The character may be either male or female, though Revan is canonically male and follows the game's light-side path...

, Darth Malak, Darth Bandon). Claudio Sorrentino
Claudio Sorrentino
Claudio Sorrentino is an Italian actor and voice actor. Claudio is the second son of Arduino and Anna Sorrentino, the others being his sisters Rosa, Amalia and Liliana....

 proposed an online poll to decide whether to keep the name Dart Fener during the production of the new trilogy; 55.6 percent of the voters chose "yes".
In France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, the word "Darth" has changed to Dark, and this applies to all the Sith Lords (Darth Maul
Darth Maul
Darth Maul is a fictional character in the science fiction saga Star Wars. He is one of the main antagonists of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, portrayed by martial artist Ray Park and voiced by Peter Serafinowicz....

 is known as Dark Maul and so on).
In every other country, the word "Darth" remains unchanged, or appropriately transliterated as in the case of Chinese or Japanese. In Russia, though, it loses the "h" letter and is rendered as Дарт (Dart), since Russian lacks both the sound "th"
Voiceless dental fricative
The voiceless dental non-sibilant fricative is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. It is familiar to English speakers as the 'th' in thing. Though rather rare as a phoneme in the world's inventory of languages, it is encountered in some of the most widespread and influential...

 and letters to represent it.

Definition

In the fictional Star Wars universe, Darth precedes the title of a Sith Lord. Contrary to popular belief, the word "Darth" is neither a Dutch nor German word meaning "dark" (donker and dunkel, respectively), but it does bear an obvious resemblance to the English word. Darth Vader, the first Sith introduced in the original Star Wars trilogy of movies, could be roughly translated as Dark Father ("Vader" is, in fact, the Dutch word for father, though pronounced differently), which defines his character (note that in French, for instance, Darth Vader is plainly named Dark Vador). According to George Lucas, "Darth" is a variation of "dark," while "Vader" means "father."

Etymology: Derived from the fictional character, w:Darth Vader, Darth Vader, itself derived from either Dark Lord of the Sith or a blend of "dark" and "death", both of which form Darth, and an abbreviated form of the word father.

Darth is often thought to be a combination of letters from the title 'Dark Lord of the Sith', but there is no basis in Star Wars canon for this. It is most likely untrue, if only for the reason that Darth Bandon and Darth Sion were never Dark Lords.

Sith Lords who have held the title include Darth Revan
Darth Revan
Revan, voiced by Rino Romano, is the player's character in BioWare's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic video game. The character may be either male or female, though Revan is canonically male and follows the game's light-side path...

, Darth Malak, Darth Bandon, Darth Nihilus, Darth Traya, Darth Sion, Darth Rivan, Darth Bane
Darth Bane
Darth Bane is a fictional character in the Star Wars Expanded Universe. He is first mentioned in the novelization of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, and is thereafter consistently referenced in Expanded Universe material. He is a major character in the Jedi vs...

, Darth Andeddu, Darth Plagueis, Darth Sidious, Darth Maul
Darth Maul
Darth Maul is a fictional character in the science fiction saga Star Wars. He is one of the main antagonists of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, portrayed by martial artist Ray Park and voiced by Peter Serafinowicz....

, Darth Tyranus, Darth Vader
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....

 and Darth Caedus.

Since the popularity of Star Wars, the term Darth has really entered the popular lexicon as a term for evil. Most references are still associated with the Star Wars universe.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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