In the original Star Wars most of the characters had to be given a French name so it was either more pronounceable or more understandable to a French audience. 

But how do you translate names like Chewbacca and Darth Vader?

Here’s a look at what the original French characters were called, although some of the names have been dropped since the seventies after the translations were ridiculed by French viewers.

Note that the original film was called “La Guerre des Etoiles” but the cultural language police seem to have softened up a bit since 1977 with the original English name Star Wars adopted for the newer films.

1. Jabba the Hutt = Jabba “the Woodsman”

Jabba the Hutt, the gangster described as a cross between a toad and a Cheshire cat, was called “Jabba Le Forestier” (Jabba the Woodsman) in the original French version of the film. Nowadays he is typically referred to in French as Jabba le Hutt. 

2. The Millenium Falcon =  Le Millénium Condor

The legendary spaceship driven by Han Solo had to be given a French makeover and it was decided the best name to suit it was “Le Millénium Condor”, but that name has since been dropped too and the Faucon Millénium seems to suffice these days.

3. Han Solo = Yan Solo

Given that French people can struggle to pronounce the letter H, Han Solo was given a name change and became Yan Solo. Not far off, but just not the same.

4. C3PO and R2D2 = Z6PO and D2R2

The famous droids from the film also had their names changed for a French audience. For some reason the blue and white R2-D2 was reversed to become D2-R2 and his buddy C3PO became Z-6PO, possibly because “C3” when pronounced in French sounds a little bit too much like “C'est toi” – “It's you”

5. Chewbacca = Chiktabba

The “Chew” sound is another tough one for the French so the film's famous furry fighter was renamed “Chiktabba”, or “Chico” for short. 

6. Darth Vader = Dark Vador

That old pesky “th” sound is a problem for French tongues so Darth Vader had to be given a Gallic name as change – well, more of an Anglo name change as he became “Dark Vador” on French screens. Not too far from the truth. 

7. Luke Skywalker = Luke “Skyrunner”

The “humble farmboy who rose to become the greatest Jedi fighter ever known” (not our words) was actually called Luc Courleciel (Luke “Skyrunner”) in the original film, but since then he's been allowed to drop the French translation.

All photos: AFP