# Star Wars II title: You must be kidding **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 6, 2001, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-ii-title-you-must-be-kidding/75199 "2001-08-06T23:12:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2001, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-ii-title-you-must-be-kidding/75199/41 "2001-08-07T23:07:05Z")
Ewan McGregor, the guy who plays Obi-Wan, hates the title. And even though I wasn’t alive back in 1977, I can assure you “A New Hope” title did not appear on “Star Wars” until the reissue around the time “Empire” was released. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Stewart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Dave\_Stewart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Stewart)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2001, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-ii-title-you-must-be-kidding/75199/42 "2001-08-08T07:53:20Z")
Ewen Macgregor regrets taking the role, from what I’ve heard: not unlike Alec Guiness. After the crap constituting the Phantom Menace, I won’t be seeing it; and the stupid title assures me I’ve made the right decision. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2001, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-ii-title-you-must-be-kidding/75199/43 "2001-08-08T08:18:13Z")
If a bad title is going to turn people away (as it so appears) then boy did he ever make a big booboo. By the way Number Six, the new movie won’t be promoted as “Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones”. The merchandising will only have Star Wars on it, and the Episode II part is not going to be any official subtitle, (except in geeky continuity circles). What I mean is, Episode I was used to reinforce in people’s minds that they were going back to the beginning of the saga, not continuing where it was left off. Now they don’t need to do that, so they aren’t going to. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2001, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-ii-title-you-must-be-kidding/75199/44 "2001-08-08T09:52:28Z")
> [@](#): > > A\> It’s no worse than Return of the Jedi. I disagree. ROTJ flows better. “Attack of the Clones” has two resonances of a sharp, sudden-sounding (i.e.-“K” sound) in the title. It sounds and feels clunky. Additionally, the way it’s spaced, with the word “Clones” at the end of the title, follows the traditional 50s B-Movie format: “Attack of the [Insert Scary Monster Name Here]”. Also, the word “Attack” drums up images of, 1. Killer tomatoes (not a joke… this actually will turn people off to the movie), and 2. makes the whole thing seem primitive and unrefined. For example… brutish neanderthals “attack”… a superior, experienced military organization “strikes”. Word usage is important in cases like this. Finally, it doesn’t mesh with the other ones because, well… the title shouldn’t be a basic description of the movie’s primary plot. “What’s _Attack of the Clones_ about?” “Oh, an attack of the clones.” The other titles are much more vague in this respect, hinting at a tad of mystique in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2001, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-ii-title-you-must-be-kidding/75199/45 "2001-08-08T10:09:55Z")
I can not say “Attack of the Clones” unless I concentrate, it keeps coming out as “Attack of the Clowns” ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2001, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-ii-title-you-must-be-kidding/75199/46 "2001-08-08T11:15:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jeff Olsen \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Number Six \* > > **Jeff: you misunderstood me. I know that the original title was just Star Wars, and that the Episode IV: A New Hope stuff was added later. My point was that this was unnecesary and detracts from the movie. “Star Wars” is a much better title then “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.” > > ::snip::** > > I was referring to TESB and RotJ, not the original. As I said, “Star Wars” was part of the title but went unused until the release of the box set. And, yes, the full title is unnecessary. \*\* The official title may have always included the words Star Wars; I never said anything to dispute that. But, as you said, it was never used until the boxed set was released. TESB and ROTJ were advertised, promoted, and are known by those names; in a practical sense, Star Wars wasn’t a meaningful part of the name. But the fourth movie was promoted heavily by the full official title, and is just as often referred to as Episode One. It’s as if they’re saying, “People won’t know this is a Star Wars movie unless we put those words in the title,” which is condescending. Guanolad: That’s good to hear, but I still think that having Star Wars as part of the title is unnecessary, as was having Episode 1 in the title of the fourth movie. Those interested in seeing these movies are going to know they are Star Wars movies without those words being part of the title; if they don’t, the promotions guys at LucasFilm would have to be the most incompetent idiots in the industry. ---
**Author:** ![Skott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Skott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skott)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2001, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-ii-title-you-must-be-kidding/75199/47 "2001-08-08T18:22:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SPOOFE \* > \*\*“Attack of the Clones”… such a B-Movie title… ugh… \*\* Quite frankly, Mr. Lucas always intended his movies to follow the B-Movie/Saturday Afternoon Serial type of film. The fact that the film title sounds like it is one only means he accomplished his goal. As **Mahaloth** said, the other titles of the Star Wars films (even the “Star Wars” part) are also pretty silly. The only difference is that the phrases have been engrained in our culture’s mind to mean more than just the words. For example, _The Empire Strikes Back_, nobody thinks about what the title **means** ; but hearing the title conjures up the overall plot and the intense feeling that the movie brought. _The Phantom Menace_ title is slowly beginning to have the same effect. My only complain about _Attack of the Clones_, is that it doesn’t flow off the tongue easily (as **SPOOFE** pointed out), but one reason I think Lucas chose it was because none of the fans had thought of it. And I wish everyone would stop with the “Clone” jokes. They were old five minutes after the title was released. ---
**Author:** ![seriousart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@seriousart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seriousart)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2001, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-ii-title-you-must-be-kidding/75199/48 "2001-08-08T19:33:39Z")
Hear Ewan McGregor laugh in disbelief with Nicole Kidman after first being told the title here: [http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=9793](http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=9793) I’ve been emailing that soundclip to many a friend. ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-ii-title-you-must-be-kidding/75199/49 "2001-08-09T00:39:51Z")
When I go see the movie, I’ll say to the cashier: “_Star Wars_, please.” He or she will know which movie I mean. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-ii-title-you-must-be-kidding/75199/50 "2001-08-09T01:48:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SPOOFE \* > \*\*Jesus H. Christ, _Star Wars_ is becoming more and more like _Star Trek_. How nauseating. > \*\* Uh-huh. And which of these fine franchises thought up Jar Jar? Star Wars II: ET, Clone Home. ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-ii-title-you-must-be-kidding/75199/51 "2001-08-09T02:21:23Z")
I suppose part 3 will be called _The Dark Side Triumphant_ or something like that, 'cause it’s supposed to be in Part 3 where Annakin becomes Darth Vader. As for how the second and third films were promoted, I clearly remember the logo for TESB had the title framed in yellow and the word “Star” in the upper left corner of the frame and “Wars” in the lower right corner. I think ROTJ was done the same way. (Click [here](http://www.starwars.com/episode-v/feature/20010401/401/) and look at the photo of Luke on the right; note how the photo is framed; the frame is identical to the one sued for the movie logos. BTW: This site is an April Fool’s gag of what a SW site might have looked like had the WWW been around in 1979. Notice the mention of Parts VII, VIII and IX. Notice the “fan” asking why SW has not yet been released on Betamax!) BTW: Do you realize that the whole saga has now become _The Darth Vader Story_? ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Stewart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Dave\_Stewart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Stewart)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-ii-title-you-must-be-kidding/75199/52 "2001-08-09T06:45:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Weirddave \* > \*\* > Star Wars II: ET, Clone Home. \*\* Very good. I might use that. ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-ii-title-you-must-be-kidding/75199/53 "2001-08-09T07:20:26Z")
- ``` LOS ANGELES (AP) — The next installment of George Lucas’ science-fiction saga will be called “Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones.” * ``` I have this mental image now of Anakin and Obi Wan fighting Dolly the Sheep… ---
**Author:** ![Brood\_McEto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@Brood\_McEto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brood_McEto)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-ii-title-you-must-be-kidding/75199/54 "2001-08-09T21:04:44Z")
I can’t believe no one thought of the obvious! **When Clones Attack** starring, none other than: **George Clone-y** himself! Seriously tho, I think in 3 years, provided that the name doesn’t change, we’ll appreciate ‘Attack of the Clones’ as much as ‘The Phantom Menace.’ Of course never as much as the other three. Also, if you look at a lot of the books written for Star Wars, the titles are rather dull, insipid or bland. I like (and met) Michael Stackpole, but the title I, Jedi just isn’t all that great. I can’t remember all the other titles, but I’m pretty sure all the ‘Jedi Academy’ titles were bad. Not to mention the comic books…sheesh… **A Few Good Clones** **To Clone a Few** **The Good, The Bad, and the Cloned** **You’ve Got Clones!** **The Clones** not to be confused with the 1974 original [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-ii-title-you-must-be-kidding/75199.md?page=2)