by Kurt Larson

　　Technically, the title of this blog is false. I didn’t name my newborn son after a Star Wars character, at least not his first name. I did however, slap a Star Wars moniker on him as a middle name. In that sense, I didn’t lie to you, from a certain point of view…

　　Middle names are like extra appendages, parsley, or the late night treadmill you bought back in 2013: They’re just sorta there. What do they really mean, exactly? Do you know anyone who just loves their middle name? No, more often than not, you’ll find fully-formed adults unwilling to even utter their middle name, as if it’s some weird Indiana Jones-esque archaeological find only discussed in hushed whispers.

　　And so it goes that I pitched my ever-patient wife the idea of applying our collective Star Wars love onto our child’s birth certificate. After all, if we can’t saddle our kids with embarrassing middle names, what’s the good of being a parent?

　　In all seriousness, my wife and I shuttled back and forth between a family name and the aforementioned Star Wars name for months, hoping like the twin moons of Tatooine there would be a sign. Sure, in our group of friends, we’re known as ‘The Star Wars Couple’ and people compare us to Han and Leia all the time. With good reason too: We even had stormtroopers at our wedding! Still, could we bring ourselves to name our son Jabba? Greedo? Bossk?

　　Wait, you didn’t think we’d go with something pedestrian like Luke or Ben, did you? No chance. If you’re going to go for a Star Wars name, you better make it clear that it’s a Star Wars name. Let your Kylo and Lando freak flags fly, because in this humble dad’s opinion, the Star Wars galaxy represents far more than a simple set of movies.

　　Star Wars is good vs. evil, the light vs. dark. It represents ideals and life lessons like forgiving one another, being the best you can be, being a part of a collective yet still believing in yourself. It’s family and friendship, honor and integrity. Simply put, it’s magic. And what better way to show your passion than to adopt Star Wars into your actual family history?

　　Still, could we—would we—_really name our son something Star Wars_ related?

　　As fate would have it, my wife and I contacted Nameberry’s Pamela Redmond Satran to interview her for our new parenting podcast Those Are Daddy’s Toys. She had never met us, and she certainly didn’t have stormtroopers at her wedding. Nonetheless, as we discussed naming your baby after all sorts of famous geek characters, she uttered the one name my wife and I had essentially already decided on. In a fictional world filled with diverse and hard-to-pronounce characters, somehow Pamela guessed the Star Wars middle name we had narrowed it down to.

　　We took that as a sign to go ahead.

　　Solo. Our newborn child’s middle name is Solo. Half part Han, half part Leia. Just like us.

　　You know, a funny thing happened once we told people his name. They loved it. They didn’t love it in the way someone loves something just to be polite. Faces warmed, smiles stretched out, and hearty hugs abounded; Solo was a hit. After fretting over the reaction of others for so long, we went with what we wanted, and what we wanted ended up being just right for us, and for our baby.

　　So if it means anything, this Dad says use that middle name in whatever way you wish. Be unique! Be creative! Be daring or silly! After all, they’ll probably end up hating it anyway. At least this way, they’ll have a few laughs and a few stories to share. And you never know, you may start a new family tradition, one that stretches into a galaxy far, far, away…

　　Kurt Larson is an award winning screenwriter and filmmaker, most notably known for the independent cult hit Son of Ghostman. In addition to hosting the new geek-themed parenting podcast Those Are Daddy’s Toys, Kurt has regularly hosted the weekly geek podcast Stay Cool Geek for over two years. He’s based in Los Angeles and can often be found roaming the streets in a daze of Kylo Ren-esque emotions regarding his career.