One of the strange quirks of the Star Wars movies is just how many characters, hardware and places go unnamed. Often we don't appreciate just how much we've picked up from publicity, toy packaging or the Expanded Universe.

Know what AT-ATs and Y-wings are? Where you would find Theed or Tipoca City? Who Ki-Adi Mundi and Mon Mothma are? What an Ewok or a Wampa is?

Not from watching the movies, you don't.

I would expect that minor characters, who only take on a starring role when it comes to the EU, wouldn't be mentioned by name. And so everyone's favourite minor Jedi - Kit Fisto, Aayla Secura, Plo Koon, Shaak Ti et al - have no dialogue, no major part to play, and hence go unnamed.

But it's remarkable how far through the Saga we go before learning the names, or full names, of many significant characters. Here's a few examples for you:

- The surnames "Lars" and "Organa" are never mentioned in the original trilogy, and it's only thanks to the prequels that they're mentioned at all. Poor Bail Organa has to go anonymously through Episode II, and even in Episode III we never learn his first name.

- It's Episode II before Master Windu even gets a surname. The first name, "Mace", isn't uttered at all throughout the trilogy.

- Similarly, whilst "Yoda" is name-dropped throughout Episode I, if you were starting the Saga here, you'd be able to make no connection to the little green puppet until Obi-Wan speaks with him at the end. Qui-Gon manages to get through the first 40 minutes (ish) before letting us know his name.

- Nute Gunray? Episode II. In I he's only "the Viceroy".

- Everyone knows "Darth Sidious" isn't mentioned until the prequels, but did you realise the same is true of the name "Palpatine"? Actually, in Episode I, he's "Lord Sidious", which led to some speculation amongst my friends that "Darth" was a title only applied to Sith apprentices.

- Boba Fett fulfills Lucas's intention of being "the man with no name" in Episode V, and if you don't listen carefully, you'll miss the single mention of his name in VI as well.

- And while it's not a character, the first time "Tatooine" is mentioned is in Episode V. It's not until Episode VI that we can definitely tie the name to Luke's home planet.

- Vehicles suffer too. "Slave I" is as unbadged as "Executor".

I just mention these as a curiosity. No doubt some of you will be able to come up with more examples in addition to those I've listed here.

Hardcore Star Wars fans obviously know all the names, but I do think it's a slight failing of the films that we had to pick them up from elsewhere. Particularly when the audience doesn't get to know the names of important characters. It helps us get absorbed in the film if we can think of "Mace Windu" instead of "that Jedi played by Samuel L. Jackson".

Ho hum, guess I'll get back to building that Lego Sandcrawler. Now, what's one of those again?