George Lucas Had Very Specific Rules For Star Wars Names

"Star Wars" is known for numerous things, from its many fascinating aliens — some of which we only saw once — to the multi-faceted concept of the Force. Its unmistakable names are also among its most recognizable elements. Those like Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best), and Elan Sleazebaggano (Matt Doran) have an intangible element about them that makes them uniquely "Star Wars" names. As it turns out, the reason for their fitting nature might not be so indescribable after all. "Star Wars" mastermind George Lucas revealed that he put a lot of time and thought into each one.

”Basically, I developed the names for the characters phonetically. I obviously wanted to telegraph a bit of the character in the name," Lucas explained in a 1997 interview with The New York Times. He goes on to say that his rule was to avoid making his characters' names sound too space-like, or falling in line with traditional science fiction naming conventions. Rather, he wanted to tie them to their respective cultures and make them feel real to the universe. "I wanted to stay away from the kind of science fiction names like Zenon and Zorba. They had to sound indigenous and have consistency between their names and their culture," he added.

Evidently, this process worked out just fine, as numerous "Star Wars" names that Lucas came up with have become the stuff of pop culture legend. At the same time, it must be noted that he did toss out a few misses now and again.

"Star Wars" is full of big ideas, and up until he sold the franchise to Disney, the vast majority of those ideas came from George Lucas. Most are great and fit the galaxy far, far away quite well. Still, with so many concepts coming to fruition, statistically speaking, it only makes sense that some of them missed the mark. One of the most infamous examples of a Lucas creative head-scratcher came from the beloved video game "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed," which Lucas was very much involved in the development of.

The game centers on Galen Marek (Sam Witwer), aka Starkiller — who could return to canon in numerous ways — Darth Vader's (Matthew Sloan) secret Sith apprentice and later his rival. In Game Informer #250, former LucasArts staff shared that they actually wanted a name beginning with "Darth" for Marek, seeing as he's Vader's Sith learner, instead of calling him Starkiller throughout the game. So, in response, Lucas — potentially using his rigorous character naming process — came up with two names: Darth Icky and Darth Insanius. Those present claimed he wasn't joking, either, continuing the meeting as normal after tossing out his stunned silence-inducing suggestions. Unsurprisingly, Starkiller remained Starkiller.

In a world where Disney didn't buy "Star Wars," George Lucas' plans for his sequel trilogy became a reality, and he continued to expand the franchise in new and exciting ways, maybe Darth Icky and Darth Insanius would've gotten time to shine.