The new SW Insider has this to say, (hell this is long.)
The Title of "Darth."
Many of the Dark Lords of the Sith chose to add "Darth" to their name. The very word has become synonymous with the wonderous power of the Dark Side. However, the origins of the word are unclear. While many see "Darth" as nothing more than a contraction of Dark Lord of the Sith, there is some evidence for a deeper interpertation of the term.
Darth Revan and Darth Malak are generally believed to be the first dark lords to use the title. Given that much of their power was drived from the Star Forge, a creation of the extinct Rakatan species, some historians see "Darth" as a coruption of Daritha, the Rakatan word for "emperor." Similary others note that the wordfor "triumph" or "conquest" in Rakatan is Darr tahh and means "triumph over death" or "immortal." A compeling theory asserts that the true meaning of darr tah is "conquest through death"... of ones enemies.
Numerous other cultures or species can-and-do make similar claims to the etymology of the Dath title. But great are the mysteries of the Dark Side, and in the end there is no definitive answer."
So take it all you anti-KotOR people. You ow KotOR for the origins of the Darth name.
Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Chelmsford, Essex, UK
Co-Admin
That'll be the magazine that once declared that Luke was a better duellist than Qui-Gon (any by logical extension, DookU)
Nah, seriously, that magazine has no call to anything authoritative UNLESS it is sourced from somewhere more substantial. Like the website, it is highly prone to error as those who write it, basically, tend to make stuff up.
__________________
"We've got maybe seconds before Darth Rosenberg grinds everybody into Jawa burgers and not one of you buds has the midi-chlorians to stop her!"
"You've never had any TINY bit of sex, have you?"
BtVS
Last edited by Ushgarak on Jun 8th, 2006 at 07:04 PM
"
One a day Brandon Kickass found a cave. There was a very old rock there that gave him enormous powers. He then went to kill everyone, but then the US marines came and fought him. He was finally killed when a scientist found the stone and destroyed it."
__________________ Recently Produced and Distributed Young but High-Ranking Political Figure of Royal Ancestry within the Modern American Town Affectionately Referred To as Bel-Air.
Registered: May 2006
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Darth is a title given to certain Sith Lords which preceded either their chosen 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. 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 an even 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 long-extinct 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. A decade prior to their emergence as Sith Lords (3964 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." There is still the possibility that one of the Rakata theories could be correct, since the ancient Sith homeworld of Korriban had once been occupied by the Rakata and its citizens were taken as slave labor to help build the Star Forge in the first place, 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" 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 baseless speculation.
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 War and during the Jedi Civil War. It is worth noting that Revan and Malak used the title along with their given names, and did not adopt new names along with the title as many subsequent Sith Lords would do. Darth Traya was the first Sith Lord to take an alias after her fall and rechristenment.
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. It is possible that the title remained in use for the interim period, and that a lineage of Darths existed during the Draggulch Period, though it is also possible that Rivan and Bane revived the use of the title themselves after a long period of dormancy. In either case, since Bane was the only survivor of the Sith Order after the Seventh Battle of Ruusan, he 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, Tyranus, Vader), which appears to have been chosen for the
__________________
My Sigs: http://www.killermovies.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=405474
Registered: May 2006
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Behind the scenes
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. Darth may also be a portmanteau of dark and death.
As a result of the popularity of Star Wars, the term Darth has entered the popular lexicon as a term for evil. Most references are still associated with the Star Wars universe.
In A New Hope, Obi-Wan addresses Darth Vader simply as Darth, which is the only instance in the films where the word is used isolated. Maybe during the filming, the word was intended to be the character's name, not a title.
Contrary to popular belief, the word Darth is neither a Dutch nor a German word meaning dark (donker and dunkel, respectively). However, George Lucas did intend for viewers to subconsciously relate the word to this concept. In fact, many of the Imperial villains in Star Wars have Dutch-sounding names. Darth Vader, the first Sith introduced in the Original trilogy, could be roughly translated as Dark Father (Vader is, in fact, the Dutch word for father), which defines his character (note that in French, for instance, Darth Vader is plainly named Dark Vador, and in Italian, is named Dart Fener). More specifically, packaging on Dutch figurines of Darth Vader name him Dark Father.
__________________
My Sigs: http://www.killermovies.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=405474
Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Chelmsford, Essex, UK
Co-Admin
That last bit- nonsnese.
Vader is NOT meant to mean father. Back in the old days, we had our Dutch members specifically torpedo this concept. It does not sound like the word, nor is there the slightest reason to think it is meant to be related.
Aside from anything else, when the name was first thought of, Vader was an incidental villain killed in the first film, and not the father of anyone.
__________________
"We've got maybe seconds before Darth Rosenberg grinds everybody into Jawa burgers and not one of you buds has the midi-chlorians to stop her!"
"You've never had any TINY bit of sex, have you?"
BtVS
Last edited by Ushgarak on Jun 9th, 2006 at 09:52 AM
Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Chelmsford, Essex, UK
Co-Admin
Not that I am aware of, and the logical points I made above stand.
It is actually one of the oldest topics on KMC. queeq was the person who pointed out the error. It is something that is generally only believed by people who AREN'T Dutch, which goes to show something.
__________________
"We've got maybe seconds before Darth Rosenberg grinds everybody into Jawa burgers and not one of you buds has the midi-chlorians to stop her!"
Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Chelmsford, Essex, UK
Co-Admin
Yes it does, but only in spelling, not use or pronunciation, and absolutely certainly not inintent.
Just look at some of the earily drafts. Anakin/Annikin was alive and well with Luke, even withh Vader as the villain of the piece!
Not until ESB was the father connection put into plot; it was not there in the first film and not even close to being even possible in the drafts where the name was first used.
__________________
"We've got maybe seconds before Darth Rosenberg grinds everybody into Jawa burgers and not one of you buds has the midi-chlorians to stop her!"
Jun 6th, 2006 12:26 AM
