Streandering Meams

I believe that my wife (referred to henceforth as GenM) and I were privileged to be the first to see Whack Daddy create a new variant of the Tom Swifty joke, which I now christen the Darth Swifty joke. (Which will have to do until someone can come up with a funnier neologism.)

Of course, it involves a touchstone of contemporary cultural awareness: Star Wars.

Whack (sorry, I don't call him "Daddy") and I were ragging on Star Wars, in particular, the pathetic "beginning writers' creativity exercises" Lukas demonstrated in writing the episodes, when Whack recalled something he read from an essay critical of Star Wars: Sith Lord names seem to be created from taking a word that begins with the prefix "in-", dropping the prefix and using Darth as the title, e.g., Darth (in)Vader, Darth (in)Sidious.

When I next logged into my trusty GMail account, I was delighted to find the start of an e-mail thread (posted below with permission of Whack Daddy, GenM & myself):

Whack Daddy

Darth Sidious: Did you cut another appendage off in training AGAIN, Darth Ept?

Darth Sidious: Darth Continent, is that the 3rd pair of pants I've seen in you wearing today?

Darth Sidious: Quit mumbling, Darth Coherent.

Darth Sidious: You really need to add some color to your wardrobe, Darth Sipid. All that brown is positively unintimidating.

Darth Sidious: I find your lack of respect for your superiors disturbing, Darth Sulting.

Darth Sidious: I believe your popularity with the Rebels may ultimately by your undoing, Darth Spiring.

Darth Sidious: I could not turn your mother Leia or your father Luke, but you are more powerful than either, Darth Bred!

Darth Sidious: It's such a shame I couldn't turn your father, Darth Bred. I'd already penciled 'Darth Cestuous' in on my roster.

Darth Sidious: What the hell was I thinking when I took you on as an apprentice, Darth Agoddadavida?

Jared

Darth Sidious: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means, Darth Conceivable.

GenM

Darth Sidious: You are worthless in a fight, Darth Consequential.

And then Whack Daddy closed the circle with a two-fer: a Tom Swifty and a Crocker. Not only that, but it's also something worthy of Darth Nuendo or Darth Appropriate, depending on the company....

"You're positively glowing, Dart Candescent!" Darth Sidious said brightly.

"Yes - that female Sith, Darth Satiable, was quite a find!" Darth Candescent ejaculated.

As a further bonus, fun can be had with salutations and sign-offs, some being Darth Genius, Darth Stigator, Darth Defatigable, Darth Ept, and Darth Credible.

The "Darth" = "in-" observation is relatively old, and I've seen mentions of it going back to 2001. It didn't even make the top ten of 78 Reasons to Hate Star Wars Episode I. (But it did make the top 20 as #19.)

Be warned: This joke format is not consistent with the Star Wars universe--which is only fitting because the Star Wars universe isn't consistent with itself. Google for "inmaul" and you will see overly pedantic Star Wars types reject this line of wit because it doesn't explain "Darth Maul." Ha! Like Darth Maul can even be explained.

But that I found the wonderful link for the title of this post, I would have linked to this meta-joke in reference to the "Darth"-joke. But now I have, so I can rest....

May the farce be with hue,
--Darth Digo