George Lucas created one of the most endearing stories of all time with 1977’s original Star Wars movie. The iconic film remains a part of the pop culture zeitgeist even today, spawning a multi-billion dollar franchise. Part of the original’s charm was its unique character designs and names, which left an impact on viewers.
During an interview, Lucas opened up about how he came up with the names of the now iconic characters such as Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo. In the process, Lucas revealed that the latter was named after one of the most iconic spies of all time, who was played by Henry Cavill on the big screen.
George Lucas Revealed the Story Behind Naming Han Solo After a Character Played by Henry Cavill
George Lucas directed 1977’s Star Wars, which proved to be a commercial success and started a cultural phenomenon that is still popular. Despite releasing over forty years ago, fans of the franchise are still fond of the original trio of Luke, Leia, and Han Solo.
During an interview with the New York Times, Lucas opened up about the story behind naming the iconic characters. For the ruffian smuggler Han Solo, Lucas decided to name the character after Napoleon Solo, a fictional character from the 1960s spy series The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Napoleon Solo was played by Robert Vaughn in the original series. However, actor Henry Cavill played the role of Solo, in the 2015 film adaptation. Given that Star Wars was inspired by Lucas’ love for old sci-fi and adventure serials, it is only fitting that one of the film’s most iconic characters is named after a popular spy from a 60s show.
George Lucas Explained How He Came Up With the Names of His Star Wars Characters
In the same interview, Lucas also discussed his approach while creating names for the characters who inhabit the galaxy far, far away. The first film itself is filled with unique names that easily roll off your tongue and are hard to get out of your head.
Lucas explained that while coming up with the names of his characters who live in a fantasy setting, he took a phonetic approach while adding a flavor of the character’s personality to their name. He said:
The names needed to sound unusual but not spacey.
Lucas added that he intentionally avoided common tropes seen with sci-fi names that sounded unusual but not indigenous to a particular culture. He added:
They had to sound indigenous and have consistency between their names and their culture.
From Lucas’ words, it is evident that he was extremely careful while selecting the name for his characters. Furthermore, Lucas’ approach becomes even more clear after seeing that the protagonist’s name Luke is derived from the Greek word for light.
Meanwhile, the antagonist’s name Darth Vader, is a play on “dark.” However, Luke also has ties with Christianity while Vader is the Dutch root word for father. Thus, Lucas created a balance of unusual-sounding words, rooted in cultural context to name his characters.
Star Wars movies are streaming on Disney+.
