Star Wars: What Does The Sith Title 'Darth' Mean?
The Jedi Order might be a religious cult with questionable ethics, but at least it doesn't prescribe to the Sith Hot Topic naming convention. It's so ingrained in the entire "Star Wars" story that nobody ever asks, but it's a little weird that mastering the dark side of the force comes with an evil honorific, right? Darth Vader, Darth Sidious, Darth Maul — seriously, why do the Sith add "Darth" to their chosen names? Does it have a purpose, and what does it mean?
Well, it turns out there is an answer and it's exactly as dramatic as you'd expect from a group of people who color-coordinate their fantasy hoodies.
According to "Star Wars Made Easy," a 2017 trivia guide written by Christian Blauvelt, the term "Darth" loosely translates to "Dark Lord" in the Sith Language. Ignoring the fact that the Sith speak a language only referred to as the "Sith Language," this means saying the sentence, "Darth Vader is a Sith Lord" is the same as saying, "Dark Lord Vader is a Sith Lord." It feels a bit more repetitive that way, doesn't it? Jokes aside, it makes sense for branding. The very uttering of the word immediately dictates to both characters in the canon and audiences outside of it what kind of person that name belongs to.
It's a dark and powerful tradition. The only problem is that nobody knows who started it.
Ajunta Pall and Darth Andeddu split credit (for stealing names)
The "Star Wars" canonical calendar counts years by their relation to "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope" by labeling each year "Before the Battle of Yavin" (BBY) or "After the Battle of Yavin" (ABY). By that metric, Ajunta Pall hit the scene in 7,000 BBY and spent the next century-and-change becoming the fictional galaxy's most infamous colonizer. A former Jedi spurned by the high council, Ajunta became the first Dark Jedi. He and his exiled followers later became the first Sith Lords when they literally pulled a "The Road to El Dorado" — one of the most underrated animated movies ever — on the people of Korriban known as the Sith.
A few thousand years before 137 ABY but after Ajunta stole the Sith name — the extended "Star Wars" lore doesn't specify — Darth Andeddu became the first recorded Sith Lord to add the evil honorific "Darth." It's unclear whether he chose the title for himself or if someone bestowed it upon him, but it is at least through Andeddu that all Sith Lords receive their name. It's also unclear if Andeddu demanded that his title be passed down to the other Sith or if the other Sith chose to bear his mantle out of sheer respect. Either way, the name stuck.
While it may seem easiest to credit Andeddu with originating the moniker, its compatibility with the Sith's vibe as a whole is thanks to Ajunta and his followers being the kind of villains who pretend to be gods. Is it any wonder that power-hungry monsters like that enjoy calling themselves "Dark Lords?"