What Does The Term Darth Really Mean?
Darth Vader doesn’t have the same ring when he is just Vader. Darth Sidious doesn’t have the same ring when he is just Sidious. It’s the titles that help make their names stronger and carry more fear. However, the title Darth did not originally seem like a title in Star Wars lore.
When the name Darth Vader was introduced in Star Wars: A New Hope, Darth sounded a bit more than just a first name. Even Obi-Wan Kenobi seemed to treat it as such when he told young Luke Skywalker about the evil that killed his father. Later in the series, Darth was adopted as a title for the Sith Lords. But what does it actually mean?
According to the 2017 book Star Wars Made Easy, Darth “loosely translates to ‘Dark Lord,’ and all Sith Lords use it.” This is a very official and yet simplistic definition of the title Darth, and it actually has a much more complicated place in Star Wars history and Legends, which have drastically different interpretations of the title.
According to George Lucas, Darth was originally a variation of the word “dark,” which makes perfect sense in how it is spelled and sounds. Vader was a variation for the word “father.” The word Darth wasn’t at first connected to Sith Lords either, since when Star Wars: A New Hope was written, George Lucas was still fleshing out the Sith lore when he introduced Darth Vader. “So it’s [Darth Vader}—basically Dark Father,” George Lucas told Rolling Stone in 2005. “All names have history, but sometimes I make mistakes – Luke was originally going to be called Luke Starkiller, but then I realized that wasn’t appropriate for the character." And given the sequels and the spinoff series, it really is a good thing that George Lucas changed the last name to Skywalker.
In Legends, the history of Darth is even more turbulent. Most early Sith Lords did not use the title. Darth Andeddu is the earliest known Dark Lord of the Sith to use the title Darth. However, there were Sith that came after Darth Andeddu that did not use the title Darth. Those being: Marka Ragnos, Freedon Nadd, Exar Kun, and Tulak Horde. Darth Naga Sadow adopts the title sometime around 5000 BBY. Then, using this title, Darth Naga Sadow leads the new Sith Empire into its first official war with the Republic. The title then disappears for centuries following Darth Naga Sadow’s defeat. It is not seen again until Darth Revan and Darth Malak’s descent into the dark side. After the Jedi Civil War, the title Darth becomes associated with numerous Sith Lords. Some of these are included in the Sith Triumvirate: Darth Traya, Darth Nihilus, and Darth Sion.
The Legends book Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force suggests that perhaps the term Darth was a variation of the work Daritha, the Rakatan word for emperor. It further states that this term was adopted by the Sith Empire at the hands of Darth Revan and Darth Malak, who are the ones to reestablish contact with the Rakata Empire before the events that happened in Knights of the Old Republic. Although the Rakata Empire did make contact with the old Sith world of Korriban thousands of years before their rediscovery, it is unknown if they introduced the word and concept of Daritha to the planet, as the Sith species call their rulers Sith Kings. The word Daritha eventually spread to other corners of the galaxy as well, with the Cronese people adopted it to mean Ruler of World and Xim the Despot anointing the title onto himself.
There is another powerful Sith Lord before the reign of Darth Naga Sadow who is also known as a Darth: Darth Vitiate. Vitiate adopts many names during his 1,500 year manipulation of the galaxy, but all the members of his Dark Council did use the name Darth.
Throughout the New Sith Wars, several other Sith Lords use the title. Skere Kaan is not a fan, however, and tries to abolish this title when he forms the Brotherhood of Darkness. He wants to create equality among the Sith ranks, and therefore, a title such as Darth would not work. However, his views are extremely divisive, and many question his leadership. The Brotherhood of Darkness eventually falls apart due to constant infighting, which leads to Kaan’s defeat at the hands of the Jedi. Darth Bane comes along after and destroys the Brotherhood of Darkness from within, and establishes the well-known Rule of Two: one master, one apprentice. No more, no less. And with this established rule also comes the formal adoption of the title Darth.
Darth is very much synonymous with the mystique of the Sith. The canonical definition sadly downplays the title’s interesting history, which is very well developed in Legends. With the simplistic definition and the extensive fascinating history that the title does have, it is definitely due for some more in depth examination as to why exactly Sith have Darth in their names and why it is Darth Vader and not just Vader.
Source(s): CBR