We know the famous scene in A New Hope when Darth Vader confronted Obi-Wan Kenobi. Yet, it’s unclear why Obi-Wan referred to Vader/Anakin as “Darth.” Was that his first name? It was for a time, but then it became a title.
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The Evolution of Darth Vader’s Name
Before engaging in their lightsaber duel, Obi-Wan called Vader “Darth.” He said it as a quick reply, “Only a master of evil, Darth.” Obi-Wan may have thought this was Anakin-Vader’s name, and he was right.
As fans here point out, “Darth wasn’t a title at first.” When filming A New Hope, this villain character’s name was “literally just ‘Darth Vader’”. These comments coincide with articles written about this topic.
As indicated here, the origins of the name Darth Vader can be traced to Lucas’s “rough draft summary” of Star Wars from 1974. Initially a “fairly minor character,” Vader had several alternate names around Darth and at first “Dark Water.”
Based on a 2005 interview with Lucas, this article elaborates on the naming process. Lucas conveyed how “Darth’ is a variation of dark” and that “‘Vader’ is a variation of father.” Hence, Darth Father. Yet, these connections to being Luke’s father were not actually ironed out before Empire Strikes Back. Darth served as this evil character’s first name, and Obi-Wan was correct to call him by it.
As the Collider article and fan comments confirm, Vader and Anakin were two different people before Empire. This separation even went into early versions of the script for the second original film. From another source, we get a sense that Vader’s and Anakin’s backstories were on alternate trajectories, with Anakin initially surviving the overthrow of the Republic only to be killed by Vader.
According to the movies, we have the unveiling of Vader and Luke’s relationship only with the revised script with Lawrence Kasdan for Empire. Afterward, Darth shifted to a title.
When Did Darth Become a Title?
Although Wookieepedia suggests that Darth was a title from the first original film, that is not really the case. We learn that the title “Darth” was bestowed on “newly christened Sith Lords,” but that is more of retrofitting.
As fans indicate, we only really get a full sense of it being a title with the first prequel movie, A Phantom Menace. We have the main villain Darth Maul and the emergence of Darth Sidious for Palpatine. To bridge the title timeline difference or to obscure the naming origins, the Obi-Wan series made some references to the title version.
This post indicates how Obi-Wan uses the Darth title reference as a way to separate Anakin from Vader. This time, Obi-Wan said it after he apologized for what had happened to Anakin, but Vader responded by saying how Vader killed Anakin.
The lightsaber fight scene from the Obi-Wan series finale reflects how calling Vader “Darth” coincided with how “Anakin is gone” and Kenobi’s “friend is truly dead.” Yet, it also serves to bring some continuity with how Obi-Wan called Vader that name in A New Hope. We may see it as Obi-Wan contributing to the name becoming a title…later on.
Obi-Wan Meant to Call Him Darth
In A New Hope, Obi-Wan meant to call Vader/Anakin “Darth” because at the time that was his first name. Later, that name evolved into a title. Yet, we may have seen efforts to cover the tracks of that development.