Recently, a conspiracy theory explained that Starbucks purposely misspells names as an advertising scheme. If the theory proves true, Starbucks took it to an entirely new level with a recent name mistake. The result? A Star Wars planet.
Although Rouge One: A Star Wars Story was a blockbuster as it first hit theaters, fans aren’t aware of the story behind it. In an interview with CNN, filmmaker Gareth Edwards credited a confused Starbucks barista with helping him name a planet.
How It Began
You may not realize it, but coming up with new, hard-to-pronounce names for all things Star Wars is not an easy task. But Star Wars planets, Jedi knights, and villains need names. Workers at Lucasfilm/Disney are given the difficult job of coming up with catchy titles that’ll quickly be seen on shirts, toys, and video games.
Several years ago, when the script for Rogue One was in the works, Edwards was given the task of naming one of the planets in the film. While considering possible names, Edwards ventured to the nearest Starbucks for a pick-me-up.
The Beloved Mistake
The barista misspelled “Gareth,” which sparked an idea for a Star Wars planet in the filmmaker’s mind.
Edwards told CNN:
“I’m thinking, ‘What could be the name? It could be this. Maybe we could use that?’ Then at the very end, she gives me the drink and they must have asked my name and I must have said, ‘It’s Gareth,’ but they heard ‘Scarif.’ They wrote Scarif on the cup and I was like, ‘That sounds like Star Wars.’
I went back in and I just give it to Gary and went, ‘It’s called Scarif.'”
A Story For-The-Ages
So, that’s how a routine coffee run gave way to one of the film’s main planets in the third act of Rogue One. Sometimes all it takes is a strong cup of Joe to birth a beloved Star Wars planet.
Starbucks, you’ve done it again.
#SpoonTip: For all you coffee-and-Starbucks fanatics, according to Upproxx, Star Wars fans already created shirts that combine the coffee corporation’s famous logo with the planet name.