As I walked home from Episode III, the view from Slussen reminded me of night encroaching on Naboo: The classical turrets and spires of Gamla Stan were bright orange from the low-slung sun, Katarinahissen‘s metal struts hinted at wondrous technologies, and someone had parked a shiny cruise ship on the water — perhaps later it might take off for Tatooine or Tallin.

My father took me to see the first Star Wars in New York in 1977, and I came away extremely impressed. I was eight, fluent in Dutch but only a year into English, which meant that the word “Vader” carried a clear connotation not evident to most others in the cinema — it literally means father in Dutch. This would prove prescient, given subsequent plot developments. It would make even more sense some time later, when my English vocabulary came to include the word dearth, a synonym for “absence”. Darth Vader, quite clearly, means Absent Father.

Names in the most recent Star Wars movies provide similarly handy linguistic hints as to a character’s moral standing, should the costume not prove sufficient. Lord Sidious is obviously derived from the word insidious, “working or spreading harmfully in a subtle or stealthy manner.” General Grievous is probably derived from, er, grievous, “Causing grief, pain, or anguish.”

The origin of the name Palpatine reflects the ambiguous nature of the Chancellor’s role. Palpating can mean touching a body with one’s hands for medical purposes, such as when examining for breast cancer. But it can also mean molesting, for pleasure. Which of these, then, might be the most accurate description of what the chancellor is doing to the body politic of the Republic? (No spoilers from me.)

I shall leave the etymology of Sidious’s mentor, Lord Plagueis, as an exercise for the reader.

It was my first theatrical release of Star Wars here in Sweden, and it began with a moment of panic. The text at the start did not read “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” but its equivalent in Swedish (I was too shocked to remember how it was phrased). The introductory text floating off into space was also in Swedish, with the exception of the above-named villains, which made the overall effect rather comical. My fear that the entire film would be dubbed proved unfounded, but the Swedish subtitles continued to use “General Grievous,” “Lord Sidious,” etc., instead of their proper Swedish etymological equivalents.

I’d like to help along the cause of proper Star Wars Swedish. General Grievous should really be called General Smärtsam, if you want to have the same chilling subliminal effect in Swedish as the English name provides to anglophiles. Lord Sidious should be Herre Såtlig. Chancellor Palpatine: Kansler Palperar. Lord Plagueis: Herre Plågare. If Swedish is going to be defended from Swenglification, properly translated names are de rigeur of rigor.