Puyo Bock holds the secret to naming Star Wars: Squadrons pilots
Shoutout to Goop.
I've never understood Star Wars names. On one hand, you've got perfectly normal blokes with names like Luke or Ben, and then someone will stroll on up and deadpan introduce themselves as "Dash Rendar" or "Wedge Antilles". It's enough to have you wondering where they come up with these names. In the case of one Star Wars: Squadrons pilot, at least, there's a good chance the name came from the mind of a comedy writer's 20-month-old kid.
One of the best bits about Squadrons' fantastic Fleet Battles is that you don't need to dive in against human opponents right away. Instead, you can learn the ropes by pitting yourself against AI opponents. They're all given daft Star Wars names, of course - and it appears there may a lovely story behind Puyo Bock's moniker.
Brian Altano, a writer, musician and IGN contributor based in San Francisco, took to Twitter today to share the apparent roots of Bock's name. Turns out, his kid had been getting well into Star Wars (sorry, Dah Wahs) around February, but had their own take on some iconic character names.
It's an adorable little piece of trivia, backed up by Squadrons writer Mitch Dyer and blessed by Goop Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill. It's also fun to imagine other potential combinations of AI antagonists by slamming together other names. Ham Pen? Dadba Maps? Bibbi Goop, anyone?
Of course, now I also have a source for the name I'm screaming during several AI fleet battles. I swear, these robot pilots can be so much tougher than any human foe.
Squadrons remains a bloody great game, even if it stings knowing that the devs have no plans for post-launch content. If you're looking for ways to destroy Puyo Bock and friends, or even take to the skies against human players with even stranger names, check out our guide to the best loadouts for every ship in Star Wars: Squadrons.