PT How did you feel that Anakin was Vader?

I'm talking to those who had no idea that Anakin would become a villain, and of course, hadn't seen the original trilogy first.

How was it, watching the main protagonist becoming "that evil guy with the black suit!"?

 

It was awesome

 

I think no matter what everyone knew that

 

Are there people on this board that saw the movies in such a way that they didn't know? It's definitely possible given that there's a lot of people that were kids when the prequels debuted. It's interesting for me to think back personally. I'm 34 now, my dad raised me on Star Wars, and I can't remember a time when I didn't know that Vader is Anakin and Luke's father.

 

I didn't know.

It was heartbreaking.

A lot of people rag on the Chosen One prophecy, but for people who start with the PT, it's a great misdirection technique because it makes you believe that no matter what, Anakin will save the day and defeat the Sith. So when everything goes to hell, it messes with all your expectations. I thought everything that had come before Anakin's turn -- like the Tusken slaughter or Anakin killing Dooku, was just Lucas "misdirecting" us so to speak. Trying to make us believe that there was the possibility that Anakin would turn so that when he finally did the right thing and saved the day, there would be loads of dramatic effect. NOPE.

I still remember how I felt when Anakin chopped Mace's hand off. I was as shocked as he was. And then…when he knelt before Palpatine. The children…christ, the children. I was just stupefied for that entire sequence. People will make fun, for instance, of the "younglings" line, but I was just watching everything unfold in total disbelief.

But even then, somehow, I thought things would turn out alright. When Padmé went after him, I thought she would get through to him. I figured, having done something so terrible like killing the children, that Anakin was likely going to die by that point. But I thought he would team up with Obi-Wan and sacrifice himself to do the right thing, in the end. NOPE. He chokes her instead and he and Obi-Wan fight to the death. And then Anakin burns. I can't even begin to describe how shocking it is to watch him burn, even knowing how much he deserves it. It really takes your breath away -- like being punched in the gut. Granted, I was a lot younger when I watched it and it's just a movie, but still. I just didn't expect something like that. AT ALL.

I mean, I went into this series seeing sweet, little nine-year-old Anakin…and by the end, I'm watching him burn alive, screaming in pain, after murdering children and choking his pregnant wife. It just unsettles you terribly. To have your expectations so completely overturned. Padmé dies. Obi-Wan goes into exile. Palpatine wins. And Anakin…well, Anakin would be better off dead.

Now, granted, I was a bit older than most when I watched Star Wars for the first time (young teenager) but it still hit really, really hard. To this day, it's still among one of the most unexpected narratives I've ever watched, especially because Star Wars is generally such a fun, family friendly series.

I still remember that it was the first film I ever watched the special features for -- my family had rented the film and usually we didn't bother with the extras. But that night, after everyone else went to bed, I snuck down and watched the "Chosen One" documentary by myself because I was upset and I wanted answers.

It's why I always advocate watching the prequels first, because I don't think any twist in Star Wars, not even "I am your father," can come close to matching that.

 

Man, that was fascinating. Thanks for sharing. If you don't mind me asking, how old were you when you saw ROTS? It's interesting that you not only watched the prequels before the OT, but that you had no idea where Anakin's story was going.

 

yeah that was an awesome description. did you you know he was vader in the suit at all? it's hard to believe rots came out nine years ago.

 

If anyone is interested in the mini-interview with PiettsHat about his experience watching Star Wars for the first time in Episode Order, you can check it out within this thread:
http://boards.theforce.net/threads/i-vi-marathons-with-sw-virgins.50007208/

 

"I think he is a she, and I think she is a" ... no, I'll stop at that and go for a drink

 

Oops! Apologies! That was very Star Wars Casting Director Minded of me...."...her experience watching SW for the first time..."

 

I was about 14 when I first saw it.

No. I'd seen pieces of the OT, but I didn't have an inkling of the connections between the story. Like, when the mask descended, I was all "Holy **** -- he's the dude in black!" I had seen Darth Vader before and so it was like watching something beautiful coalesce -- the pieces coming together. But I had absolutely no idea that Anakin would become Darth Vader.

I'm actually really happy with the way I watched the Saga because I feel like I got to take all the characters on their own without any preconceptions. My parents weren't at all into Star Wars (my dad Hates science fiction/fantasy with a burning passion and my mom was simply never interested in it), so we basically started from scratch.

To give you an example of the depth of my ignorance -- I didn't know that they weren't released in numerical order and the first time we rented the films, I distinctly recall complaining because we didn't get number 3. My family tried to argue that it wasn't there and I think my argument was something along the lines of "What idiot would make film 4 before film 3?" So…yeah…I was basically as out of the loop as they come. Watched 1 and 2 all the way through. Loved them. Watched 4,5,6 in small bits and pieces (I honestly don't remember a lot of it -- which may be why I didn't form the connections the first time around). Then, when ROTS came out on DVD, I marathoned them properly 1-6, so I saw Episode III for the first time and also IV-VI in their entirety, rather than confusing sections here and there. And I finally realized how the story fit together.

Oh -- and another little tidbit you might enjoy. I distinctly recall, while watching the Wampa scenes for Episode V, asking my mother why it (and the other aliens) looked so fake. And she said, "Well, it was released in the 80s." And I didn't believe her! So I went and checked the box and it said 1980 on it. Was a bit gobsmacked truthfully because I had thought that they were recently released films based on the space battles and planet scenes. So I couldn't figure out why so many of the "puppets" looked so terrible in comparison.

 

Man, this is exactly how I imagined that someone would feel if he had watched them in order for 1st time! Everything you said was exactly what I imagined!

 

...Wow. I honestly didn't realize this even ever happened. See this just makes me even more certain that the idea of prequels was a terrible one, rather than going in chronological order. Or rather, jumping around in time in such a way that nothing is given away, as I'm actually a fan of anachronistic storytelling. Imagine how awesome it would have been if everyone could have had this sort of experience...

 

Interesting read, and very alien for me. I didn't get into Star Wars until just before RotS (March 2005 to be specific), but I had seen them all three years earlier when AotC came, and the other four were shown on TV.
I remember talking with my brother about it and finding out that little Anakin is the one who turns out to become Vader. And how the hell would that happen? (His theory was that he was captured.)

So I knew Anakin would become Vader like I knew the Titanic would sink, but actually, Palpatine being the Emperor I didn't realize until embarassingly late. (I was only fourteen at the time though and rather brain-dead when watching movies. That's my excuse.)

But then, like you, I had no idea how shocking RotS would be and felt so ill the next day I had to go home from school. I was like under a rainy cloud for a week.

I kind of envy you. I got neither the shock of "Anakin is Vader!" nor "I am your father!"

 

WOW I really loved reading this. I've never heard from someone who saw them like this and it's just thrilling to me that they had so much impact. Here I am watching the PT glomming onto every bit of foreshadowing, getting chills.. and your experience was completely different and equally wonderful. Thanks for posting this. It makes me feel good because it just highlights how strong the PT is.

So did you see end after the credits with TPM when we hear Vader's breathing? And wonder what it was?

 

Thanks! It's cool to hear other people's perspectives. It's been fun looking back and noticing some of the in-jokes I missed over the years too. I actually didn't watch TPM to the end of the credits because I rented it together with AOTC so I just moved on to that film once it was over.

I didn't realize the Palpatine = Sidious until pretty late either. I remember being a bit suspicious when Palpatine kept insisting that Anakin kill Dooku but I didn't make the connection yet. I thought Palpatine might be up to something but I didn't really catch on until the opera scene. It didn't shock me, though, because it seemed like a pretty conventional twist.

I actually don't remember when/how I learned that Darth Vader was Luke's father. I watched the OT in a really piecemeal fashion the first time I saw it and I think the first time I heard it was when Luke was talking to Yoda/Obi-Wan about Vader being his father. I thought…Hmmm…well, that's new, but I think I kind of rolled with it.

Besides ROTS, my most vivid memories are of AOTC -- I remember Anakin falling off that weird boar creature, loving the Obi-Wan's chase with Jango Fett (and the seismic charge sound effect!), and thinking the dual wielding was really cool, if too short of a scene.

 

As others have said, fascinating story, PiettsHat. What was it like watching III and then followed by IV? I mean, the visual continuity had to be kinda weird. Did you think the effects were a joke? This is where I believe the Special Edition helps to smooth things out.

 

I'm pretty sure even people who never saw Star Wars know that Anakin=Vader.

 

SAME, I didn't figure it out until the whole "kill Dooku" thing either.