'It was too good an opportunity to miss' - Walker baby born on May 4 named Skye

Mr Walker said he couldn’t resist naming his daughter Skye.

Arizona Skye Walker

A father whose surname is Walker has given his daughter the name ‘Skye’ after she was born on ‘Star Wars day’ on May 4.

Lee Walker’s first child was due on on April 30, and with a due date so close to May 4 (May the 4th be with you), he struck a deal with his wife Sayaka Tsujino-Walker: if the baby was born on that day they would include Skye in her name.

When Ms Tsujino-Walker’s water broke on May 1, Mr Walker thought the deal would be off.

But there were no contractions, and after calling the triage the next day, the couple were told to go to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on the morning of May 3.

“I was secretly hoping she wouldn’t go into labour until later in the day,” said Mr Walker, 34, as that would increase the chances of the baby being born on May 4.

He got his wish, and baby Arizona Skye was born at 3.30am on May 4.

The couple have also given baby Arizona her mother’s maiden name to reflect her half-Japanese identity, making her full name Arizona Skye Tsujino-Walker.

“My impression was [Sayaka] thought it wasn’t going to happen so she agreed to the deal,” said Mr Walker.

“When it turned out that it did happen we didn’t know if we should really go through with it. But we told the midwives and they loved the idea, so we did.”

No one else in Mr Walker’s family has been named with any Star Wars references, and he thinks there has been disapproval from some quarters.

Mr Walker has seen all original and recent Star Wars films. His wife is ‘not a huge fan’ but is ‘converting’ to the franchise, and has accompanied him to the cinema to watch the more recent installations.

Baby Arizona has already been given a Storm Trooper baby grow from Mr Walker’s colleagues at the Bonham Hotel, as well as a Yoda outfit.

Mr Walker hopes she will grow up to be a Star Wars fan, despite his fear that a ‘lifetime of puns’ may put her off.